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

dante / devil may cry (5) / lover (I am so sorry)

[mygig]

1. DREAMING: Steve Jobs did not die for this

[This?

This is hell.

Which, well, it kind of was, but it kind of wasn't. And this particular version of hell doesn't seem to be holding itself together, either.

As some well-worn boots grate the dirt underneath, Dante walks towards an old house with a tree. The last time he saw this, the tree had disappeared, its fruit consumed. Instead, the ghost of an old house flickers in and out of view.
At the front porch, a katana is jammed into the front door.

Dante doesn't like that, frowns. This doesn't add up, and it's evident in how he stretches his gloved hand to brush across it. Yet, across the hinges of that door, there seems to be a light.

He just kind of needs to stop being distracted about the sword stuck on it and actually open the door.

Meanwhile, the firmament above is shattering, of course, cracks through blue and white. But beyond the shards, there isn't a blood-red living thing but a void. Beckoning.]

Huh, here I thought the end of the world would be original, for once.

2. Rebirth: 'Sup, baby? Take me out to dinner. (Ayooo???)

[Had he ever been stuck in something before?

This particular crystal chrysalis is, despite vibrant, surprisingly still.

At least for a little while.

This guy is counting, inside the thing. Maybe knock on it? See if it budges.

Stabbed, jabbed, stabbed again, motorbike-thrown… Stuck in a labyrinth, seduced by a guitar… Swallowed by a flying whale? Does that count?

Regardless, even if you don't interrupt his mental tally, even if he doesn't seem too bothered by being stuck in some sort of crystal womb, this guy just decides that he's sure that the trial period for this shamanic digital detox camp is over and it's time to get out into the real world.

Whatever that was.

So with firm and —surprisingly— methodic jabs, punches, and elbows, the cocoon does hatch.

And out comes a stinky and very moist (ew) 40-year-old.

If he looks bored, a little disappointed, it's because he's seen a lot.]

Hey, I thought I'd get a towel after this sauna.

3. Wildcard: BING BONG.

[Even though Dante would eventually tend towards the light and therefore pleroma, he also has a tendency to just feel at ease with the darkness and destruction because [redacted] [redacted] [redacted], and I'd love for him to just be in the wrong place. If anyone would want to engage with him in both pleroma or kenoma town, just leave a comment here and assume he'll be honestly inconvenient regardless of the place, maybe by sitting down somewhere, stretching his legs, and pretending to sleep. He's a big guy and takes up a lot of space. Tell him he's being bothersome.

Any other notes or suggestions, just DM me! I'm definitely down for anything with him.

And again. I'm so, so sorry.]

Wildcard, pleroma?? what do you wanna tell joe biden RIGHT NOW

[arcaneward]

Hello? Hello hello?

[ There is... a very large man, legs out, sleeping in the middle of the Lodestone area, and Aerith is— well she's not inconvenienced but that can't be comfortable?? ]

Excuse me, sir?

[ She reaches out with a foot and gently nudges at his knee.

Maybe he's dead?? ]

ARE YOU VACCINATED?

[mygig]

["Sir"? Well, that's a new one.

The large man blinks blearily, silver eyebrow arching as he looks up. He stretches - his whole 6'3” of him - with a yawn. Basically looks like an old big beast who is too lazy to even care about his surroundings.]

Please. [Dante, at least cover your mouth while you're yawning. That's gross.] "Sir" is my father.

[He scratches at the hinge of his jaw, crossing them legs at the ankle. Style over comfort, baby.] 'You need something?

[arcaneward]

[ She smiles a little, more bemused than anything else. ]

No, not really. I was just wondering... isn't it uncomfortable to lie there?

[mygig]

[He looks around, hair swishing in an overplayed and dramatic fashion as though it's the first time he's taken his surroundings.] You got any other idea? Wouldn't mind a more comfortable place.

[arcaneward]

[ ...He's got her there. There really isn't a more comfortable place, but... ]

Would you like a blanket, maybe?

wildcard?? i'm here to have a good time.

[subsist]

[ there is a naked man sleeping outside the lover's shrine, which isn't all that weird given the timing of things, but it's more so his position that is more concering. is this why no one has bothered to bring the man back anywhere?

he is so... out there. free. without a care in the world.

kaeya almost envies him, but instead of focusing on that, he nudges the man with the tip of his boot. ]

You're sleeping on sand. Are you comfortable?

