TDM + GAME OPENING 🎉

[beleos]

Who: Shard-Bearers, new and old
What: Seeds take root
Where: The Tree of Life, Highstorm, Springstar
When: October 14th and onwards
Warnings: Potential for (mild) body horror, death, dismemberment

I. BEARING FRUIT (new characters only)

It starts out as a pleasant dream. You’re in your favorite place, with your favorite people. It’s a moment of idyllic comfort.

And then, it goes wrong.

The sky turns dark above, and as you look up, you see the black expanse of space spotted with faraway pinprick lights of stars. Yet, they’re not stars. You’re certain. They’re watching you. A billion eyes all looking down, and they spill forth as if sky itself was a dam holding back those dark waters. You reach back to the people you’re with, but they’re frozen in place. Their eyes are black, reflecting only the expanse of dark eyes.

So you run, even though you know you won’t escape it. You glance back and see it not overtaking, but consuming. The landscape around you is being devoured, and you can see it cracking apart. The world itself is breaking, and it cracks under your feet. You fall, and the billion eyes chase after you until the darkness swallows you whole. There’s agony as if you’re being ripped apart, and then—

You cannot see. You cannot feel. You simply are. Yet even so, impossibly, a woman’s voice speaks gently.

I’m sorry it couldn’t be saved. But, come, it’s time to wake.

You wake with a start, cradled by soft, velvety plants, and sticky with a sap that smells faintly of honey and iron. You can see the veins of the leaves that hold you, lit warmly and gently by what looks like a crystal embedded above you. Yet, it’s odd, because that crystal calls to you. When you reach out to touch it, it’s warm. Familiar. Important. You don’t know why, but you know you must hold onto this, because now it feels wrong for it to be suspended in these leaves. So, you pull it out.

The light starts to fade, but only in time to see as the leaves cradling you immediately start to soften and crumble, and with it comes a torrent of dirt. Soft, loamy soil starts to fill the space around you in the dark as you’re buried. Or, rather, you already were. You reach out through the dirt desperately, and your hands finds a root, so you pull while you clutch that precious crystal so close that it almost feels like it sinks into you (in your panic, you don’t notice that it does). You reach out again, and this time, your hand hits open air and plenty of sturdy roots around to grab.

From a seed you’re born, and like a sprout, you make your way out of the ground.

And once you’ve clawed your way out of the soft earth and the roots, nearby, you see the soil shift. Another hand comes up to grasp desperately for something, anything, just as you had been.

II. MORAL HAZARD

There are new Shard-Bearers at the Tree of Life, and Yima has asked that the earlier arrivals go to greet them and help them. These aren’t people from Horos, after all, so they’ll have many, many questions. As Yima explains, the roots of the tree rise up to create caverns underneath, and it’s there you’ll find the new Shard-Bearers. And indeed, with careful steps to not slip on the mossy roots, down you go. Perhaps Communion will help you find the new Shard-Bearers, but it might be a confusing process for them.

The roots all start to look the same, to the point that you’re sure that you’ve already been through this passage. You turn around, and most of the people you had come here with are gone, if not all of them. It’s confusing and unsettling, and strangest of all.. You’re starting to feel ill, even if that wasn’t something normally possible for you. But continuing forward, you do eventually find an unfamiliar face of a new Shard-Bearer. They look no better than you feel.

Before introductions, however, roots around you shift suddenly until you’re enclosed in a room together. From the roots, a face forms in the wall. It speaks in a creaking, uneven tone, as if it weren’t used to speaking at all.

Give to take. A sacrifice. To live.

---

LET'S PLAY A GAME...

As the Dryad will explain, characters are now trapped in a room and have been poisoned by the spores that the lichens underfoot release. An antidote lays beyond the roots the dryad has curled around you, but to access it, you must make a sacrifice.

Characters can pick one of the following options, but the decision must be made unanimously. If one character takes a drastic action (such as murdering another), it’s counted as a failure for the group.

