TDM #3

[aionmods]

TDM #3

DREAMING (new characters)

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 (new characters)

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.]

DREAMING (OLD CHARACTERS)

For those already in Horos, they will find themselves in the same dreamscape as the new arrivals, only, this time, it's familiar. You'll feel more cognizant of your surroundings as you reawaken in this psychedelic realm, more in control of your emotions. What's more, you recognize that light at the center and the darkness at the edge: it's the Pleroma and Kenoma respectively. The one you are attuned to will call our to your soul, and though you are technically free to wander as you please, the closer you get to the force of your opposite sect, the more it will grate against you spiritually. Pleroma attuned nearing the Kenoma will feel as if its presence is desperately trying to tear them apart, and Kenoma attuned nearing the Pleroma will feel as if its light is burning them from the inside out.

More importantly, you notice that entirely new souls are wandering here with faces you didn't see in the cavern. It gradually becomes clear that they are Aions in the same state you were prior to your rebirth, lost and wandering this stretch of the cosmos with no idea what's to come. Maybe this is your chance to ease the confusion of their arrival, or maybe you'd simply like to scope out what kind of people are on their way. It's also possible for you to run into Aions already in Horos, wandering just like you are. Unfortunately, things are a lot less neutral than they are the last time you shared this realm.

No matter what you do, eventually the cosmos above will begin to burn out, just as it did the first time you were here. As darkness swallows reality itself, you will wake with the visceral memory of your world corrupting and breaking apart.

SEARCHING (OLD CHARACTERS)

Soon after the dreams begin, it will become clear that the Aion NPCs of either sect are also aware of what's happening. For those in Achamoth and Greentruth, the imminent arrival of new Aions will become a matter of official discussion. All able Aions will be called upon for their aid, in whatever way they can offer. Getting to the shrines themselves will be easily accomplished via teleportation. What's would be more complicated is ferrying any new arrivals back to a secure location. Thankfully, this is something both sects have already prepared for.

All characters will have the opportunity to acquire a 'returning stone' if they don't already have one. In all cases, this will amount to an amulet made of the same shimmering material as the shrine monuments, though the stylization differs between the Pleroma and the Kenoma. While regular Aion teleportation can bring you to any of the shrines you know the sigil and location of, a returning stone is magically programmed to bring its wearer back to a specific destination to which it is attuned. Normally, these stones will only be able to store enough energy for one 'return' a month, but it turns out that the ambient power created by the shrines being active will temporarily super charge them. Though it's not guaranteed, this means they may generate enough energy to perform multiple returns for TDM purposes. More information about returning stones can be found on the powers page.

Spare returning stones will be issued to all Aions so that they can be used to bring back anyone they collect, as it's possible to bring someone alongside you if they are also wearing a returning stone. Where your stone leads will depend on your sect.

❖ PLEROMA
Tehri will be the one to supply returning stones, based out of Greentruth. She will not travel to Godsblood to deliver returning stones to those that have not visited Greentruth, but it can be assumed that Greentruth's visitors can pass them along to anyone who has been staying in the city. The returning stones are set to bring them to a secure location beneath the water of Godsblood's coast. From there, new arrivals will have to be allowed to rest and then brought up into the city when they're ready.

Greentruth is limited in its resources, but it will attempt to send troops to the Innocent, Seeker, Wanderer, and Firebrand shrines, all of which are close to the forest. Compared to the last attempt, these troops are a bit better armored. Meanwhile, bolstered by recent events in Godsblood, bands of Resistance members and guerrilla fighters will turn up at the Artisan and Sovereign shrines. The Resistance members will work willingly alongside with the Pleroma Aions, but the guerrilla fighters seem to have their own priorities and that is mostly that they have a beef with the Achamites. These reinforcements will struggle against powered Aions, but they might be able to delay any troops sent by Achamoth or Hylici.