[ that can't be it. ]

I shall attempt to provide (no promises, though)

[mygig]

[Time is a social construct, yadda, yadda, so this is technically the second time someone is nudging him with their foot or boot.

What's next, someone stepping on him? What in the Wattpad…

He scoffs. Of course sleeping people do that straight upon waking up. Sure.] You think I would be better inside? All those manifestation rocks are splintered on the floor there.

i believe it.

[subsist]

[ maybe in another universe, somewhere, somehow, kaeya would have been the one to step on dante first, but this timeline isn't it. ]

Compared to sand sneaking into places it shouldn't... I suppose everyone has different ideas on what the lesser of two evils could be.

[ his head tilts, curious. ]

Are you not cold?

You think too highly of me

[mygig]

[Alas, it will stay in Ao3 forever.

He stretches and gets up, dusting an imaginary pair of pants (leathered and over-the-top, for sure) on his thigh, this big lump of a man. He rolls his shoulders with a groan, constantly complaining as he moves.

He just hit 40. He's entitled to.] I could use with some clothes if that's what you're asking.

i'm love you

[subsist]

[ the complaints coming from the man almost earns kaeya's sympathy. he is, after all, halfway to 40, so he understands the pain. sort of. it also helps he didn't exactly have an amazing time during his last mission, but hey... ]

Ah, it just so happens I do have some clothes with me. [ ... ] I suppose it's more of a robe, but it'll have to do for now, yes?

[ one second. he's grabbing it from the bag he came with. it's black and made from a pretty durable fabric. it should keep the man warm.

he hands it over. ]

1!!

[oomfies]

[ This isn't the first time Lottie has woken up like this - the first it was harrowing. The second, she's afforded more control over her body. And the third? She squeezes her palms every so often, feels her nails dig into skin as she wanders across the plane. Looks up at the sky and feels something like fear crawl down her back, and awe dancing on her face. She doesn't do much talking, when she wakes like this. Just scopes everyone out and wonders if she'll ever run into them, or if she's just going crazy like she always is.

But even if this person is a fleeting passerby in her life, or some hallucination (she hasn't decided yet), she's prompted to answer when she hears something extremely relatable™. ]

Yeah.. I thought so too.

[ She only glances at the house, the tree. Slows her walk because she isn't sure how close she wants to be just yet, not with what's recently happened in real life. Lottie's lips frown slightly, suddenly feeling embarrassed at having inserted herself into Dante's conversation (with himself, but still). ]

I just, um, overheard. [ A pause, as she looks around and scratches at her nose. ] I mean, it's not hard to in this place, but.. Sorry.

[mygig]

[He's someone who keeps getting shoved (or willingly shoves himself; gotta get that bag, after all) into scenarios that tend to either be just plain demonic or —if they're really good or especially, ah, let's say high end,— well-attuned into his own personal trauma. Because of that he almost lets Lottie pass by ignored.

Nothing about this smells infernal, though.

And add that to the girl scratching her nose, and she has his attention.

It's a familiar gesture, after all. Especially when this one kid tends to do that when he finds himself flustered or awkward.] You live here or something?

[He kind of knows the answer to that. He's just testing.]

[oomfies]

Hmm..

[ God. How the hell does she even explain this? Tell him he's probably astral projecting until he's in a rock and breaks out (naked, naked) into an even weirder shitstorm than all this? Probably not. She doesn't think she has the patience to explain it all. And worse than that, she's never sure how long they're all going to stay in here anyway..

With that in mind, she settles on an easier to digest, equally honest, answer. ]

Kind of? We only show up like this when you guys appear.. Right now, I'm sleeping.

[mygig]

Sleeping, huh? [A sleepwalker? Press X for doubt. He'll save that joke for later.

The furrow between his brows deepens, if only slightly. For this to be such a collective thing, as she implies, it seems way too personal.

He's sure this is his childhood home. Granted, some things have happened here relatively recently.

But with the katana and everything (even if he doesn't recall it ever being there), he's pretty sure.]