• Each of you must offer up a personal/treasured memory. The memory will be shared in Communion with all characters assembled, and then will be destroyed. No character will retain the memory or memory of its Communion.
• Each of you must offer up something physical. A finger, a toe, an ear, it’s your choice. The dryad will offer a knife if this is chosen that will sever the body part of choice cleanly and immediately stop any bleeding.
• Offer up another. Kill one person in the room.
• Refusing is also a valid option. Characters will get more ill as they debate until they start to find it difficult to breathe, and they’ll die quickly after.

The following is OOC knowledge that will not be known IC: The consequences of this game are about intent, and thus are not real. When characters are freed from the tree’s thrall, they’ll have their memories/body parts/life intact.

This can be done in groups of 2 to 4 players, and Loremasters recommend three if you can swing it! It’s more fun when you get in philosophical debates, right? Regardless, when your group comes to a decision, please record it here. These don’t have to be fully threaded out to be recorded, so the conclusion can be discussed OOC if you prefer. Actions can be submitted until October 21st, after which groups will be informed of what comes of their choice…

When a group receives the antidote, they'll be released from the tree's thrall... But will have a hard time waking up. It feels like something has grabbed onto their spine.

III. DREAMING OF HOME

You may wake with a start from your deliberations (or arguments) with a jolt of pain from the base of your spine as something is pulled away rapidly. A dark-haired man who looks to be in his thirties or so holds you carefully, but as soon as you start to regain your senses, he sets you back and holds up his hands.

Woah— Woah there, it’s fine! The tree was, uh, trying to take you back is all. You’re fine now.

As long as you’re not going to attack him, he offers a friendly smile and a hand to shake.

Name’s Cyrus. Sorry about the rude awakening. Let’s get your friend here unhooked too.

And indeed, glancing over, you can see the person you met in that room laying nearby, and it looks like a vine has snaked underneath them to exactly where something had just been pulled from you… Best not to think about it, maybe. Or if you've been unlucky enough to be one of the last people rescued, you might find vines and roots starting to grow into your skin. It's fine!

---

CYRUS, THE TRIBUNE

Cyrus is the NPC heading up the Meridian Faction, and is available to thread with under this header. Cyrus has come to the Tree of Life to help rescue the Shard-Bearer’s from the Tree, so he’s not going to be inclined to explain too much right away, since he’s on a mission, but he’ll stick around once everyone is successfully freed from Prompt 2 to speak with anyone that wants to. The following is just an OOC summary of information in case you do not need to thread with Cyrus:

Cyrus will gladly introduce himself to everyone, and will further explain his position in Meridian and Springstar (see the NPC Page) and the goals of Meridian itself (see the Faction Page, save for the italicized section). But most importantly, he’ll explain that he knows it sounds like something overly optimistic. It’s fair to be skeptical. He’ll produce a small glass bead from a bag he’s carrying. It looks like the necklace he wears, though not lit up. He’ll explain that the force of Meridian is a gift and can be a tether to your home, if you let it. As his fingertips light up, the energy is infused into the bead, which he’ll hand to you.

Taking the bead into your hands, you’ll take a bird’s eye view of your home world as if your consciousness is split, since you’ll still perceive standing in front of Cyrus at the tree. Rather than a vision, the view of your world is absolutely real, you’re certain. It’s a glimpse at the world that you thought destroyed, and if you focus on a particular place or a particular person, you’ll find the view shifting rapidly to it. No one you watch is aware of your presence, but simply continues about their daily life, whatever that is. But after about a minute, the view will fade as the light in the bead also fades.

That’s an iliachtida, a sunbeam, and when infused with Meridian’s light, allows someone Harmonized to it to check in on their world, he explains. It also acts as an anchor that tethers their soul to their world in the Timestream. With it, their world can’t entirely disappear, so eventually, they can go home. It’s a gift he’ll allow anyone that wants it to keep it, but indeed, they’ll be unable to use it again without first Harmonizing to Meridian.

To help manage threadload for the Loremasters playing Cyrus, we ask that you only tag him with the character you are most likely to app. Similarly, new tag-ins will not be accepted after Monday, October 17th.

III. SPRINGSTAR, αιώνιος ήλιος

After your ordeals at the Tree of Life, perhaps you’re drawn to Springstar, the city of eternal sun and the seat of Meridian.