❖ KENOMA
Xishen will be handing out returning stones to all Kenoma the day after the dreams begin for the Aions that don't already have one. She'll explain how to use them, and state that the Regent expects for them to head to the shrines once they become fully active. The Kenoma will have whatever mundane weapons or supplies they need at their disposal for this mission, along with minimal Achamite reinforcements. Due to injuries and death in both Godsblood and Venera, many are in recovery or on their return to Achamoth. She'll reiterate not to rely too heavily on them; after all, only the Aions are able to quickly move between the shrines and at the Citadel. The regular troops will have to be deployed by river or by land, and mobilizing them will take time. They will feasible be able to reach all of the shrines to some degree or another, but will more easily populate the shrines of the Martyr, Celebrant, Lover, Champion, Visionary, Sovereign, and Firebrand.

The Hylicians will be called to fill in the ranks of the diminished Achamite troops. They follow the orders that they are given but are very standoffish otherwise, even more than usual for them. Xishen herself says she will be traveling to the shrines and the Kenoma will be expected to communicate their movements to her as they work. Dionys remains in Achamoth to 'keep watch'. All Kenoma Aions will be given a familiar vial of black sludge, and are instructed to feed it to any Aions they capture at the shrines. It will cause the same effects it did in the cavern, though it will resolve in a few days rather than a week.

RETURNED (ALL CHARACTERS)

New characters that are found a the shrines will be brought back to one of two lodestones, depending on which sect they are taken by. This will be accomplished by their escort putting a 'returning stone' around their neck that will enable them to be teleported to a secure area in their sect's territory. It is advised for your character to be taken by whichever sect you'd like them to end up in.

❖ TO THE PLEROMA
In a dazzling flash of psychedelic light, you will find yourself brought to the Pleroma's lodestone: a monolithic rock set in the center of temple-like ruins. The entire cavern is hidden away beneath the ocean waves, just outside of Godsblood, and the ceiling itself is comprised of nothing but a barrier of water, as if held back from filling the space by some unknown force. The waters surrounding the lodestone are exactly body temperature, with swarms of tiny, violently iridescent fish darting through it. Crabs that look as if they're made of pure, clear crystal wander the sparkling, sandy shores.

There isn't much here in the way of accommodations, but it's comfortable enough that the new arrivals brought in by the Pleroma can take a moment to catch their breath. Some relatively plain but assorted new clothing will have been brought to the cavern to make sure they are actually clothed, as well as blankets and basic food items. It's a good time to ask your questions, or if you are an established Pleroma, to help out your freshly arrived peers. After all, their welcome at the shrine may have been a confusing one.

New arrivals will be permitted to leave the lodestone's temple when they are ready. Unfortunately, the only ways out of these place are through your choice of either swimming through pockets of water that eventually lead to the surface, or by spelunking through a series of tunnels to make your way the cliff faces near the city of Godsblood. More information about the city itself can be found on the setting page, though it would be preferable to keep TDM interactions to the lodestone area. As characters emerging from the shrines will start our as Untouched (more info about attunements here) they will not be permitted entry into Greentruth until they have attuned to Pleroma.

❖ TO THE KENOMA
As your returning stone activates, you will feel yourself thrust into a suffocating void, only to emerge just as quickly somewhere else. The most pressing thing on the minds of anyone taken by the Kenoma will be the vial of pitch black sludge they are forced to drink, whether it is before or after their arrival. Maybe their 'escort' from the shrine gave it to them, or perhaps another Kenoma does soon after they arrive. If not, one of the Achamite cultists wandering around definitely will. Dedicated servants to the Regent's will as they are, they are not afraid to gang up on the vulnerable new arrivals and force it down their throats.

Once in your mouth, the potion will slither down your throat as if it's a living thing. The effect takes hold quickly: as this darkness creeps through your insides, it will embolden your darkest and most despair inducing emotions, plaguing your thoughts with the worst sorrows of your life. What's worst, it simultaneously seems to awaken some form of enhanced psychic empathy within you, both projecting your thoughts for others to hear, and allowing you to receive those of the others around you in kind. Black ooze will begin to seep from orifices, or the space around your shard. The effects of this contamination bring out your worst, and its recipients will be forced to live with these effects until they accept the force corrupting them into their souls.

