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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.

contentsunderpressure: (pic#15488654)

Jinx | Arcane | Firebrand

[personal profile] contentsunderpressure 2022-02-22 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
1. Rebirth

[So your world has gone boom! kablooey! Absolutely and totally bit the dust! Jinx stumbled out of her cacoon and stumbled, before righting herself and...laughing? It all felt like some kind of cosmic joke, why was she here, and naked to boot? Who knew! Because she certainly didn't. She was loud, that was for sure and her incessant laughter would spread far and loud.]

2. Waiting

[Well, Jinx had been an utter pain in the ass to everyone who had managed to drag her this far. Her skin that was visible was marked with scratches and bruises, while her face still wore a look of what appeared to be amusement. She still hadn't figured out what was going on but was taking it in what appeared to be in stride, as far as that meant annoying the living hell out of her captors. Without the small arsenal, she normally possessed the girl's resistance hadn't been anything these fine folks couldn't handle. But her glee about everything had instilled in them that she was more than a bit odd.]

3. Wild card

[feel free to annoy jinx. Hit me up on plurk@witchqueen for plotting and other things.]
Edited 2022-02-22 20:41 (UTC)
semicharmed: (dude with a tie)

[personal profile] semicharmed 2022-02-22 08:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Matt chuckles, echoing the cant of Ramirra's head with a slight, unconscious tilt of his own. He's gotten midway through a nod of agreement--good call, they've gotta make their own fun or they'll go mad--when she's moved on to another point, one that likewise seems well worth considering. ]

Yeah, [ he says slowly, ] if it was just a specific fashion sense thing, you'd think there'd be only one or two of them. And-or more different styles.

So that makes me think ...

Well, maybe they just live in a really regimented society, and the grunts can't do anything without supervision. Or maybe whatever's about to happen to us, it's something specialized and culturally important, and that's why they're here.
bearshermark: credit: <user name="morninglight"> (pray)

[personal profile] bearshermark 2022-02-22 08:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Eleven turned a surprised look to the man, brows raised.

"Of course it does," he said with conviction. "It's vulnerable, and all Life depends upon it. If something were to happen to it.."

He'd seen what happened to Erdrea, let alone the greater expanse of.. whatever it was the space beyond worlds was called. He shook his head.

"I'll stay here, if that's what's needed of me."
eolja: (the way i uploaded this just for prince)

[personal profile] eolja 2022-02-22 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[so ominous...

But the offer is interesting. He considers Dokja's offer carefully, there doesn't seem much else to do at the moment, anyway. Maybe if Seonho had walked the path of the light in that dream of his, then he'd ask Dokja about what kind of country Joseon is like now. Are people still discriminated by their birth? Did the class system ever change for the good? Can people live their lives?

But Seonho chose the darkness, which means his resentment and bitterness is still on his mind, churning in his gut. ]


Do you recognize the name 'Yi Bang Won'?
eolja: (gonna get that shirtless mileage)

[personal profile] eolja 2022-02-22 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[That would be the smart option, and it's one Seonho should take. What would he do anyway, if he recognized someone from his world here? He doesn't care for them, and they wouldn't like having his face be the first sight to greet them.

in that case, maybe he should be grateful for meeting Tequila,]


There seems to be only one exit.

[the tunnel path meandering away from them, chrysalis after chrysalis dotting its path. but the other man is right in that Seonho's strength hasn't fully come back to him yet,]

I can't tell if that makes it easier to leave, or if it's meant to trap us.
eolja: (gonna get that shirtless mileage)

what did i do....................

[personal profile] eolja 2022-02-22 09:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[Sorry, Eustace...... Seonho's social life might even be more limited than his.... He's only consistently talked to one person for more than five years, and Seung-rok was a man of even fewer words. (Also he ignored Seonho most of the time.)

Thinking of Seung-rok makes him think of when he abandoned him. He left him and told him to live his life, it feels ironic that it's all come down to this. He'd feel something more if he'd let himself, but as always, Seonho keeps it all in the back of his mind.]