It’s currently (and fittingly) Spring in Springstar, and the bustling city is coming back to life after finishing up winter. It’s not as if the winters are especially harsh here, but you’ll quickly get the sense that the people of Springstar are vivacious and happy to celebrate. You’ll find the Entertainment District to be the liveliest, whether it’s at a rowdy bar or a brothel, but no matter what, you’re welcome with open arms and without question.

Of course, if you’d just like to use the chance to explore the city alongside your fellow Shard-Bearers, that’s fine too. It’s easy to get lost in the crowds of Springstar and see all the city has to offer.

IV. HIGHSTORM, луны-близнецы

Or maybe Highstorm, the city of twin moons and the seat of Zenith is more to your liking. It’s certainly the quieter of the two cities and is a relaxing, meditative place if that’s what you prefer. The chill in the air is constant, since it’s Autumn in Highstorm and the eternal night doesn’t help keep things warm, exactly. Snow isn’t out of the question at this time of the year, but it’s beautiful in the moonlight.

Because of the cooler weather than Highstorm is prone to, you’ll find many of its delights inside rather than outside. Libraries and museums are popular in the more introspective city, though it’s easy enough to find something that might please you. For example, the indoor hot baths are popular at this time of the year too. You’ll find the people are kind, if cool-tempered, though if you mention the fact that you’re a Shard-Bearer or allied with Zenith, they’re more likely to warm up.

Though much like Springstar, it may just be more interesting to explore the city with a fellow Shard-Bearer. And as a resident may warn you, it’s best to stay in the city. Wandering out into the marshes and forests isn’t advised. Of course, if you do, just contact a Loremaster to find out why. ♥

NOTES

Welcome to Kenos! As a reminder, all players are required to fill out an application, which are now open. This does include characters/players from Aion Teleos, so please don’t forget to fill one out! Any character/player that does not submit an application will be swept from the communities and the Discord after applications close.

Activity Check is optional this month, but is highly recommend so Christy can check her fancy program so that you can earn Activity Reward Tokens! Activity will be able to be submitted shortly after applications close. You can find more about how we do AC here.

This log is Game Canon. Any characters who are not apped to the game will disappear. If Cyrus or Yima are asked, they’ll explain that this happens sometimes, since not every soul has a strong tether to Kenos and sometimes return to the Timestream. They’re fine and may even return to Kenos one day, but for now weren’t able to make the full journey.

As a reminder, your character has a Shard somewhere on their body that encompasses their soul, so keep note of where you're sticking it on their person for reference! Additionally, they have a tattoo of their Aspect somewhere on their body. Please be mindful this Aspect will be assigned to you upon approval and whatever you choose for the TDM may be temporary (for new characters)!

For the Highstorm and Springstar prompts, both cities will be fully open and accessible to all characters once they are saved from their rather harrowing ordeal at the Tree of Life. For prompt ideas and any general information about the cities and what you can find there, please see the Navigation page and check out the locations!

FOR NEW PLAYERS:

New players are welcome to join our Discord Server if you haven't already!

When they emerge from their cocoon/the ground, characters may be wearing their normal clothes, or they might be nude. Up to you!

At some point in the days after leaving the Tree of Life, new Shard-Bearers will have a dream, even if they're usually not capable of sleeping. All new players should read this post, since this details how they'll learn about both factions and their goals and should help them make a decision in which Faction they'd be drawn to.

New characters will not have access to any canon abilities on the TDM.

Your character will be offered temporary housing either at the Heliopolis district or Yima's manor for the first few weeks after their arrival. They will also be given a stipend for basic supplies like clothing and personal effects, and food is served in the cantina (Heliopolis) and at regular meal times in the Dining Room (Yima's manor). Once they Harmonize, they will get personal permanent chambers and a fancy retainer in their Faction's city. Wow! 🌈

FOR OLD PLAYERS:

Characters may be Harmonized to their Faction (if that makes sense for the character, of course!) by the time of this log. This is more for IC reference, and just wait until application acceptance to do the OOC paperwork!

General reminder that your character won't have access to their powers until they have Harmonized.

