The Seeds of Unrest: the Iconoclast Oracle

[beleos]

RUNNING OUT THE CLOCK

The situation is bleak.

The Blight - and the massive labyrinth of roots tearing both cities asunder, spreading deadly flowers wherever they penetrate - have progressed to a point beyond catastrophe. People are dying in rapid numbers. Bearers are having difficulty keeping up with the spread of infection - even among one another. The collapse of Kenos seems inevitable; a cure will not come in time. You can do nothing but watch as each new day brings further disaster, ticking down the seconds until it all falls apart.

And then, you feel something seize your Shard. As if physical fingers have wrapped around it, as if it is being clutched through you by invisible hands, you feel invaded. You feel wronged. But before you can panic, a voice enters your mind through Communion.

“Excuse the dramatics, but there isn’t much time for pleasantries. The Trees are about to hit the point of no return. But there's still work to be done. The Tree of Life will take you where you can find it: the Oracle and the creature causing all this mess. Fix this when you find them. However you'd like.”

Have you heard Aetos’ voice before? Perhaps it is the first time; perhaps it is familiar to you. Either way, the last thing you will remember is a confusing jumble: a spell of immense and incredible power, one utilizing the Tree’s strength to shelter you. The sensation of every cell in your body coming alive, yet seeming to break apart and render you into billions and billions of tiny pieces, all hovering in different times and places across all the different iterations, timelines, and realities in which you have ever existed. A voice that speaks not through words asking your forgiveness, unspeakably sad.

And then, there is nothing.

AWAKENING

Your eyes open, gritty with the feeling of a long, deep slumber.

Perhaps it takes a moment to shake off the heavy veil of exhaustion, to recollect what you were doing before you fell into this state of hibernation - but as soon as you do, you feel an immediate sense of foreboding around you. It is thick in the air, oppressive and pervasive, and you aren’t left long to wonder at its source. You lay beneath the branches of the Tree of Life, but as your bleary eyes focus… you see it. The Tree is all but bereft of life. Its bark has withered down to gnarled wood, the soft lichen dried up, and the grass that should be alive beneath you is long dead and gone. There is not so much as a single leaf on its decaying branches.

It has been this way for a long, long time... you realize this with a feeling of intense dread as you see it - the beautiful expanse of stars, of the cosmos, of universes scattered like starlight above the tree's boughs, gone. In its place hangs a sickly, ominously low-hanging, and dying sun ready to sing the end of everything.

You can't help but wonder how long Kenos has been in this state, but a sense of gratitude fills you as you realize that the Tree expended the last of its energies to protect you, the Bearers, during your state of rest. Had Aetos worked with the tree to see you sent here?

The next question comes quickly: how much time do you have left…? And can you find the Oracle before that time expires?

ABANDON HOPE (DAYS 1 & 2)

The cornerstones are still active and will take you to whichever city you wish to see.

Highstorm and Springstar sit like empty monuments to the cities that were once filled with life - yet the first thing you will notice is they are strangely absent the signs of the Tree’s overgrown roots, the Blight, the catastrophic damage that you can recall all too easily. Instead, each city sits as those they were summarily abandoned overnight, leaving nothing but their shells behind. There is a stillness in the air that is unnatural and unsettling. Despite the lack of any sign of the citizens of either city, you cannot help but feel… watched.

Something terrible happened here. Best you find the Oracle before something terrible finds you, instead.

The burning of a dying sun beats down on you wherever you go, unbearable heat sending waves off the aged cobblestone streets. Perhaps it is your instinct to seek refuge in the shade - but linger too long about the shadows and that feeling of eyes on your back, of being unable to breathe, of your world closing in around you will grow untenable and drive you back into the light. If you hope to explore the ghostly shell of your city in search of the Oracle - or to sate your curiosity, some problem-solving might be in order.