You're right, and yet I find it difficult to pull my thoughts away from the ritual.

[he doesn't sound too worried though, maybe he's vibing. he starts gathering his hair in a ponytail at the base of his neck, and if Eustace is looking, then he'll see Seonho tuck the small stone in his hair. It only works bc Seonho has so much of it, and he pulls it into a man bun that he anchors with a dry twig. This little pebble will do absolutely nothing, but maybe it's the meaning that makes it important.]

Every theory I've heard is more foolish than the last. I'm looking forward to having our questions answered.
lockedon: pid 4667155 (053)

used a shirtless icon on me despite this not being a horny thread, that's what

[personal profile] lockedon 2022-02-22 10:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Wow, this tiny act of rebellion.

But maybe the act in and of itself is enough. A silent display of insurrection proving that their minds are still their own even if their bodies might be held under different sway. Speaking of bodies—

Eustace watches silently as Seonho fixes his hair, the tangled knots still managing to come together into something presentable. He must have attracted the attention of many a person - man and woman - before being brought here, Eustace thinks dispassionately, though his looks are surely wasted here. Others have tried to seduce the guards and failed; he can't see this man succeeding where the rest didn't. ]


What makes you think we'll get any answers? They could blind us, drug us. Even kill us. [ Although.... ] Unless death is enough of an answer for you.

[ It is the most final of answers, technically speaking. ]
Edited 2022-02-22 22:48 (UTC)
aquaveiled: (himeka-204)

[personal profile] aquaveiled 2022-02-22 10:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She nods. ]

A few times, actually.

[ Which she realizes isn't exactly comforting, other than the fact that she is still around to tell the tale. ]

I'm not certain if the circumstances are the same, I've witnessed followers lost in the thrall of their gods round up strangers and their very own in sacrifice. Though...there is little reason to provide food or clothing in those instances.
lockedon: (b004)

[personal profile] lockedon 2022-02-22 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[ One day YJH and Eustace will meet, and then they will either become the best of friends or immediately destroy each other.

For now, Eustace (the 2D gacha character) resists the urge to roll his eyes at this spontaneous lecture Dokja has suddenly decided to drop upon him. He might be adept at tuning people out but it would still be easier if he didn't have to exert the effort to do so in the first place. ]


And yet you're still here.

[ What is the tRUTH!! But since Dokja has hunkered down with no intention of leaving, Eustace turns so he can catch a better view of the other man. His hair is as disheveled as it was when they'd first met, his standard issue outfit grimy at the hem. In the light of day and with his wits about him, Eustace reevaluates Dokja and comes to the same conclusion: unimpressive. ]

What are you here for then?

[ Is it to undress and skinny dip in the river so he can show off his malnourished physique? ]
youngprodigy: (∉ from the worst to the best)

[personal profile] youngprodigy 2022-02-22 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
I specialize in magitek technology.

Without access to the fuel source, there isn't anything I can do to replicate it.
lockedon: (b037)

[personal profile] lockedon 2022-02-22 11:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[ A brief dip of his head is all it takes to confirm that assumption. ]

The same.

[ Which is to say: he also doesn't know jack shit about these weird-ass rocks. Why even ask about anything anymore when the answer always circles back to no? They certainly seem to have exhausted their leads for the time being, and there's still days left of their captivity. Might as well take a breather now, and resume thinking when their minds are fresh again.

He pushes away from the crumbling wall, rolling one shoulder slightly as he settles back onto his heels. ]


If I think of anything, I'll let you know.

[ For now, he is going to see if he can get away with taking a small walk around the perimeter to clear his head. ]
aquaveiled: (himeka-403)

[personal profile] aquaveiled 2022-02-22 11:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[ himeka shakes her head. She is exceedingly well-traveled at this point, for certain, but there are still plenty of places that she has never been. That they are on another shard is something that has crossed her mind, however...

She draws quiet for a moment before taking a step closer to Cid and keeps her voice low. ]


Before they came to collect you...did you dream?
aquaveiled: (himeka-444)

[personal profile] aquaveiled 2022-02-22 11:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Her smile turns wry at that, but she nods in agreement all the same. ]

No. I figure it's going to be the exact opposite of anything we want to happen.