CODING

Comments

wildcard 👁

[kabooming]

[ beneath the Tree and among the caverns formed along its roots, Silco might hear the distant sound of a voice. a familiar voice, one whose intonation clearly reflects Jinx's supreme and total frustration with this entire friggin scenario, frankly-- ]

--am NOT dealing with this sticky crap twice, are you kidding me?! HELLOOOooo, whoever you are... you better come out and show yourself before I--

[ she cuts herself off as she flails her way through some thick foliage and vinery, stumbling through the opening she's created along the wall - and suddenly... there is Jinx in all her glory. her dirty, sticky, sap-covered glory, but at least she's got clothes this time around?? hey man, c'mon, look - it's the small things in life, a girl's gotta take what she can get.

Jinx is fully prepared for some kind of ambush or onslaught as she fluidly recovers her balance, the tension already written in the high sit of her shoulders as she comes out ready to defend herself - or throw the first swing, she hasn't decided yet. but when she sees who it is coming down the cavernous 'hallway' from the other direction, her eyes widen almost comically in surprise. ]

Si-- Silco...?

[zauneyete]

[ This was shaping up to be a bad day, Silco thought, the moment the tree's roots had started to close around him. It was unexpected, and he had already started to grumble an oath under his breath when he heard it, and he whirled, trying to catch the direction in the cavern, to figure out where it came from -- half afraid this was a trick, but nobody knew, did they...? No. Other than Yima, and there's a momentary flare of thought -- had Yima decided to trick him? Was that what -- ]

Jinx --?

[ No -- the flare smothers and died in the same moment that Jinx stumbled out of the leaves, and there's just a half-second for Silco to take stock, a million scenarios where this could be false blossomed to life, before he took two steps forward, then a third, before he started a jog -- to his lungs' detriment -- in her direction, closed the distance.

Despite everything, for Silco, it had been six months. Horos had happened, everything that went with it, and -- ]

Are you hurt? [ Head tipped to the side, as if he was looking her over. ] Have you been down here all this time?

[kabooming]

Hurt? Hurt? Someone buried me underground in some-- seed thing! There is sap in places there should not be sap, Silco. Sap.

[ it comes out in one singular breath with hardly a beat left for breathing room, animated as ever - but clearly... she's fine since she's rattling it all off and her biggest concern appears to be the grave insult of (checks notes), Being Sticky. the horror. ]

What are you doing here? --Do you know the way out?

[zauneyete]

I arrived here a week ago.

[ Eyes looked up at the rest of the cave, before he clarified: ]

Not here, here. I just fell into whatever this place is. [ Which was different than something else? Silco's description leaves more questions than answers, but his tone takes a moment to go more in depth. He hadn't thought -- Yima had mentioned something about getting what was important, but he hadn't expected a week's turnaround time. He had expected it would be like the last place -- a vague promise of nothing, but she was here, and relatively unharmed -- if sticky. It's enough for Silco to be tempted to reach out, as if he wasn't sure she was real. No, not until they were free of here, though. He didn't know what this was, where they were, or what was supposed to be going on. Maybe this was a trick -- he still wouldn't put it past everyone in this world, and Silco's trust only went as far as he could throw -- which...wasn't very far. He does have noodle arms.

So instead of anything he could say, (for example: 'I'm glad you're here' or 'I've been looking for you', he says: ]

Until we get out, I'm just as lost as you are. [ They were trapped, and that was enough to put Silco on track to fix the problem. It kept him from getting sentimental, too. That can't happen. ]

Let's get out of here first, then we can get you cleaned up from all of this... [ ugh. ] Sap. Then I'll -- explain everything.

1/2

[kabooming]

[ there's something reassuring about Silco being Silco and doing his Silco things; despite being trapped in some giant mutated tree's roots or whatever the hell this is, he's acting like he always does - more annoyed by the inconvenience than genuinely concerned.

which just lends more credence to how valid she is in being totally annoyed herself - which she demonstrates by gesturing to him at a loss with an exasperate eyeroll, ]

'Get out of here,' why didn't I think of that? Except I've been walking for what feels like hours [ it's been five minutes ] and all I find is more tree. Tree, tree, tree - that's it! Just tree! Do you know how much I wish I had a woodchipper right about now?