This world is not good enough, a voice speaks to your through the Kenoma. This suffering you feel, the cruelty that has birthed this darkness in you... it is simply the rot that is consuming this existence. A better universe awaits, one forged by your own hand, and all you need do is first bring about this broken reality's end.

How long this goes on will depend on how long the characters is able to fight it. Acceptance of the Kenoma can come as quickly as immediately, if your character is inclined towards it, or it could be drawn out to take a few days. In the meantime, they will have to stay in the barren halls surrounding the Regent's lodestone, and will not be permitted to exit into the greater Citadel as the current Kenoma are. All that will immediately be offered to them down there are stone slabs that can be used as beds and formless white robes that reach down past their knees.

Of course, that doesn't mean the characters that are already of the Kenoma can't do something about that. If they desire it, they will be able to bring food or other supplies to those suffering with their Kenoma infections, and it will be equally within their power to try anything from bullying them into accepting to lovebombing them. Once a character accepts the Kenoma and attunes to it, they will be permitted to leave, but for the sake of the TDM interactions should be kept to the lodestone area.

QUESTIONS

Is this TDM canon?
Mostly! It's part of an in-game event. However, only threads with new players that app and are accepted will be considered game canon. Threads between old characters will all be canon, but threads involving new characters that don't apply or aren't accepted will either need to be tweaked to remove their involvement or made non-canon. New characters will also be able to decide TDM threads aren't canon if they end up changing directions.

Who can toplevel on this post?
Anyone, whether they are a new character or a current one. However, we do ask for current players to do their best to tag new characters. If you are bringing in a new character and want a current character to bring them into your sect of choice, post your request here! ICly, current characters are fighting to claim new arrivals, but it's up to the player of new characters where they ultimately end up going.

When is this TDM taking place chronologically?
The beginning of August. The shrines will be active and forming Aions during that time. The dreams will start around the 29th of July. All current Aions will be able to sense when it's time for the new arrivals to start emerging.

What are the shrines like?
Every shrine is comprised of the crystal-filled cavern character emerge inside and then the massive statue symbolizing the relevant Legacy built on top. More information about each shrine can be found in the "Aion Shrine" section of the setting page.

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?
New 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 initial 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.

How does attunement to the Pleroma or Kenoma work for new characters?
More information about sect attunements can be read on their dedicated info page, but in summary: when new characters are brought to Horos, they will be in the state of being "Untouched" meaning they are not attuned to either sect. By the end of their first month in game it is expected they will either attune to Pleroma or Kenoma, though for those taken by the Kenoma's forces, the transition will be forced within the first few days. If taken in by the Pleroma, it may take then some time to attune to Pleroma, depending on the strength of their spirit, but it could also happen almost instantly if they are allowed to. How quickly it happens will depend on how strongly they align with the Pleroma's traits. Characters who have been taken by the Pleroma but that remain Untouched will not be allowed into Greentruth until their attunement to Pleroma is complete.

Can a character taken by one side end up attuning to the sect of the opposite one?
This is theoretically possible, yes: a person taken by the Kenoma could potentially resist the Kenoma's call, and someone taken by the Pleroma could end up falling to the Kenoma while staying with them. Generally, though, we recommend that you have your character be taken by whichever sect you want to end up in, as doing a switcheroo will cause narrative complications that might bog their introduction down in plotting that will need to be done with the mods. It can happen, but it is not to be done lightly!

Comments

leaks | lamento -beyond the void- | kenoma (firebrand)

[dissonyance]

i.) dreaming

[ the light is gone, replaced with stars and a vast space. the kind that he would, some nights, stare at from through a window. even when trees blocked his view, leaks would not leave his home. he would continue to watch the inky blackness dotted with specks of light and not think. a moment of meditation in between cracking open books, doing his own research, and not worrying about the world that despised the unknown.

and then when the world did care, leaks was already working on ending it.

but here he stands, arms folded across his chest. ]

How anticlimactic.

