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

[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. ]

[kabooming]

[ haha whaaat, Jinx would never hurt Silco like that... or this? this is with permission and because his hand will totally grow back, it's special circumstances, obviously!!

......😬 anyway,

she reaffixes her hold on the weapon, and his faith in her ability to take care of this seems to satisfy her. never mind that she is agreeing to lopping off an appendage from dear ol' Dad; sometimes you get trapped by a creepy otherworldly Dryad that demands sacrifices under the threat of a slow-acting poison. we've all been there, right? literally every one of us. a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

but she's unfastening one of the belts around her waist - sorry, it's kind of... dirty, and sappy - and winds it around his forearm, jerking it uncomfortably tight. it will, hopefully, staunch some of the bleeding and mitigate blood loss; clearly she doesn't intend to let him die, regrowing hands or not. ]

Silco?

[ she takes his hand in her own, briefly squeezing his fingers. it is both a gesture to impart meager, fleeting comfort in the face of what she's about to do - and also a sign of her growing irritation at the situation.

she doesn't like this. having their backs forced up against the wall like this? being forced to give up parts of themselves for freedom. ]

It feels pain, right?

[ slowly, Jinx releases his fingers. she poises the blade, gripping it firmly. ]

So we can come back and kill it when we get out of here.

[zauneyete]

[ Silco reached out, to touch her forearm -- the one holding the knife -- in response. He had already gritted his teeth, but he stopped, and instead leaned forward. ]

We heard it scream, it must. We'll find a way to destroy it, don't fret.

[ He didn't even look at the Dryad, but was focused on his daughter, before he let go, and held his idle hand above the tourniquet, as if it would help him through this.

He'd gotten experience with dealing with these sorts of entities, and if there'd been someone else here, he would have sent a shimmer-high person after it, but with just the two of them, Silco wouldn't do that to Jinx, and certainly not to himself.

He gritted his teeth, and breathed in, and out, before he shut his one eye. ]

Go ahead. Let's get this over with. The sooner we do, the sooner we can recover -- and kill it.

[ He hated it too. He hated situations like this, but what was worse? He hated that Jinx was in one of these with him. She was strong enough, certainly, but this wasn't the wild freedom he'd always encouraged for his daughter. ]

[kabooming]

[ she doesn't plan to draw this out longer than is necessary. they've made this conscious decision together, and there's nothing left to do but do it; he's right. the longer they wait here, the more she feels the itch in her lungs, can see the way her vision is blurring around the edges.

her knife; her cut; her choice. this is her choice. their choice. (isn't it?)

so Jinx looks into his eyes as if to ensure he's steeled himself as best he's able - and with one decisive, purposeful downward swing and an harsh grunt--

the knife cleanly severs Silco's hand at the wrist, painting the sap-covered blade a bright and vivid red. ]

cw emeto mention

[zauneyete]

[ The moments before she sliced in were long. Too long. Silco very nearly spoke up, told her to do it, but he waited, and his hand tightened into his own arm, teeth gritted -- only one eye looked at Jinx when she cut it.

Silco's grunt is longer, louder, when his hand is severed from his wrist. It's enough to bring tears to his eyes, and he immediately ducked his head, the pain enough to make his vision swim and his entire body to shake. It's shock, he can think, numbly. With the poison already in his lungs, it's no wonder, that his body is shaking, and he's bleeding from the wrist. It's enough that he nearly retched, and passed out, but through gritted teeth, and pain, he's focused on the ground, pointing out a single speck of dust, and forcing it to swim back into vision.

It hurts, but Silco's felt such pain before. He wheezed, this time, the air from his lungs, before he breathed again, and wiped at his face with his free hand, marring the cover on his scar, but he was still there, awake. ]

Is -- Is it done? [ Now they just had to -- do Jinx? His hand shook, but... he tightened it on his thigh, as if it would make it easier to not tremble. ] We just need to do yours now.

daddy daughter bonding you love to see it, 🔪✋

[kabooming]

[ Jinx watches him recoil, watches as his body absorbs the shock of this blow; she has seen people lose body parts before, been the one helping them part ways with those limbs, too - but it was never like this. not Silco. it's never been Silco. it's... different, somehow. she doesn't really understand it, but she feels like it's important to keep her eyes on him, to see the consequences of her actions.

he looks like he's going to go down for a moment and she's ready to catch him and support his weight if he does, but Silco manages to hold onto consciousness. sure, maybe it's by the skin of his teeth... but he does. so she does not make light of his resolve nor his stubborn sort of strength, instead reaching out to tighten the make-shift tourniquet. ]

I got it. I got it; it's fine.