[kabooming]

[ ...





......peering around his back, leaning into his shoulder-- ]

You don't have one, do you? Maybe a flamethrower? Machete?

[zauneyete]

I can't carry anything that big.

[ He said, and it's calm, but not cold. If anything, the prospect of bringing a woodchipper into this thing both sounds amusing, and like it would solve the problem, so he might even sound a bit wistful, even if it's impossible that he could carry one. Silco patted at his pockets -- even with Jinx peering over his shoulder -- as if to confirm that he had his effects on him.]

I could smoke this thing out... I have a knife, too. [ A pause, before after a moment of consideration, he added: ] I have a vial of shimmer, too. Neither of us are taking that, so it's a non-starter.

[ He kept it on him, even though since he harmonized, it wasn't... Necessary. One never know when one would need an extra.]

We might have to walk some more, before we find the way out. I suspect... [ he looked up, and at the roots overhead, as if it was a mystery to solve, and not the bars of a cell.] There will be a trick to it. It might be dangerous, too.

[ Normally, Jinx was the one who didn't mind danger, but Silco was getting used to it by now.]

[kabooming]

[ she's checking him over as if she isn't convince he's somehow managed to stash an emergency woodchipper on his person, but when it turns out she can't find any evidence of this whatsoever... suppose she has no choice but to believe him.

for now.

Jinx leans back on her heels, blowing the hair out of her eyes. ]

A trick. A dangerous trick? Now we're talkin'. [ yeah. yeah, give her a challenge, she's got some PENT UP frustration to work out here people!! ] Okay, sooo... Shimmer, stabby knife, smoke bomb... Wait, do you have a smoke bomb? What are we looking for, again? Can I have the knife?

[ address all of these questions in order please ]

[zauneyete]

[ Alright, pat down over, Silco nodded toward the tunnel, a different one than the one they'd both come from. Those were clearly dead ends, weren't they? ]

No, I don't have a smoke bomb. Who would've made them for me? [ A beat, he is answering in order, although he pointed to the tunnel, as if to indicate to her to start forward, not that he was asking her to take point, since he took a step in that direction as well. ] We're looking for the exit, and y --

[ Wait. ]

Why do you want the knife?

[ He had been about to say yes, automatically. Of course he had. ]

[kabooming]

[ once they start moving, her attention is already shifting from hassling Silco to renewed curiosity - and frustration - with their circumstances. stupid tree roots; this is a first. of all the dank, gross places she's been in her life? this is a new one to add to the list. ]

Why wouldn't I want the knife? What are you going to do with it?

[ she shoots him a side-long look like,

duh? she should have the knife to do stabby crimes with, even if the only thing worth stabbing seems to be the humid caverns beneath the tree... that could change! you never know!!

she's stifling a cough into her arm before holding her hand out expectantly. ]

[zauneyete]

[ Yeah, no, she has a point. It wasn't like Silco couldn't buy another knife, when they got out, and got back to Highstorm. He moved his hand to pull it out of the small holster he'd sewn into the back of his belt -- hand hovered over it, when she stifled her cough.

Silco knew what that sounded like. His own lungs were practically withered to powder, between the mines, the undercity's pollution, and his own cigar habit had laid waste to his own lungs, and he'd heard plenty of old miners who had the same sound she had now. One eye narrowed, as Jinx had always been relatively healthy as a child, but this... ]

Are you sure you're not hurt?

[ He asked, pulling out his knife to hand to her as a peace offering for questioning her -- of course he did.

Unfortunately, said destroyed lungs were starting to tickle himself, but the sound that caught his attention was the sound of creaking roots, and he turned to where he thought the sound was coming from. ]

[kabooming]

I said I'm fine.