[ he was expecting the end, and instead? he's here. what a disappointment. to be finally rid of that cursed song and that equally frustrating cat... that's a blessing. this? not sure yet. his tail curls and bends, twisting as he continues to stare off into nothing. ]

ii.) rebirth

[ angry.

he cracks the shell and tumbles out, grunting as he hits the unforgiving floor shoulder first. thank god he didn't land on his head or his tail; those bits are relatively sensitive. as leaks keeps his eyes closed, not willing to open them not quite yet, he waits until he feels or hears someone. curled up as tightly as possible, the ribika doesn't want to expose himself to a stranger. or anyone for that matter.

and then when he's totally sure that he's not by himself, those ears flick. the tail, still damp, sweeps along the ground and gathers some of the remnants of that chrysalis.

...

yeah he's totally dead. mhm. ]

iii.) returned

[ stone around his neck, leaks sits away from where those who have already partaken of the black liquid. he's quiet and observant, knees drawn up to his chest as he continues to recline. it also doesn't help that he's not wearing the kind of clothes he's used to; strictly robes. black. that he can't hide his face with a mask, that he can't obscure himself and keep himself isolated. no--- he is being treated like everyone else whose spirit must've been drawn to the darkness.

he closes his eyes. his thoughts linger on sisa. on his forest, long burnt to the ground. to the scant villages and ransen, the biggest, and the fields of flowers. on how much he despises everything about it, and that he couldn't be the one to destroy it all.

leaks isn't sleeping but any obvious indication of whether he's already had his fill of corruption... who's to say? ]

ii.

[affal]

( it's customary for makoto to return to the firebrand shrine every once in a while during these few days that every Aion in horos is busy scouring each of the crystalline caverns for newcomers to their war. it's the easiest for him to reach out and teleport to, of course, but it also brings back memories. it gives him perspective. he's standing just outside the cavern's entrance, gazing out into the craggy canyon and down to the turbulent waters of the river far below, when he hears something — not the telltale sound of another Aion teleporting in, or armored boots coming down the switchback pass, but a sound like stone breaking and something falling to the ground.

fortune smiles on him, then, though likely less so on the newly-arrived firebrand.

he turns around and strides back into the cavern, pale eyes scouring his surroundings until he finds the chrysalis that has most recently been rent open, carved apart by the ire of its former inhabitant. the man is pale, thin, and faintly damp from the interior of the crystal — it doesn't take particularly sharp eyes to spy the feline ears plastered against his head, stark against the long tangle of lighter-toned hair, accompanied by the long, sleek tail, moving cautiously across the ground.

there's little warmth or compassion in the demon's appraising eyes as they meet leaks'. when he speaks, it's not necessarily that his voice is cold, per se... just neutral, calculating. )

No need to be tense. I'm not the one who brought you here. ( he shifts his weight to one hip, smiling wryly. ) I'm just the welcoming party.

[dissonyance]

[ should he be amused? should he be smiling as well? he finally opens his eyes to find this man staring right back at him, but leaks doesn't bother to sit up. he doesn't have the energy to, and that by itself is a frustrating thing. leaks would rather lay here and wait for his inevitable death, so that he could also go wherever his former home also went. that would be the real play.

if he had a choice, of course.

but seeing as death hasn't come for him--- and whether this grinning man may be its envoy--- leaks sighs and clenches his jaw. he has no immediate words for makoto.

he will, however, unfurl. lie outstretched. feel as his muscles and joints relax. continue to gaze at makoto with a hatred that should be reserved for whoever apparently did this to him. to whoever brought him here. ]

Die.