[ she's deceptively calm; it means she's a special sort of angry. livid, in fact - but it's the cold kind of anger, not the white-hot vitriol that usually sparks into flames and inevitably explodes. she wants to kill this thing. she wants to hear it scream. she wants to undo whatever the hell it is it did to them and she wants to make it suffer for this. the feeling of being backed into a corner is one she dislikes - and being made to give a piece of Silco like this?

...

but she doesn't waste any more time, aware of the rapid draining of color from her father's face; between the poison and the bloodloss, he isn't going to be in great shape to sit around and play audience. and it isn't like she's afraid of a little pain; no pain, no gain, right? seems like you always gotta bleed to anything good done.

she doesn't even realize she's been mumbling to herself under her breath, an airy, not-quite-right little monologue punctuated by a bitter, dry little laugh as she ties the belt around her own arm, pulling it taut with her teeth. her eyes have moved from Silco to the Dryad where it sits, an eerie, one-eyed knot in the vines and bark, and she stares at it.

we'll show them.

and with a vicious twist at her lips, she shifts her grip on the knife handle - maintains eye contact with that freakish, god damned face, and brings the blade down with an outcry. ]

some families go to the movies, some give each other a hand, we're built different

[zauneyete]

[ He knows he's bleeding out. How could he not be with this wound, and he dares not look down at it, even when Jinx reached out to tighten the tourniquet around his arm. He didn't dare look at it, knowing that if he did, he might... find himself on the ground, and he wouldn't be able to make sure Jinx made it through. It's really what motivated him, beyond just stubbornness, something that Silco had in spades, but even this was too much for him.

His jaw tightened, but just like Jinx had watched him, he couldn't look away -- wouldn't. Not when they were in this together, not when the both of them were forced with their back against the wall, and had to give something up for this... thing. Yet another thing that dared to make him give something up, show a weakness. He could understand the anger on her face when she turned to look at the Dryad. Even in that hazy moment, he could see it, and understood it. He'd felt such hatred for an entity too, just recently.

If she wanted to kill this thing, Silco would move the entirety of Kenos to make it happen, if only she asked, he would find a way to make it happen.

Jinx speaks to herself, but Silco doesn't comment, he watched, his hand on his own arm, feeling the haze of his head swimming, but he steeled himself, sheer stubbornness keeping him together through the poison, to watch the blade slice through her own arm, made sure to watch her hand flop to the ground too, lifeless. He hated seeing it, hated watching it, but it was important -- she was giving it up, so they could escape, after all.

He stumbled forward, his feet uncontrolled on the ground, but he made it the few steps for her. ] Jinx --

[ It's loud, in the quiet cave, with the roots blocking all other sound. Silco reached out, to put a hand on her shoulder, draw her in, but he gets as far as: ] I'm --

[ Proud of you is what he was going to say, but before he can get another word out, he crumpled to the floor. ]

let's give ourselves a round of applause!! (slaps 2 severed hands 2gether)

[kabooming]

[ she's been in pain before, but she's never been in pain quite like this. suppose it's a lesson that as reckless as she can be, has been - there are thresholds she hasn't passed, yet.

maybe one day.

Jinx comes back to herself cradling her arm to her chest, slumped over and panting raggedly like an animal, hissing through her teeth. she doesn't even realize that noise is coming from her for a moment, ears ringing and feeling the adrenaline and blood pumping through her veins--

but then Silco speaks her name and jolts her back to reality, back into the moment - where she shakily looks up from staring at the hot spill of blood, instead finding Silco's face. but he's...