[ predictably, she Did Not Like that question; she doesn't even seem to notice she'd needed to clear her throat - and thus painfully oblivious the source of his concern, busy with taking in the rest of their circumstances. to be fair, there's kind of A Lot happening right now, right... but the offer of the knife soothes the momentary irritation that furrows her brow as she takes it at the handle, turning it over deftly between her fingers a few times to test its weight. not like she's a blade girl much as she prefers long-range, but she could chuck it with precision. ]

You know, there's some others who--

[ but the rest of what she had been about to say is swallowed up as the roots do, indeed, begin to move and writhe as if alive around them -- and rapidly begin closing them in as they form thick layers that resemble makeshift walls. Jinx is immediately darting to where a mass of them is descending, trying to cut at them before they can block off their point of escape, but it's to no avail; the blade dances harmlessly off of them as if made of steel.

she's shaking her hand out as she takes a step back, looking to the rapidly forming prison around them-- ]

Come on, seriously? That's actually cheating.

[zauneyete]

[ This wasn't good. He released a hiss of frustration, his head whirled to look for the source, or if it was going to start closing in -- were they going to just die down here? Seriously? After all of that?

The branches deflected Jinx's stab, and he kept back, so her deflection didn't accidentally cut him -- and he narrowed his eyes, looked to the ground, the ceiling. Nothing. Every side locked into place, as if they had always been there, above their heads, roots, floor? Roots. If the roots were strong enough to deflect the knife, there was likely only one thing that might get them out.

Silco's eye narrowed, as he tried to take stock. It's the only reason why he noticed the roots...still moving? Almost imperceptible in the way they changed, started to make a face in the roots, faint though it was. He sneered, but put a hand to Jinx's shoulder, to indicate the face. ]

There. That looks like a face, doesn't it?

[ Maybe if they killed it, they could get out of here? She had the knife. ]

[kabooming]

[ it's a good thing that Silco is well and used to Jinx and her reckless fighting style to avoid any collateral damage, because - yeah, she sure isn't thinking about it. in fact, she's already testing the blade against a few spots between the vines as if to try and pry them ajar when he catches her attention--

and she sees the face.

the creepy face in the vine-wall. the creepy face whose mouth is now juddering open, a creaky voice beginning to speak as Jinx leans in to examine it with interest. FASCINATING,

"Give to take. A sacrifice. To live."

it barely gets through the tail end of its sentence before Jinx jams the knife toward its eyesocket; unfortunately for both of them, this only serves to make the Dryad exhale a ragged, uncomfortably unpleasant sound that hurts their ears - but it remains unharmed, blade buried inside of it.

Jinx slowly tilts her head, nose millimeters from the Dryad's twisted, gnarled face. ]

Reaaaally wishing we had that woodchipper right about now.

[zauneyete]

[ He had to gird himself, when the thing screamed, and his single eye closed, face screwed up in pain when it screamed, before it stopped, and -- He could relax, no more screaming. ]

We could try to set it on fire...

[ Silco was already halfway to fishing out his lighter, both eyes locked on the thing that had manifested before them, but his jaw tightened. They were trapped, the thing was spouting riddles, and he didn't understand what it wanted. Right now, they were trapped underground -- not something that Silco was... Unused to? Certainly not in this context, though. Right now, Jinx was here, right in front of him -- and although the memory twinged at his mind, a distant and hazy thing -- like many of his memories of Horos, it's faint, and half-formed. He remembered Jinx, but he didn't remember her staying, and instead of solving this things damned riddle, he wanted to get her somewhere safe -- actually safe.

But instead of having the second to actually acknowledge that his daughter was here, he had to solve some damn riddle. It's infuriating, it's --

Silco ran a hand through his hair, before: ]

It's either we light it on fire, or we solve this... riddle. Any ideas?

[kabooming]

If there's ever a question between fire, and... [ she raps her fingers idly, thoughtfully, against her chin, ] oh, I don't know. Anything else? The answer's always gonna be fire, Silco.

[ but she pries the knife out of the Dryad's eyesocket now weeping a Familiar Sap (gross), taking a step back and stifling another cough into her inner elbow. maybe it's because of the claustrophobic nature of their captivity, but--

it's getting harder to breathe, isn't it?

know what will help with that? fire. definitely. ]

You wanna do the honors?

[zauneyete]

[ Silco's eyes turned to her again, a pause, an evaluation. A look up, and down. She coughed again? Hm.