And while you acclimate yourself to your circumstances, you cannot help but note you feel wrong inside, somehow…

EXPLORATION

• If your characters choose to explore previously unreachable areas, please use THIS TOPLEVEL to report when they get there in the thread! We will get back to you with what is discoverable in that location.
• The following areas are off limits for exploration: below Yima’s Manor; below the Church of Heliopolis; Alenroux; Kowloon.
• The Great Trees of both Highstorm and Springstar are in a similar state to the Tree of Life and will not respond to Communion.
• Generally speaking, items will be of poor quality. Most will look as though they’ve aged thousands of years. Others will be in half-decent shape, but sparingly so. Oddly enough, it doesn’t seem like the whole city has aged at the same rate, so especially diligent rummagers can find worthwhile supplies. Please consider this should be rare and don’t go overboard!

NOTES

Here are some prompt reminders - see the full thing at the OOC Summary!

• Characters will have a diluted connection to the Zenith or Meridian.
• There will be periods powers are weakened or non-functional during days 1-2 (up to player discretion).
• The sunlight results in scorching; the shadows cause claustrophobia and fear while outdoors.

THE RITUAL (DAYS 2+)

The place you started your journey to Kenos is also where it seems it will end. As soon as the first Bearer makes contact with the Iconoclast effigy, you are collectively drawn to the roots beneath the Tree - like a pang sent through your Shard. Your objective has been found. The Oracle awaits.

Trusting Aetos seems like a fool's errand, but you must put your hope in the Tree. What choice do you have left? It's time to find what lies at the end of this.

Bearers descend, your steps echoing in the dark, cavernous space. Once brimming with life and vitality, the roots are now dried and brittle like the bones of some ancient leviathan that died long ago. As you make their way deeper into the earth, the deadened roots twist, leading you to a vast chamber deep within it; the air here is thick with the smell of decay, and the faint glow of luminescent fungi and mosses barely illuminates the space.

To your left, the Bearers will notice what has drawn them here - and the object of their search.

An effigy sits on the ground between two darkened tunnels. The effigy is made of gnarled, dead branches woven together in a humanoid shape; its hollow, empty eyes are sightless, yet you cannot help but feel it is watching your every move. Branded on its forehead is the Iconoclast symbol carved into the rough wood.

Once all Bearers are present, the Ritual will begin. Your means of exit have been sealed off, and you are trapped, slowly deteriorating together…

NOTES

• Bearers will have access to the Ritual Chamber which is a very wide, open space with the effigy situated against the far wall from the entrance. Several smaller tunnels off-shoot from the Ritual Chamber. They all run to dead ends; some are very small or narrow. This may afford you meager privacy away from the group.
• Once a Bearer steps into the Chamber, they can no longer head back out the way they came. They’ll find themselves automatically walking back into the Chamber as if of their own volition.
• For brevity’s sake we won’t list them out again here, but the complete description of effects Bearers will experience days 2+ is available in the OOC Summary.
• The effigy is impervious to damage.
• It Is Watching You.
• In a dead-end root tunnel attached to the Iconoclast’s Chamber is the Blighted statue of an Otter that may be familiar to some… Please see THIS TOPLEVEL for more information!

THE PURGE (DAYS 5+)

The sap has festered in your veins for what feels like days. It’s impossible to tell how much time has passed; this place has no sunlight. The effigy watches as you remain trapped, huddled together around it, unable to leave as you find yourself sick with the affliction of the Meridian, Zenith - or both.

And then… something finally gives.

Though it does not move and speaks no words, you feel the effigy offering you guidance. Knowledge. Much like the Tree speaks to you in impressions and feelings, you are conveyed wisdom you did not have before: a way to take what you want and rid yourself of what you do not. A way to make your convictions known to all who would hear them. A way to be known. To write your path in blood, be it yours… or theirs.

When all is said and done, only one force - Zenith or Meridian - will gain its favor.

Show it who you are. Show it what resolve looks like to you - and what you are willing to do to attain it.