--ah.

she juts her arm out, barely manages to catch him with her shoulder and a wrenching, choked noise of pain; she can't keep them upright and falls to her knees with Silco's weight slumped into her. he's unconscious-- but he's breathing, isn't he? ]

--Silco? [ his name comes, trembling, as she tries to turn him over and look at his face. the room is spinning, and she doesn't even realize the vines are beginning to retreat, give way to allow access to two small vials laid among the lichen and mossy earth beneath their feet.

is it the poison? is it shock?

maybe it is the buzzing panic in her ears, the sound of familiar voices beginning to reach a peak as they whisper she's losing him, that she's made the wrong choice, that she messed it up again. --always messes it up. can't get it right. always going to end up alone.

Jinx clumsily shakes his shoulder, desperation mounting. ]

Silco. --Silco! No no... no, you...

[ ...can't do this. he can't leave her.

it wasn't supposed to be like this.

their reward - freedom, and antidote - lies within their reach. somehow it's fitting that neither of them seems capable of attaining it. ]

[zauneyete]

[ One eye closed, his jaw slack, Silco had very nearly collapsed onto his daughter, and it was only because of Jinx that he wasn't entirely a solid figure on the ground. He was nearly unconscious, but he was also breathing. Jinx, though, Jinx was starting to panic, and Silco's brain is still somewhat active -- slowed though it may be -- evidenced by the fact that his unblinking eye still moved.

He could really quitehard, harder even than fighting for his life, scrambling and scrounging for every advantage he could find. Even now, he thought he'd seen the hardest thing he'd encountered, but Jinx -- he could fight the encroaching swell of darkness and promise of oblivion for Jinx, couldn't he?

There was a reason, after all, why Finn said his spine was like jelly, when it came to his daughter. ]

Nngh -- [ Well, he's still not very coherent, but his eye still moves, and it's swiveling, looking around, trying to free the haze that's taken over him.

His eye landed on the vials at their feet, and Silco's body can barely move, but he stirred, teeth gritted, fighting through it, but he nudged Jinx, first with a shoulder, and then, if she doesn't respond, with his stump of a wrist -- the other barely supporting himself as he tried to weakly push himself up -- but he can't look away from the vials now, the focus on the prize -- on freedom is all that can keep him awake. ]

[kabooming]

--Silco?

[ it's a little cracked, a bit too soft, his name this time - but it's also filled with the rawness of hope as she feels him stirring. she's moving, immediately trying to support his weight to better accommodate him when she feels him trying to push upright-- and though it takes a moment for her to focus beyond the fuzzy haze of delusions overlaying reality--

she has seen that look in his eye before. it is a fixed, single-minded determination; a cold and final decisiveness. it is the slow realization that he is looking at something that stirs her a bit out of the hole she'd been crawling into... and begins looking at what he's--

--ah.

Silco will have to forgive her for jostling him as she roughly scrambles to collect the little vials the roots have pushed toward their feet. she has only one hand with which to grab them, and it's on the side he's leaning, so-- whoops, he's probably going to end up sliding off of her. that's fine. just lay there, take a lil nap as she hurriedly and possessedly begins unscrewing the cap of one with her teeth.

hopefully Silco's still holding on to that fragile sense of consciousness, else he's liable to choke - cause she's forcing the vial to his lips, pouring it in his mouth without hesitation. ]

[zauneyete]

[ He absolutely did start to fall promptly, when Jinx clambered over to the vials in the ground, her hands moved quick, but gravity was quicker -- Silco's elbow served to be the thing that saved him, but it's with another violent -- sharp twist of pain. It hurts like fire, from a phantom limb that doesn't exist anymore up his arm and throbbed to every other limb he had. He can only hiss from it, his remaining hand dug at the roots, trying to use them to pull himself up, but it's all he can do to stay like that.

The worst part is, that between the pain, bloodloss, and poison, he can't even think. He's awake purely through pure stubbornness, and most of that is because Jinx had shook him enough to shock him back to wakefulness, but it's a dull sort of feeling. He couldn't even do more than look to the vials, and worry about Jinx.

She's faster than him, before he can even say anything, she's already got the medicine open and --

He does choke, more from shock than anything else, but it's not the worst medicine she's given him (but can anything be more painful than injecting shimmer the way he does?) but before she can panic, he cleared his throat, just fine. Was this going to help? He suspected it would at least be better than dying from starving in a tree's roots, or from blood loss. He swallowed, before he could speak, his voice ragged from breathing too hard, the poison, and pain. ]

I'm fine, Jinx. Take yours.