He felt it too, that scratchiness, but he'd thought something about the plants was irritating something -- he'd swallowed more than one cough himself, a touch more practiced at it, having to appear strong and stalwart, but even he was breathing a little harder.

But Jinx, his daughter? Was a genius. She understood chemistry and combustion far better than Silco did, who probably had enough knowledge for survival, and perhaps what he'd picked up from Singed, but not the intimate, in-depth knowledge that Silco held. He would trust Jinx over himself, and while she was chaotic -- wild and free, he would say -- she wasn't going to say anything that would hurt the two of them. Hopefully. He pulled out his lighter. ]

Don't mind if I do. Think it'll scream again?

[ He asked, before he flicked the ignition, a spark flashed, but it didn't light. ] Blasted -- [ Another try. Another spark, but no flame. He grimaced, before a final flick, and a fire lit. ]

Let's see how you like this --

[kabooming]

[ luckily for both parties (Dryads don't count), Jinx might be a million and one things - and yes, reckless is among them, but suicidal for the hell of it isn't. she might also know from Previous Experience that this sap is, in fact, flammable! and non-toxic, if sticky and generally disgusting otherwise.

so, neither of them are going to blow up - but the smoke from lighting the Dryad on fire as Jinx gives him an impatient roll of her hand as he fails to get the lighter going (they are comically good at this)... might be a tad uncomfortable in these close quarters.

fortunately, not much is generated; the sap oozing from the Dryad's eyesocket does, indeed, take to flame - but once the liquid is burned up and makes it to the vinery and wood beneath, it simply fizzles and dies with an abruptness, unable to catch.

...and a rattling, uncomfortably inhuman voice shakes out again: Sacrifice. Life. Limb. Memory. ...Sacrifice.

Jinx's eyes slide to watch Silco, trying to gauge what he's thinking about their predicament; much as she wishes she had any of her usual tricks up her sleeve... she doesn't, and she doubts he has many more to speak of, either. still...

he has more experience with this, right? but if he can't come up with something - she'll have to. they're not going to be trapped in this little cage with the weird talking head guy forever; she needs a bath?? ]

[zauneyete]

[ Silco sneered at the thing, when it failed to catch fire. What kind of wood didn't catch fire? Wasn't that the whole point of it? He almost rolled his eyes at it, but it started to speak again.

He focused this time, even if his head felt light from either oxygen getting burnt away from the fire, or... something else, but he fought through it with gritted teeth, and he considered the options. his hand rose to his chin, tapped his fingers there, a visible show of his thoughts, as he considered the options. There would be a way out of this, right?

Yima wouldn't just go through all the trouble, only to let something take them out this quick? ]

I think... it's telling us to give something up. [ Right? That had to make sense. ] Is that the way out? [ He turned his head back to the thing, curl of his lip as it almost seemed to...nod? ]

So to get out, we'll need to cut something off? [ Silco looked down at his left hand, which had recently regrown, after he'd lost it. ] I already lost my hand once. It grew back.

[ Like that was normal???? ]

[kabooming]

[ Jinx blinks a little harder than she needs to, trying to clear the fuzziness at the corner of her vision - something is going on here. yeah, something is going on here for sure, and she wants to know what the hell it is so she can-- ]

Feel like I'm missing a real fun, zany story here-- it grew back?

[ --okay, no, we're focusing on that bit and she's jabbing the knife momentarily into her belt, reaching out to grabby at his hands with both of hers to give them an examination. like she's going to see something freakishly Different with one of them, or-- look, who knows?? ]

Where? How? Let me see, can you do it again?

[zauneyete]

It --

[ He started, before Jinx was already back into his personal space, pulling his hands toward her, and Silco grimaced, but he didn't stop her. Silco had likely tried to stop Jinx from getting her way exactly once, and was rewarded with threats to run away for the crime of not giving her cookies for dinner or something. It's not unexpected that he immediately acquiesced, and while he thought his hands looked normal...

He wondered if she would notice, the current of shimmer that ran underneath his skin, but it was invisible unless he used it, and he didn't worry about using that right now. ]

It was a while ago. I turned to stone, and it cracked off. It...grew back.