[ She curls her tail around her side so she can sit more comfortably before resting her chin onto her hands so she can watch the other woman. ]

Given that it seems they anticipated us all crawling out of some weird subterranean crystal...hatchery, I have to wonder how this was orchestrated. They knew when we would all emerge.
lockedon: (pic#14244924)

[personal profile] lockedon 2022-02-22 11:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Ah—Eustace tips his head an inch, eyeing the careful movement of hand to ear and then to a loose area above and beyond their heads. ]

The birds?

[ Listening to them? Birdsong can be soothing on a calm day, but he can't say he's paid much attention the birds now, save for noting their silence whenever their guards make too much of a fuss. Maybe they're a tether to normalcy in a very abnormal situation, or maybe... ]

Did you live near a forest, before?

[ Before all this. ]
lifespanned: (pic#11712461)

[personal profile] lifespanned 2022-02-23 12:02 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, you know what I'm talking about! I'm talking about right now.

[ She grins, tipping her head to the side. ]

The way I see it, so long as no one here had a hand in bringing us here... we're all on the same side.
lyalyuma: (to dispel the night)

waiting; another member of the 'pining over dead women' club??

[personal profile] lyalyuma 2022-02-23 12:13 am (UTC)(link)
[It was obvious that a rebellion would start. People are too attached to their old lives, after all, or at least too drawn to the unknown, to sit around a fire and awkwardly chat while this "ritual site" gets set up. Maybe on the fourth or fifth night, it breaks out: started by one person lashing out, then another, but swiftly quashed by whips and armor.]

[Infel, meanwhile, is waiting: gathering information, biding her time until she knows enough to strike out on her own.]

[The girl who speaks up next to Nox is maybe twenty-two, with a straight posture and hands folded in her lap. Nox may be talking to the riot, but as they're otherwise occupied, she'll just talk back to him instead...!]


Yeah, yeah, our old worlds are dead. Some of ours had it coming for centuries now. [She wasn't too surprised about hers, as evidenced by the wry smile that creeps across her face.] But with that said... [a motion to all the clamor, or at least where she hears it and sees the blurs of activity--] Whatever's out there isn't dead. You're telling me you aren't interested in it at all?
Edited (WAITING LMAO) 2022-02-23 00:14 (UTC)

Waiting

[personal profile] meredy 2022-02-23 12:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ She is waiting the same as everyone else, looking incredibly worried to boot! What was going to happen to them? It seems no one knows for sure.

She looks to the person next to her and puts a hand on her chest. Her voice is quiet and she speaks with a hint of some indistinguishable accent. ]

Meredy does not know...

[ She sighs. ]

It seems like no one knows for sure. Are we in trouble?
coupris: (you've gone to far this time)

[personal profile] coupris 2022-02-23 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
They could say the same about you.

[The hard edge returns to his voice at that, though he seems to catch himself after the fact. Gen's choice of words brushed across him like old sandpaper.]

But it seems to have all been chance.
aquaveiled: (himeka-444)

[personal profile] aquaveiled 2022-02-23 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ Significance in the locations? That isn't something that Himeka had considered, to be honest. That soldiers were waiting for each was unnerving enough, but were the differences (or distances) that they had to travel of any significance as well? ]

Hmm...

[ It is something to give consideration to. ]

Where was it that they found you?
lifespanned: (pic#11709551)

[personal profile] lifespanned 2022-02-23 01:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ Her face lights up in understanding when he answers her prompt, nodding. ]

So that's why! Wow, I'm pretty good at guessing.

[ The pat on her back aside, she seems to relax even more now, at ease now that she understands the situation for what it is. At this point, if she stays creative, she knows for certain she can make this interaction a fruitful one for herself. She gives him a little thumbs up with her slim hand. ]

I get it, no problem. I can talk enough for the both of us. I wish there was some way for me to get your name, though, so I know what to call you... you must have one, right?