[kabooming]

[ how much Silco is here in the moment seems questionable - but at least it's enough that he gives a little spluttering cough before swallowing the concoction he'd being fed. the relief is mild; she doesn't trust that this stupid talking plant-face is going to hold up to its word, that she isn't just feeding him a more potent sort of poison, that all this wasn't orchestrated just to make them suffer.

but she's reaching for the other vial with a strangled noise of pain, her mangled hand still clutched to her chest and blood spilled over her torso and staining her pants. her hands are clutching the next vial, clumsy but determinedly bringing this one to her lips to uncap it as well. ]

--Don't close your eyes. Don't you-- don't you dare even think about--

[ leaving her. ...she can't finish it. won't. but what she gets out sounds almost accusatory, angry; Silco would hear the note of fear in her voice underneath the cover of pain, rage. being put in this position, being made to dance on someone else's strings -- both of them? and to see Silco this way...?

she can't remember the last time she was so god damn livid.

so she tips the vial back to her lips with trembling fingers, choking back the bitter liquid -- and then tossing away the empty container with an airy exhale of frustration. and though it's futile, she's moving to try and get herself up to her knees as though to push herself all the way upright, tugging at Silco's sleeve as if she intends to drag him with her.

she wants out of here. now. ]

[zauneyete]

[ Now that they've both had the poison, Silco doesn't know whether he feels better, or if he feels... worse. He can feel his eye flutter -- and they almost roll back into his head, before he shook his head, uncoordinated, but Jinx's pleading -- angry though they were on the surface -- Silco could hear that small thread of fear that was laced underneath it all.

He struggled, but he couldn't and wouldn't let Jinx down, even as he bled out deep in these roots, that twinge of fear was enough to make Silco push through enough of it, to grit his teeth, and and struggle to his knees, trying to make his way back up to his feet, although he didn't get quite there. ]

Don't worry, Jinx --

[ His voice is raspy, but he's here, before he got one foot in front of him. His back felt... stuck -- ? Like something was holding onto him, and he looked behind him, trying to make sense of it... but there was nothing there --

He wanted out -- He needed to get them out of here, and he nudged Jinx with his actual hand, to try to get her up, as if when she could get up, he could follow. As if his feet were going to follow, with the way he felt locked, and stuck down here. They needed to get out. ]

Come on, let's find a way out of here.

[ He willed his voice to sound solid, but it's difficult when he can feel each pulse of his heart, and the ooze of blood from his stump. ]

[kabooming]

[ something is happening... something she doesn't fully understand, but feels vaguely familiar in a way - a sense of dissociation, of a loss of control, as if part of her is watching this happen from far away while the rest is left to flounder helplessly in the moment.

is it because she's losing too much blood? the poison? Silco, too, seems... out of it. she doesn't know, but when she tries again to drag Silco up with her to her knees, she finds herself fumbling before making it close to the mark, ending up awkwardly slumping into his side instead. is she going numb? no, it's more like she's being held down by something at her back -- something she can feel with far more clarity than anything else. ]

...Silco?

[ her voice sounds distant to her own ears. tongue is clumsy.

is she passing out--? her fingers tangle in his bloodied sleeve, and things begin to fuzzily fade. ]

[zauneyete]

[ Silco had very nearly faded once. With...whatever was in that vial in him, the blood loss, and the pain, it's hard to stay awake, but he's fighting it, if just because Jinx had asked him. It's a fight, and the longer that tugging settled at the base of his spine, that fought to tug him down, and under. Like he was being pulled beneath the waves.

Everything in him begged him to fall under the spell, go to sleep.

He reached out, instead, and clung to Jinx with one uncoordinated hand, she's at his side right now, and isn't that enough to keep him awake. ]

It's okay, we'll be --

[ He too sounds clumsy, his speech slurred on the tail of it, and he felt his eyes roll up, fading, fading... ]

Jinx -- !?

[ Awakened, free of pain, a tight pinch at his spine, still trying to keep him down. Silco fought to sit up, struggling out of the tangle, he slapped more away, and his head whirled, looking for -- ]