[ just a simple request! please consider it. ]

[affal]

( he can crave death. there's no problem in that. makoto himself done so on plenty of occasions, though since his mortal death it has slipped further and further away from him, further out of his control. in hell, he would have persisted regardless of what happened to him, all because his name was held in the control of a man who would say it and say it willingly, commonly, cloyingly, all to prove to him that his existence was now held in the palm of his hand for longer than he could stretch his mind to imagine. here it's more complicated. they were functionally immortal so long as their shards were in tact, but knowing the agony of just having someone hold it, let alone the horror that he had sustained as the Regent invaded into it and planted some of their essence there... he can't imagine damaging or shattering it himself purposefully.

so if leaks must be disappointed in this next chapter, if he would prefer the gentle relief of oblivion... he just had to come with makoto and apply his skills to their ultimate end. if the Regent harnessed the Kenoma to bring an end to everything, that would surely solve that problem, wouldn't it?

rather than do as leaks very politely asked, makoto kneels down next to him. his exhaustion and the man's state of undress doesn't seem to faze him in the slightest; instead he continues to focus on the ire brimming, hissing and snarling, in his eyes. in a way it enchants him, draws him in; something innate in the demon that he is now being drawn like a fly to honey by the particular strength of any emotion. he reaches out with one hand to take one leaks', and with the other he reaches out to his head, stroking through his wild, matted hair. the pad of his thumb is pressing into the man's palm, drawing his hand up toward his throat, and at the very same moment that he draws his clawed fingers over the sutured scar circling his throat, fingers twist violently into the ribika's hair and pull his head to strain at an angle.

makoto bares his teeth, inhuman and sharp with long canines, and he says in a low and dangerously still tone of voice, ) Don't just say it. If you're going to be like that, then do something about it.

[dissonyance]

[ he wants to. oh, he wants to so badly. every part of leaks, every inch--- from tip of ear to tip of tail, wants to squeeze. dig those claws as hard as he can into that stained throat. pull, tear, rip, shred. unleash every frustration out until there's nothing left, and then do it again. how dare this two canes... devil... whatever he is come so close and tempt leaks with an immediate and impulsive need. that he does it probably knowing there's nothing this sad excuse of a ribika can do, when having no strength in his limbs.

that he can't pull away. that the tug is painful and the anger wells up in his chest like a pent up fountain. leaks, the magician, a name that is whispered out of fear and respect and used to scare those and pacify the most ornery of cats at any age... he can't do anything.

the self-reflected uselessness makes him sick.

but what can he do? doesn't matter how much his fur sticks up. the gall of whoever this 'welcoming party' is. so leaks does what he can, and he spits. right into that face. the teeth and voice don't scare him. ]

I will. I promise you that much.

[ despite it all, leaks' voice is calm. cold. though ever fiber in his being is being tested, the only thing he's ever feared is not here. his song is long gone. ]

[affal]

( makoto tends to react just as any might to certain irritations that J can give him on a day-by-day basis — he vividly ideates murdering the man, of tearing through his flesh and spilling his blood and entrails, of throwing them against the wall and painting with him a macabre tableau throughout the entire room. once he had gone so far as to even say as much aloud in the demon's presence (knowingly, mind), and when J had brought attention to it, he had stood his ground.

"stop talking about it and learn how to do it."

as if it were that fucking easy.

perhaps it was a reflexive memory of that moment that causes makoto to take such ire in this moment; his whims have always been fickle things, and there's something dark and mocking in his strange eyes that seems to beg the ribika to do just that. dig those sharp claws into the stitched wound of his throat. tear the stitches, spill his blood, make him gasp in pain. would that fix the situation he awakens to now? would that make him feel better?

he doesn't move, doesn't so much as flinch at the spit. he does frown, just a bit, and only after the fact. he drops leaks' hand as if he were a child discarding a toy that had fallen out of favor, reaching up to swipe the saliva away with the pad of his thumb. he looks at it thoughtfully before wiping it away on his lapel. )

Well, you at the very least have some fight in you.

Tell me, ( he still has a fistful of the cat's hair, and he forces it back further still, pale eyes burning as they return to him. ) What did you hope to see before you opened your eyes in this place?