[ Or maybe he doesn't...? That, too, she would adapt to somehow. People come from all sorts of worlds here, she's found. Wouldn't be the strangest thing she's come across even on her own Earth. ]
hurricaneofblood: (Default)

[personal profile] hurricaneofblood 2022-02-23 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
I suppose that you're right.

[ On all accounts, she is right.

Tilting his head up, he attempts to look down the same makeshift walkways to see if he, too, can see anyone. He certain can hear the telltale shuffling of people about, anyway. ]


I'm not familiar at all with this place. [ Flamebringer replies with an ease that someone in an unknown situation definitely should not. But then, she also is having an easy conversation with him. He turns his head back to offer her an appreciative smile. ]

If I die, I die. I'll come to see something marvelous at the end, and so I can remain calm. What about you? Are you feeling the same calm that comes from being on the knife's edge?
lifespanned: (pic#15472980)

[personal profile] lifespanned 2022-02-23 01:32 am (UTC)(link)
[ Misa clasps the other's hand delicately with both of her own, her face lighting up. ]

Misa owes you big time! Thank you, thank you.

[ She lays it on thick with the cutesy-talk, before delicately taking the piece of the ration she'd been offered, quickly concealing it in the over large sleeves of the gowns they've all been given. ]

I'll definitely find you later once we get to... um, well, you know, the place they're taking us to! You'll be super easy to find. I couldn't miss those shiny scales of yours.

[ Misa says this the same way one might compliment another person's jewelry, her tone light and casual as her eyes linger briefly on them. ]
lifespanned: (pic#12123252)

[personal profile] lifespanned 2022-02-23 01:36 am (UTC)(link)
[ All things considered, that's the best response she could have hoped for. Maybe she's getting worked up over nothing? It'd probably help a lot to have someone on her side right about now... ]

Well... since you seem pretty trustworthy, I'll let everything for the rest of today slide, okay? No hard feelings. [ Over the heinous crime of maybe seeing her boob, for example. She has her priorities straight! ] I want to be on the same side, in case something bad happens.

[ Misa only catches the slight movement of his ears before darting her eyes away - looking to the other end of the cave, where there are still yet unhatched crystals. Inside her mind, she racking her brain for ways to smooth things over, to chart the waters to a more friendly type of conversation, in case this person decides that she's untrustworthy for attacking anyone that even wakes up in this awful place. She clears her throat. ]

Especially since breaking out of that thing is so gross and tiring. You seem like you're sitting up okay, though.
coupris: (that will bring me luck)

[personal profile] coupris 2022-02-23 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
[Kim stares at Silco, despite the fact that he can barely see him. The man has clearly created some narrative about Kim in his head, constructed from personal bias and extrapolation of what little Kim had insinuated about himself.

This is nothing new. For it to happen even outside the bounds of his universe almost makes Kim laugh again. The frustration, though, is the same, dulled from his younger years, but never fully shoved into a corner.]


I never said that.
allusive: manual, do not take (Reign_S02E19_239)

[personal profile] allusive 2022-02-23 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's cold comfort to know that their surroundings are as foreign to him as they are to her, something she tucks away for further examination later. The few she can see about look similarly confused and lost, and so perhaps this is something they all share in common. And there is possibly more to it than that.

His question rattles around in her ribcage uncomfortably, too close, too knowing. It sparks something defensive within her, hackles raising, and she flits around in her thoughts to think of what she can say to counteract that. What name will she take, what face will she wear, what lie can she tell to save face? Who can she pretend to be? (A better thought: what need does she have to be anyone but herself if her home is lost forever? If there is nothing left, then what does she have to hide?)

A slow breath is his first answer. Then: ]
I don't know what else to feel. [ It's honest even if it's a little bit of a deflection. ] There is only the edge and there is nothing to turn back towards. Why bother panicking and losing control over what little you have? [ And after all she's seen, there's an eerie familiarity to it, like an old cloak worn through.

She cants her head, though, realizing... The end. Did he also--? ]
I don't see anything marvelous about it, though. What are you hoping to see, if this is the end?