TDM #1

[aionmods]

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.

Comments

Father Paul Hill | Midnight Mass | Martyr

[vivificantem]

i. The Pillars of Creation.

[Emerging into consciousness in such a way is…strange to him; it's unlike anything he's experienced, it's unlike his time spent fifty days ago, but there's a sense of closeness and familiarity that doesn't quite leave him alone, either. This is him, and it's those wandering nearby, and it's everyone all at once; it's a connection to the universe both comforting and alarming. Standing in the presence of something greater than himself, seeing the universe for what it is, and what it was, and what it shall be...

It isn't anything like he could have imagined it being, but that doesn't surprise him - for what mind may comprehend the vastness and the greatness of God?

He does pause, however, as he comes to the crossroads, that split in the path between light and dark; one choice seems obvious, one somewhat less so - but then, is it not his calling to dispel the darkness? There's an irony in that, surely, the outpouring of the fourth vial anointing his head, but for the time being it leaves him indecisive, his heart hesitant to follow.

The arrival of someone else seems to bring him back into himself, one of those wandering close enough to address; he knows better than to think it's someone interested in joining him, at least intentionally, but he isn't going to refuse to remain in their presence, either.

Paul has always been slow of speech, drawing his thoughts as though from the pit of a well far below; they're thought-out, measured, but overall not the sort that's trying to coax any particular conclusion from his current company.]

We should choose a direction; whichever calls to us most strongly. Will you come with me?


II. Acts of Service.

[He's captured in the shrine of the Martyr; although he notes his captor's lack of willingness to enter, he chooses to not make life harder on anyone than it really needs to be. There's fear in it, surely; he would have to be insane for there to not be fear in it, but largely there's just a feeling of emptiness - the sensation of being cut off from everything he knows, everyone on Crockett Island just gone from him, and for the first time in a long time he doubts. For in the absence of his world comes the shaking of his faith; there should be joy in it, if what happened was an act of God - his Lord reclaiming His people, as opposed to the darkness at the edges of his mind.

So he goes with his captors willingly; the whip does bite into his skin, offering him a strange sort of blank respite from having to consider anything too deeply. He can just be alone with his thoughts, and not have to worry about making himself do anything; his lips move silently in practiced, rote memorized prayer, because even if he can't be sure of the how or why of anything, it offers the dubious promise of eventual intercession.

If there's anything to hear him; if there's anything to intercede for them anymore. Just the same, there's a source of strength there, maybe. Be not afraid.

He doesn't eat.

It's noticeable, on this journey, that he eats nothing; rather, he'll offer his rations to anyone that seems to want it, or need it, or just generally seems to be going through it. Occasionally he'll offer for no better reason than you tried to sock a guard in the goddamned face, and while they may frown upon doing that, he certainly doesn't.

Whatever his reasons, you're being approached today.]

Take this; it's yours, if you want it.

I- a fellow Martyr

[bearshermark]

[Eleven glances about with an expression of deep awe, marveling at the cosmos and buoyed by the beautiful wonder of it all. He doesn't know the man beside him--he isn't the one he'd come in search of--but he offers him a soft smile]

I think Yggdrasil is calling to us. [His eyes unerringly track the path of light, and he takes a step toward it before turning back for his companion] It might be that the cycle of souls can be restored if we find Her.

[vivificantem]

[That's fine, they can go that way; it's simpler, in ways, to not make this decision on his own. To go unerringly seems like an imposition when he does it; far less so when it's someone else's choice.

He tips his head a little at the mention of Yggdrasil; he's not unfamiliar with the name of the tree of life, and far be it from him to begrudge another their faith.]

The cycle of souls...?

[That phrase, however, is more foreign to him; better to ask clarification than anything else.]

[bearshermark]

[He nods, though a bit of a shrug comes at the tail end of it]

When I first came into the Void, a woman spoke to me and said the cycle of souls was broken, that the dead aren't able to move on after Yggdrasil's fall..

[Eleven frowns a little, then eyes the path beneath their feet] But I wonder.

ii

[aquaveiled]

[ Notably she has not tried to sock a guard in the godsdamned face, though the thought has passed her mind. Forced compliance is never something to be fond of, but without her normal spells at her disposal, she's finding herself less inclined to cause a fuss. At least for now.

And that is heavy on her mind--the fact that she can feel nothing in the world around her. Himeka spends quite a bit of time by herself looking at her fingertips as if willing aether to collect at them upon command. Like it's supposed to. Like it always has done before she ever realized what she was doing. Weaving aether has just been as natural as breathing.

Yet now she is without. ]

Hm?

[ Looks up at the sound of a voice, gaze flitting about before it settles on a man holding out something very precious. ]

For me?

[ She blinks once before gingerly accepting it. ]

Thank you--...though, won't you be hungry?

[vivificantem]

[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.

[aquaveiled]

[ Food is important to all living things, it only varies in the manner of which it comes. But to Himeka in particular, it has become something of a language in and of itself. So sharing it has a very special meaning to, one she will not soon besmirch from a stranger.