"You guys"? Last time I checked, [he does an overly wide and slow turn as he looks around,] we're the only ones here.

[oomfies]

[ She watches him do that turn in all its exaggerated glory, brows furrowing slightly at the realization this man might be.. Extra. At least he's taking this well? Suspiciously well. Lottie struggles to find an answer for a moment, lips pursing because she doesn't exactly know how things work here, either. ]

I mean.. Have you walked around?

[ i am truly sorry that she is trying her best here ]

Or did you just wake up?

1

[dendritic]

[ at first, she thinks this is her own recollection. she thinks this is a house she's ransacked before, and she remembers something distantly about taking only what she needed. she thinks of people whose voices she still doesn't remember, and she thinks of not giving a damn about what goes on after that. it's dog eat dog out there, after all. it's a nice porch, really, probably home to a well-to-do family with a dog. she imagines there's a good meal to steal inside, that there's maybe a nice outfit to pilfer, too, and she imagines that maybe the people inside aren't all that combat familiar. it'd be a one and done ordeal. in and out, as she remembers. she remembers a great deal about a lot of things she's done in one second, approaching with a purposeful gait. an intruder's gait, one might say.

the katana, however, is not familiar to zero's eye.

she doesn't wait for him to stop lingering over it. she walks right up behind him, rocking horse style shoes crushing grass beneath her, and rips it from the porch with all the confidence of a well-practiced thief. (which she is.) ]

Not enough deadbeat siblings running around for you? [ with a grunt, she tests out the katana. she's practiced with a sword, holds it purposefully and with confidence. her test swing isn't even bad, all things considered: she's used to picking things up and making do, in truth. after that, zero decides it feels good in her grip, and decides to... hold it.

...

nah, finder's keepers. ]

[mygig]

[For the number of times this guy had fought for that sword, against that sword, or someone who held that sword that was not his brother, he doesn't exactly get a visceral reaction at how she just so easily snatches it from its perch.

Which is, in and of itself, intriguing.

The Yamato tends to sing to him. If by singing, you mean the guttural pull of his own blood begging to surface into the outmost layer of his skin, at least. This, however, is a lot more cerebral, tickles at his brain more than his heart, and that.

That is weird. Even in this person's grasp, the sword materializes into something unsteady and fickle to his eyes.

It looks like the Yamato. It sounds like the Yamato when it swings to and fro. But it's… not.

He's not sure that's a good thing.] Siblings? [How come that felt like a bullseye?] Thought the end of the world came with horsemen or something? A lot more pizzazz?

[dendritic]

[ thieves will commit thievery when they can. deprived of her own sword, she takes the next best thing without care. zero has no idea what the interest is in this one, and continues inspecting it for a moment longer. something about it takes her to another moment in her memory: of laying on the ground in the rain, and looking over to see a beautiful flower.

when she raises her head to level her one eyed gaze at him, the flower is rooted in her eye socket and there forever, now. for a moment, suspicion waves along her face before melting away easily, back into a nearly impassive stare. of course he doesn't know jack or shit about intoners. zero balances the blade over her shoulder and shrugs. ]

Never seen a fight between sisters, then.

[ she snorts, and steps closer to the door— still with the confidence of a thief. ] Horsemen, siblings, giant sentient blobs of mud... if they want to end the world, their goal is the same and it never changes. They never change. You already know that, don't you?

[mygig]

Guess that sword caught your eye?

[And that's the gesture that suddenly makes it all so very garish. The sword on the shoulder stance does not relate to someone who's ever held that and whatever similarities he had picked up on end there like a crack in the mirror.

Like the shards falling from the sky. ] A fight between sisters… [A thoughtful second of silence for him to actually think about it, and then cover it all up with something entirely obscene, wrapped in a low and appreciative whistle at the concept. A sigh. Too badly played for it to be real.] Shame I didn't.

Me? [He showcases his hands, wide and gloves and seemingly harmless by his shoulders.] Looks like you're the one who knows what she's talking about.

2

[epiprocta]

[ As a Lover himself, he's mostly starting to get used to people of this Legacy being a bunch of fucked-up weirdos. (Himself included, though he'd never admit it out loud.) But even so ...

this one sure is a doozy.