[dissonyance]

[ is that supposed to be a compliment? his life has been only fighting. fighting to remain obscure. fighting for his own peace. fighting to contain his own emotions. if only this devil knew how much fighting he's done and will continue to do, as long as he breathes. he will be a scourge to all living beings: ribika, two-canes, devil... nothing else matters. the candle has been burning for the longest time.

it's that second yank that catches him by some surprise. he purses his lips, squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, the sharp pain a shock to his system. how stupid that he can barely raise a hand, can't ignite the air around them, but he can still feel every little sensation--- all of them bad. in a way, it's a solid reminder that this is no dream. no illusion brought from passing on into another life. he is still unfortunately on his first.

what would answering this question do for this man? does he want to hear some kind of begging? pleading for his life, pleading to be let back to his home? that he would rescue him, carry the weak ribika to some place safe and nurture him back to full health?

that would be hilarious. if only leaks had the capacity to laugh. ]

Nothing. I expected to see nothing.

[ it's the simplest answer. though: ]

Rather, I did not expect to see anything in the first place.

[ he doesn't want pity. in fact, he's annoyed having to explain himself in the first place. ]

[affal]

( ah, if only he knew — he would be that much more delighted in his find, that much more jealous and possessive of making sure that he came back with him to achamoth and that it was makoto who was the one that forced the Kenoma down his throat and into his stomach, to seep throughout his body and fill in the cracks that trauma and loss had left upon his mortal soul.

because that is, after all, what the Kenoma would promise him. destruction for everything that existed in his wake, and for everything else besides. for some, they needed the promise of a better tomorrow to feel secure in seeking to bring the curtain crashing down on this damnable farce, but for makoto and perhaps for leaks... they were simpler creatures, weren't they? sometimes you just wanted to drown everything that was in darkness, just to feel master of something even if that "something" was the demise of everything, and then sink down into its depths once and for all.

makoto nods, lips pursed; he seems understanding. )

I see. My apologies for the disappointment, then.

( he releases leaks' hair, though only so he can move his hand to the side of his face, fingertips lightly tracing along the curving line of his jaw. )

What if I could promise you that? The end to yourself. An end to everything that is.

[dissonyance]

[ he apologizes, but why? leaks finds those words cheap and unnecessary. flimsy. that he feels like he should reach out and slap makoto for even saying them. it doesn't matter if they come from a genuine place. he can't even be sure who or what makoto represents, or if he should feel inclined to be open or not. but what he does know and what he hates to think about is that he has to be...

but if he understands then that's all leaks needs. anything else can be pushed to the wayside. he huffs through his nose, only to again bristle when feeling makoto's gentle touch. leaks lifts his chin, still trying to stare a hole though the other's face, wishing that he could render him into ashes.

he hates this. immensely. ]

If you promise such a thing, then you must be confident that you can make it happen.

[ the offer is tempting. tantalizing. but leaks is in the business of having all the details. he's the one that proposes, not the one that accepts or declines. ]

And I do not accept failure... not for myself.

[ but if makoto were to fail him, he would be very unhappy. gotta keep those promises. ]

returned;

[horniness]

[ For a moment, he thinks he spots the familiar ears of a certain royal thorn in his side, but on further inspection... he was truly off. Or maybe it was wishful thinking that he'd encounter someone recognizable several worlds over (even if that person were to be Kingscholar). He's still in a foul mood after the entire mysterious and off-putting circumstances of his arrival here.

And the fact that the black sludge meal they were presented with had been on par with Lilia's cooking.

However, no one seems to be whispering and pointing at him nor running away from him, which is new. Very new and very strange. He's so used to not blending in that being entirely ignored is an interesting experience, but he is searching for a way back to his companions, which inspires him to actually break out of his usual introversion and approach someone... vaguely familiar. Ish. ]

Are you one of the many beast-men from Savanaclaw?

[ Truthfully, he doesn't spend enough time around most of the other students at school to recognize them all by face or name, so there is a slight possibility this could be one of Kingscholar's housemates. ]

[dissonyance]

[ if he were a savanaclaw student... he would be not just years older than its leader, but far more powerful. imagine that turning things into sand would be your strongest spell and compare that into raising the dead. turning the world into a florescent place that rejects all living creatures... he would simply make his own school and hide from the world.

sadly, he has very few options of hiding here.

those horns are familiar. would this be a devil? perhaps he is. fortunate and unfortunate. ]

Beast-men? [ a hum. ] No. I am ribika. Surely you know what that is.