NOTES

Here are some prompt reminders - see the full thing at the OOC Summary!

• You can Purge your alignment through various methods: Trading, Corrupting, or using the Effigy itself.
• All characters will understand the end goal is for everyone to Harmonize; the alignment with the higher rate of Harmonized Bearers alive when time’s up wins the Oracle’s favor.

NOTES

• A reminder that the Harmonization tally will take place on Friday, the 19th and be open through Monday, the 29th. The results will be released on Wednesday, the 31st OOCly.
• Don’t forget to submit any deaths to the Death Tracker, with a gentle reminder characters will remain dead until the event conclusion!
• Reminder to fill out the SETTING POLL ASAP if you haven't already!
• Have some MUSIC if you'd like. LYRICS here!
• HAVE FUN!!

CODING

Comments

[baltimores]

Fuck—

[ It comes out as a hiss through his teeth, Amos' barrage faltering for a moment as that Meridian energy hits him. He's expelled his, given that foreign substance and the bullshit it inflicted on him to Hayame, and to feel it creeping into his psyche, his soul again brings a feeling of intense discomfort. He has to stop, hand braced against a cavern wall to retain his balance, fingers digging into it out of agitation, for support.

And then he doubles back on his efforts, sending another wave of Zenith energy towards Dextera looking to encircle him, submerge him. Because he suspects him to be a vulnerable target, easy pickings in order to boost Zenith's numbers; because it doesn't matter if he'll hate him afterwards; because maybe after the Scorching Isles it is a little personal. Not in that Dextera took a memory from him — when he'd gotten it back he'd been bemused; nice to remember it again but was doing fine without it — but that he'd assaulted him, made him vulnerable, and that.

Fuck this guy, actually. ]

Stop that. [ His communion is harsh, bits of anger starting to slither in like roots seeking somewhere to take hold. ] Just get the fuck over here.

[passio]

[ dextera should be an easy target. his heart has always been vulnerable to suggestion, and the minute he arrived here in kenos, he was inclined to follow yima. it was only stubbornness—and a little fear—that brought him toward meridian in the end, and the warm safety of springstar helped him become more confident in his decision.

now, however, with all that snuffed out and the whole of them trapped underground to steadily go crazier and crazier, his firm sense of reason has given way to wild animal instinct.

he doesn’t want to die. that’s what keeps him fighting back, clinging to meridian energy even as zenith washes over him. ]

—what’s the point? I’m so tired. It hurts. Bring him back, please—

[ his words run through open communion, not intended for amos, just a reflection of success and the mindset of dextera under the influence of zenith. ]

—no! [ then, a burst of light, even as dextera himself collapses back against the wall in trying to retreat. this time, it’s with direction. ] Why do you want to kill the world? Why won’t you listen?

[baltimores]

[ It's with an impassive air that Amos takes in Dextera's words, as he pushes the Zenith on him a little harder. That's. That's not quite what Zenith is supposed to do to people; he's never felt like giving up because of it, only at peace. Might just be an awkward Meridian reaction—

And then that burst of light dispels it all and Amos finds himself wincing, his mental assault dispersing entirely. He brings a hand up to shield his eyes, even though it's still dark down here; finds himself hunching over slightly as he finds his previous fingerholds in the cavern wall he'd been gripping and locks his hand back into them for stability. Security.

And after a beat he lowers that first hand as he looks up, around him, seeking out Dextera's form, because he has to be nearby... ]

Can't kill what's already dead. You're the one not listening. [ His tone is a little more strained now, frustrated as he looks for his energy reserves to try again. ] It'll be easier if you just lean into it.