She does manage a small smile and a nod of gratitude. ]

Thank you.

[ And to prove it, she breaks off a small piece of some sort of loaf and chews on it. Unfortunately her manners otherwise aren't as neat as she continues to speak with him despite the food in her mouth. ]

You seem rather calm despite all that's happened.

ii

[epiprocta]

[ 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. ]

[vivificantem]

[The old man remark... If it was meant as an insult, it doesn't seem to land as one; it's something he shrugs off easily enough, though not without a bit of private amusement.

Anyway.]

If I wanted something, I would ask for it. Take it as a gesture of appreciation, if you have to have some sort of justification.

[epiprocta]

[ He squints at that, suspicious and wary. And though he does snatch the rations from Paul's hand, he doesn't eat it just yet. ]

Appreciation for what. I haven't done anything for you.

[ It's not like Gen seriously thinks the food's been tampered with, but it's not in his nature to trust anything offered so freely. Even if the person making the offer looks ... nice enough. Maybe even a little bit like a sucker. ]

II - Martyr Bros

[coupris]

[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.

[vivificantem]

[Whether it's genuine charity or just something that's in his nature is difficult to ascertain; either way, despite the shaken nature of his faith at the moment, it's always been his duty to minister, and that's what he's determined to do for the time being. He'll sit down nearby, regardless, and it isn't pity in his tone when he speaks - that remains conversational, extenuating circumstances be damned.]

If you're sure. It isn't as though I'm going to force you to do anything; it's enough for me if you're willing to consider. Can I ask for that much?

[coupris]

I think we've been forced to do enough so far, no?

[Kim sweeps the loose fabric of his robe that has pooled on the ground to the side, allowing the man more room to sit.]

But you can. If you had any cigarettes, I would gladly take you up on that, instead.

[Fat chance of that. For as disciplined as Kim had been about one cigarette a day, it would be tempting to chainsmoke a whole pack if he was given one now.]

ii.

[immunisation]

[ She's sitting cross-legged, just separated enough from the mealtime din that she's on her lonesome but not far enough one might consider her willfully anti-social, Ellie's right knee wiggles with a restless energy as she spaces out at the crackling fire one evening. The fingernail of her thumb is worn from being chewed, and her bruised face is twisted up in a frown that betrays a great deal about How Things Are Going, thus far. She's good as wearing her heart on her proverbial sleeve, not bothering to hide her irritation and displeasure at their... situation. It fucking sucks, basically? She hates it.

Hers is the expression quite a few wear around here. It's nothing special.

Distracted as she is, she almost misses the good Father's approach -- or maybe she figured he was on his way elsewhere, because she stirs from her too-intense contemplation of the fire by the sound of his voice. Ellie leans back as if stirred from a daydream and straightens her spine some, the severity on her face easing a bit; she eyes over his offering of rations as what he'd said sinks in. Can't deny she's suspicious, skeptical, maybe, but she's seen him at this before. No one's dropped dead, yet. ]

You sure you want them seeing you making nice with someone in time out? [ Ellie gestures with her thumb over her shoulder where a pair of their ever-watchful guard lingers beyond the collection of white-clad 'guests.' ] Not sure it'll make you any friends.

[ Pretty sure they're going to end up bled dry or sacrificed with some goats or some shit anyway, but you know. It's the thought that counts. ]

[vivificantem]

I'll keep that in mind. For now, our relationship is at about the level of "I comply when it matters." We seem to like it that way.

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

Either way, you seem to be having a rougher time than I am.

[immunisation]

[ Okay, she can jive with this; he has a sense of humor. She doesn't really get what his deal is, though, and she's curious.

So Ellie's reaching out and finally accepting the rations he's come to peddle (is it really 'peddling' if it's free?), before scooting over a bit and gesturing for him to sit beside her. What do you mean there was plenty of room before she did that? Whatever, okay, it's a symbolic gesture. ]

Think we're all having a pretty collectively shitty week.

[ She rips the bread in half, holding part out to him with an arched brow of expectation. For someone who has no problem challenging authority, Ellie challenging him is definitely on the table. In a totally friendly way, of course. No punching involved for either party. (Probably.) ]

i.

[skirka]

[ Perhaps in another life there would be beauty here to revel in: the colors of the sky above, like paint strewn by an ecstatic hand, and the sense of opportunity which opens beneath it. Opportunity at the cost of tremendous loss, that is; she did not ask to come here, and has agreed to no debt which sees her standing now where two roads diverge. What she held before has been taken from her. She has been robbed, and now carelessly abandoned here - a coward's work. She has nothing, and no one to call upon to wield a sword in her defense. It would seem that there is only the prismatic massacre of the sky above, and everything she has lost to stand here now. Fury and grief threaten to strangle her.