[ Silco realized that it sounded ridiculous, but in that moment, it was a half-formed thought. He didn't know if it was the thought of That Thing taking him over again, or something else, but his head swam, and he tried to gather himself, and remain in control. One eye closed, the other stared out, and when she was done, he brushed his hands together. ]

I think... we need to get out soon. I can cut something off, but -- [ Did Jinx even have a shard? Would that even be guaranteed? His eye narrowed, as if for the first time, he was trying to figure out where it was, even if it was getting blearier. ] Whatever we take off should grow back.

[kabooming]

[ Silco is a wise man who knows better than to deprive Jinx of anything like a perfectly reasonable and good father figure, yep, he really earned that personalized mug on his desk... huh, guess she's gonna have to make him a new one, isn't she? --anyway,

his skin seems unblemished - at least, no more so than usual - and shows no signs of this appendage ever having been missing to begin with. it really is fascinating.

she isn't sure if this is a byproduct of being here or of the hazy, odd dream of a crystal rebirth, or the one in a seedling within the soil, but for some reason, she really doesn't doubt him. it isn't the kind of thing Silco would do, lie about this, and she's casting a glance beyond his shoulder to the Dryad still weeping sticky sap from its eye socket. ]

You want to give the salad with an attitude problem a hand?

[ ...okay, that sounds like a pun

and it kind of is,

but it's actually a legitimate question, too. ]

You're sure it'll really grow back? You only have two of these if you're wrong. [ you know.

in case he forgot how many hands he has, ]

[zauneyete]

Hm. [ That's not... not a laugh at her joke. When she tipped her head, he thought he saw a glint of something -- a shard? He almost didn't realize he'd been holding a breath. ] Yes, and I quite need both of them. I'm certain of it. I watched it, Jinx. It took time, but I saw it regrow.

[ That crystalline regrowth, the way he'd kept his hand hidden for weeks -- nearly a month -- but in the end, it had come back. Nothing was too permanent, he'd learned, and if it got them out of here, it was a price he'd pay. He wanted out, but more than that, he wanted to make sure this wasn't just a sick dream that his mind -- or perhaps someone's cruel magic -- had constructed.

Was that illogical? Yes, of course it was. Nobody knew about Jinx, at least from Silco's own lips, not even Kaeya, who'd probably gotten the closest to that secret, if the hazy memories that lingered in his mind could be believed. ]

Give me your knife. [ Your knife, not his knife. ] I'll do it first.

[ Was the Dryad supposed to give them one? Silco didn't know, he was just going to go at it on his own, and he was focused on Jinx, not... the roots parting, or anything else going on. ]

Then we'll get out of here. Get cleaned up. [ He cleared his throat, fighting off an actual cough himself, this time, before he held out his hand. ]

[kabooming]

[ she seems reluctant to part with the blade, but... inevitably, some of the rigidity in her posture eases in the way that suggests she's resigning to listen to him. it's one of those occasions where the stars align and she will Do The Thing he asks without much in the way of back-talk. ]

You don't want me to do it for you?

[ Jinx holds the knife out, handle first - and she, too, is completely ignoring the existence of the Dryad in the background, which is tragic for both of them seeing as how That Knife that is slowly being pushed to the surface of the vinery in the walls would cauterize the wounds immediately and this one

won't,,,, ]

I can make it quick.

[ and probably less painful than him doing it to himself. but if he wants to... she'll let him handle it alone.

seems she believes him on the regrowth thing. ]

[zauneyete]

Hm.

[ He blinked once, and then looked down at his hand, before he shrugged off one half of his coat, so he could expose the wrist a little easier. He sniffed, the acrid burn of the poison stung the back of his throat, and he cleared it.

It's a real good thing he doesn't have any weird baggage right now about being murdered by his kid or anything. A few days later for him, and this would have been... awkward.

A hand over hers, he wrapped her fingers back over the hilt of the knife, offer accepted. ]

I trust you, Jinx. It's faster if you do it, you're stronger than I am.

[ He actually meant it, too. Even if his speech slurred just slightly in there, the effects starting to take root. ]