He'd come poking into the shrine on a routine check just in time to see the new guy come spilling out of his chrysalis with the usual deluge of unpleasant slime. And while Gen is definitely holding onto a bunch of fabric in his arm (he only has one arm now, his left sleeve hanging empty a few inches below the shoulder, don't worry about it), he's definitely not in any rush to hand it over. ]

You always make a habit of showing up to places and being so demanding, old man?

[ Gen looks haggard and exhausted, but he still manages to scrape up the energy to offer that dry retort as he gives a cant of the head, looking Dante over. What now -- is he some sort of boxer? They've certainly had weirder.

Pointedly, he continues to not-offer the bundle of fabric he's holding. A cloak, though it can certainly double as a towel if Dante wanted. It's just that hearing how confident Dante sounds about being offered that amenity makes him pettily want to withhold it in typical, horrible teenage fashion. Sorry not sorry. ]

Re: 2

[mygig]

[As long as you know who you are, Gen, as long as you know.

Shaking his hands as though he washed them and didn't find any paper towels to dry them with, he does look at the goo that covers him with some sort of inquisitiveness, rubbing a bit of it between his thumb and forefinger. As though being swallowed or stuck into goo is just part of a day with a 'y'.] You know what they say: the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

[And really, give the guy a Johnny Yong Bosch voice and that could be straight out of another brat he knows.

Except, save for the arm (or lack of it, there is), there's where the similarities end.

He rolls his shoulders with a groan, grimacing.] How long was I inside that thing?

wildcard; kenoma bc I gotta be the odd one out tbh, HI

[blackhand]

[If there's one thing Garrett hates, it's an inconvenience. Even worse if the convenience is loud and annoying just by presence alone. The master thief has made a ledge of sorts in the lodestone, content to keep away from others, up and out of normal sight. It's a reminder of home, even if there's technically no home to go back to now, at least from what he's seen. Better to assume the worst than have any sort of hope that can be shattered in an instant. You can't afford something that luxurious in a place like the City.

Of course, his space, or rather, the space below his comfort zone is interrupted soon enough, Dante leaning himself against the same wall the thief's taken a liking to. Garrett has no intention of leaving his perch of sorts, and likewise he has no desire to tell this guy to get lost- social interaction is not his forte. Which makes this a bit of a conundrum until he finally comes to a decision, looking at the bits and bobs he's managed to scrounge from the short time after being forced to swallow that sludge. All pretty useless pieces on their own, but they all have their uses- blunt and sharp edge alike.

So, after a second of glancing through the mess, he just takes a rock he found, a somewhat decent size, nothing too big, and just.

Drops it.

Right towards Dante's head.

He isn't the type to say sorry, either.]

KYAH WHY

[mygig]

[Really, if it weren't for the fact that he had supposedly dodged a rock somewhere in another timeline or somewhere before, he'd actually take it like a champ and become Garrett's very first kill in this place.

As is, though, no ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED for you, boyo.

So he does tilt his head, yet again, albeit the rock does fall onto his shoulder and ouch, if that didn't hurt like a…

…well, like a rock on the shoulder, really.

So he looks up with an unimpressed grimace to his face. Shakes his head.] If you're going to complain with a "finders keepers" about this rock, I don't see your name on it.

[It's not as though he hadn't noticed about the thief pretending to be a gargoyle, anyway. But Garrett isn't the only one who's childish here. ]

BC ILU KAI THAT'S WHY

[blackhand]

[Dante actually dying? That's a good one. Please, as if Garrett's noodle-sque arms are a threat. He's not the type to purposely kill, so at least Dante has that going for him. But, if Dante happened to be hit too hard or move the wrong way and get hurt and, you know, die? That's not Garrett's fault, that's Dante's for obviously being stupid enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It's a means to say that Dante's retort gets a scoff, the thief rolling his eyes as he looks downward.] If I was going to label a rock as mine, I wouldn't exactly be tossing it.

[Obviously! Because he's a thief!! What kind of thief collects pointless rocks?

(A crazy one, but Garrett's pretty sure there's at least one of those at home that he's run across at some point or another)

Garrett might as well be a gargoyle up there, even with his two different colored eyes, and he grumbles.]

You're in my space.