[horniness]

[ Maybe he flunked out even more times than Leona did.... but either way, it appears Malleus' conjecture was wrong. He can't pretend he isn't disappointed, but the liquid he drank is only exacerbating that fact, as he's starting to be riddled by a grimness that feels overbearing. What if he never returns to Night Raven College or the Briar Valley? What will his people do without him? He's already spent so long isolated, and now he's even apart from those few he's close to.

He tries to shake himself out of it and focus. He needs answers, and once he regains his magic, he'll at least have an easier time of adapting to this world and feeling more stable. ]

If I did, I would have referred to you as one. It seems you are not from my world then. A pity.

[ The despair makes him feel so heavy, and as much as he wants to excuse himself from all festivities and gatherings in Achamoth... how often does he get invited anywhere? He should try and make the most of the experience even if it feels wrong to celebrate anything while his housemates are like searching for him. ]

Have you any knowledge of this area, or were you also brought here by a magic that yet defies explanation?

[dissonyance]

[ strange horned man... he seems out of place. they both do. leaks feels no sympathy, no connection, and doesn't wish for one. what he wants is to be left alone, to let his mind wander, to wish for his magic and to be allowed to finish what he started--- and failed to do in the first place.

in the meantime, he has to entertain mundane questions. that's annoying. but... ]

A pity indeed.

[ because then one of them wouldn't want to be near the other.

as he looks around again, leaks stares at those who have yet to drink their vials. some already have and seem to not be taking it very well. ]

I would say... yes. But nothing should go unexplained for long.

[ another soft sigh. what a mess. ]

And are you not a devil?

[horniness]

[ ...The nerve. Does he look like a devil? It's perfectly clear (to himself) that he is a dragon-fairy. His despair shifts so easily to anger that the whiplash has him feeling slightly untethered from himself. Were his magic fully returned, the air would be swirling with his condensed rage, but he can't even manage a puff of smoke at the moment. ]

To compare me to a creature so foul–!

[ It's the sludge yet fermenting inside of him that makes him react this way, turning his more constructive thoughts to mud. Logically, he knows that his kind do bear some cosmetic similarities to devils, yet he can't help seething a little at the comparison.

His fingers curl, his eyes clench shut for a moment. He fights for control. ]

Devils have a very distinct forked tail of which we dragon-fae lack as our tails are thick, scaled, and covered in spiked protrusions towards the tip. Their horns are also bovidae in nature. As you can clearly observe, mine are draconic with a distinct and regal curve at the tip rather than anything so unrefined.

[ In conclusion: ]

We are not the same. I dwell in no inferno and do not feast on souls but rather among the thorns of Briar Valley.

[dissonyance]

Fascinating.

[ this outburst... whether constrained or not, certainly has piqued leaks' interest. as he tilts his head to one side, causing his ears to follow suit, he wonders if that kind of attitude was present before consuming the odd liquid. he wouldn't say or not that it had quite the same effect on himself, but. he also knows that he comes from a place that isn't pleasant. a place that he wanted to make less pleasant. and so... ]

I do not know where Briar Valley is, nor do I wish to visit. However.

[ and leaks holds up a hand, claw of a nail wagging as he does with his finger. ]

Perhaps you should keep in mind that we are both of different homes. Worlds, universes. That sort of thing. And because of that, our perspectives are equally based in one of those...

[ a few slow blinks, and he goes back to reclining. ]

... do not be so easily riled, lest you be taken advantage of.

[horniness]

[ He wonders if that was the purpose of the black liquid... to make him lose control so he'd be easier to tame. He certainly feels less stable than he'd been before drinking it.

But the vile, rotten feeling escalating form within is difficult to suppress even when he knows that the ribika is correct. If he gives in, he knows he'll become the monster the people from his own world already see him as.

His nod is stiff as he tries to settle down and focus on anything else. ]

I am not getting riled up.

[ His voice is slightly petulant when he says that. ]

I was merely correcting an unfortunate assumption as you did mine. I suppose we are even now. Do you have any knowledge of what the Regent intends to do with us now that he's fed us such a foul wine?