But she is not, for her lack of a valiant, armored protector, alone - a stranger's voice speaks to her. She does not know the man, and she is enraged further to find that he is no knight. He carries no weapon that she can see. And he is, worse still, standing on the cusp of the path which bears away from her own. Does he not feel urged toward that fracturing darkness she has been looking toward? Does he not wish, as she does, to sip from it like a fine dark wine? He seems undecided, wavering, as if his heart is deaf to the call of furious vengeance.

She snaps in irritation, refusing to understand why he does not simply join her where she must go. Even if he looks to her like a man unaccustomed to war, she is loath to proceed alone. It feels as if there is little time to dither in this place. Despite the ghost of fear which lingers upon her, her voice is a well-practiced command. ]

This way. Come. Are you armed?

[vivificantem]

[Already, this is going well.

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

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

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

Anyway. Path of darkness it is. Let's go.]

[skirka]

[ He does not balk, to her satisfaction: she cannot know yet the nature of his heart, but it is, as this moment decides, an obliging one. He raises no inept protest, demands no proof of authority from her, and does not challenge her on the question of what draws her so fervently to the darkness. That is wise, for it is not a question, and it does not await an answer. It simply comes, like each unchanging night, to overtake her.

There is something in this darkness that aches, like a bruise, but it is a familiar sting, and sweeter for that. Like a hand pressed firmly over that darkening bruise, she cannot quite bear to lift it away. She longs to sink a bit deeper into that hollowing throb. There is comfort, sometimes, in being blinded to all else.

Though he more or less confesses to bearing no weapon, she steps in to take his arm, as if it is his natural duty to escort her chivalrously into the night. The motivation prompting this gesture is simple: should an assailant befall them, it will land upon him first, hopefully. He makes a better shield than none at all. And he has not answered with a cowardly or resentful no - maybe he does, then, carry some sort of ignoble blade, and can be provoked to draw it should they face anyone of untoward intent. Regardless of what shape those horrors might take, she does not hesitate to urge him onward, though it feels like a decision she herself is responsible for only half of. ]

Who calls to you now?

ii (with a twist)

[destage]

[Sayaka is someone who would consider herself observant; in her line of work, you have to be in order to keep yourself safe and keep yourself at the top of the pile. It's certainly led to her watching people, watching her fellows and others that are in this uncertain situation--watching out for them, because it's what she knows. It's what she's supposed to do, in a situation like this.

And yet, this man...in truth, Sayaka isn't sure what to make of him. She's certainly seen this rather religious man share his food with others, but it doesn't seem like he's been eating himself, has he? It's certainly worrying; maybe at least in part because he seems like a model citizen. Someone to aspire to be, someone...interesting, really.

It's what sees Sayaka seek him out tonight, at least, electing to approach him--though she keeps a respectful distance for the moment, before speaking up.]

Excuse me, sir? I hope I'm not being a bother...

[vivificantem]

[He's mostly been keeping to himself tonight, among the pillars and some brief distance away from the fire - close enough that the guards can keep a fairly easy eye on him, but he's been compliant this whole way. There are benefits to reap from obedience; one of them seems to be a modicum of privacy, genuine or otherwise.

He's watching the group, in other words, once his own rations have been administered to whomever he believes needs it tonight; not praying, not yet, just keeping an eye on everyone in general. Sort of hoping that tonight isn't the night a riot inevitably breaks out; sort of hoping, if he's honest, that tonight is the one where it does.

He's quiet either way as she approaches; a girl from one of the other group, one he's seen from time to time but doesn't know beyond that. Younger girls are a demographic he's never been particularly great with when it comes to talking to them; Leeza was different, but then he'd known Leeza pretty much her entire life. This, though...

She seems polite, at least; he tips his head to acknowledge her presence. Smiles a bit.]

No, not at all. Is something on your mind?

[destage]

[Ah, that's good. Sayaka's own smile is kind, and she'll walk a little closer, bowing her head politely--it's likely obvious at this point that she has some rations with her, but...]

Oh, not really! Or, well, um... [Sayaka chuckles a bit, using a free hand to fiddle with her hair.] I wanted to ask if I could join you, for a bit? I managed to get some rations from the guards--I was wondering if you wanted to share them?

[It's a simple question, if nothing else.]

You've been giving out your food to some of the others, after all. I thought it might be nice to return the favor. If you don't mind, of course.

II

[youngprodigy]

[The fact that he doesn't eat at all hasn't escaped Cid's notice. He's not sure what to make of it, but not the sort to confront complete strangers.]

You should eat, you need it more than I. Low aether can lead to health problems, and I doubt our captors will care about such things.

[vivificantem]

Aether - is that what you call it?

[He doesn't know what he'd call it himself, granted, so he's willing to take "aether" as the explanation this guy's offering him.]

For now I'm all right, though. I'm not going to... I won't do anything that's going to put me at too much of a detriment.

[youngprodigy]

[He blinks, clearly confused.]

Forgive me. What word would you use to describe the life force of the star and everything on it?

[By "star", he means "planet", but]