[ That's what they both should really be focusing on. He'd come here because he had been told their host requested participation in their welcome banquet, and if this is it, he's deeply disappointed. ]

[dissonyance]

[ this may be the first time leaks cracks a smile, albeit a very small one. an amused one. whatever malleus is, leaks has no reason to go down the devil route any further. so to get a better look he must stand up, letting his braid dangle down to the floor despite a few wraps around his neck and shoulders. ]

'Even'? [ a soft 'hou'. ] Perhaps.

[ eyes go to the horns. yes, they're still reminiscent of those devils he encountered--- in particular, the angry yellow one. but also? the green one's horns... yes. they all share some kind of strange traits of how they curve as well as their length and thickness. leaks quietly takes a few steps towards malleus before moving around him, staring up and down. ]

I do not know. Nor do I care. No one will order me to do anything. Do you intend to bend your knee to some unknown being?

i

[ricordi]

Hmm. It is, but I have never had a dream like it before.

[it's a strange dream, all right. the appearance of it, what he was meant to be looking at, has taken a backseat to what he felt during the dream, during this journey with this man-- a man cassius is still not sure whether or not he's actually a person, or a mere figment of his imagination. logically speaking, cassius does not know an erune like this, so he doesn't know why this man is in his dream.

but at the same time, he can't shake the feeling of emptiness and coldness in him once the dream has stopped.]

What do you make of it?

[dissonyance]

[ at first, he thinks about ignoring this man and his question--- leaks was only speaking to himself and no one else. his tail curls, his ears twitch, and the ribika turns his head to look back into the depths of space and the twinkling of stars. ]

... I do not know.

[ if this is a dream, then there's no point in answering anything but the truth. a dream knows what is real and what is not.

but why would he include a two-canes like this blonde man? ]

I would rather go back to a dreamless sleep.

[ at least he's entertaining cassius' questions. ]

[ricordi]

That is... [well, sleep is meant to have dreams, to ensure brain activity while inert, and also allow the brain to file memories correctly. many moondwellers just don't remember their dreams because they're not important.

he has to wonder if it's true for non-moondwellers, and cassius quickly amends his statement before he says facts that would apply to himself, but not to others.]

An understandable sentiment, I suppose.

The dream was nonsensical. Fascinating, but nonsensical and I still do not know what to think about it other than that.

[dissonyance]

If I were to tell you I did not expect to wake up again... would you believe me?

[ leaks quietly fixes his stare on some star that sparkles quicker than the ones around it, and then hums as it fades from view. ]

That my reward for living the life that I did would be a peaceful sleep, bereft of light? I hoped I would get to keep that solitude, a permanent one.

[ricordi]

Why would I not believe you? [after all, it's not as if cassius should judge.]

But I know I was not on the verge of death before this dream, so I doubt you're headed to death. [it doesn't occur to him that perhaps the living and the dead can meet here, but there are many illogical things that cassius does not take into account simply because they're illogical.] Perhaps you have a different reward waiting for you.

[dissonyance]

Not many have a reason to.

[ blunt and curt. there's no such thing as being too honest, and leaks can only be that right now. in the face of nothingness, he feels a pull on the fibers of his being that makes him on edge. ]

Do we truly know when our time comes if it is not of our own making? If you are right, then I suppose I can only be patient.

[ staring off again, leaks sighs. his tail sweeps along behind him, his ears flicking. ]

Whatever reward I may earn... I doubt it will be what I desire.

[ricordi]

Are you expecting one here? Perhaps when you wake up?

[he tilts his head like a curious bird.]

It may be best to wait for it until you wake up, because this does not seem like a reward at all. Just... a threat, or a warning.

[dissonyance]

[ leaks slowly nods a few times. wherever they are, wherever their destination may be... it does feel quite imposing. he doesn't care for threats or warnings though, and until he encounters one? he has no reason to feel anything for them. ]

How will you deal with this threat, if one happens to find you?

[ he stares coolly at this man, wondering. are all two canes like this? ]