[ It's not unkind advice, just... blunt, as Amos pushes himself off from the wall, starts to make his way down the tunnel. Maybe if he can physically get ahold of Dextera before trying again... ]

[passio]

[ dextera is used to pushing himself until he collapses, but the problem is that when this started, he was already on the brink. it’s taking all his energy just to keep amos—keep zenith—out of his head, but he’s afraid that if he stops for even a second, he’ll be taken over.

he needs hayame to fulfill the request he made. with that new goal in mind, he attempts to furtively dodge amos, but their connections now have opened him up for amos’ easy perusal. even though he’s trying to escape, there’s not really anywhere he can go. ]

Everything ends if you win.

[ he hates amos, but his concerns feel even bigger than that petty dislike at the moment. if he was feeling more himself, maybe he could muster his usual rage and frustration—but he’s barely dodging despair. ]

Let people have hope. Let them… even if it drives them crazy.

[baltimores]

What?

[ There's a bite to the question as Amos sniffs around, trying to pinpoint Dextera's exact location through their heightened communion, through their shared aspect amplifying it even further. He's close, he knows he is, and if he can just physically grab him and not let go. As someone far more used to the tangible than the metaphysical, Amos is pretty sure that'll do it.

But that last statement from Dextera, after days of being driven mad by a hope he doesn't understand, sets his teeth on edge. Pisses him off, if he really thinks about it. He's gone decades just fine without hope, but having to stew in it for days...

The absolute nerve of the request. Doesn't matter if it isn't even for Amos specifically; doesn't matter if Dextera is asking on behalf of himself, of others Amos will never meet. None of it fucking matters. ]

No. Fuck that. The fuck do you want to go crazy for? For nothing? Get over your shit and move on.

[ Mentally, he reaches out with tendrils of Zenith again; physically, he rounds a corner and. There he is. There's Dextera. ]

C'mon. Time to join the real world.

[ Where things die, and stay dead, and everyone else is left to move forward, like Amos is moving towards Dextera. No more of this maddening hope bullshit ever again. ]

[passio]

[ dextera knows so many people feel that way, and with good reason. the world he left behind was an utter hellscape of his own making, and the people who lived in it were either so far gone that hope was the only delusion they had left, or they were quietly waiting for the archangel’s new world as the zenites are now.

he doesn’t want either of those. he just wants everything to stay exactly as it was. he doesn’t want anything new, he doesn’t want anything different—that’s where his faith in meridian comes from, more than anything. stagnation, some might call it, but he just thinks of it as a return to what is known. ]

No!

[ like a child throwing a tantrum, dextera doesn’t have any of his powers to rely on, but he has the kind of feral strength of a caged animal; along with a rush of meridian energy, even though his shard is now protesting the limits, he leverages himself back against a wall and kicks and pushes and prepares himself to bite, too, if it comes to that. ]

I don’t want a new world! I want everything to go back to how it was!

[baltimores]

[ You don't have to leave everything behind; you just always have to be prepared to move forward. Otherwise, you'll probably die. Or something worse than death will meet you. So really, if Amos thinks about it — which he certainly isn't, not to that extent — he's doing Dextera a favour in trying to forcefully bring him over to his side. Maybe it'll help him move past his whiny bullshit—

That rush of Meridian energy blindsides him, snapping off the Zenith he was trying to force through Dextera's mind; it gives him ample opportunity to connect, too, one of those kicks nailing Amos in the gut. With a whoosh of an exhale he stumbles back, bracing himself against the opposite wall, and now thoroughly pissed.

But he doesn't have any powers here, either. No way to leverage his anger to give him a physical advantage. No gravity to weigh Dextera down. And while Amos is confident that if he could just get the upper hand on Dextera he'd have him, Dextera is clearly capable enough to hold him back. ]

You're an idiot.

[ It's a stray thought coming across communion, filled with hatred and disdain, and then Amos immediately rushes forward again — mentally, with a wave of Zenith; physically, to try to get in close to Dextera, grip his biceps, get a firm hold on him where he can't fight him off. ]

[passio]

[ dextera doesn’t even respond to that. there are a number of insults that could get under his skin, and luckily, that isn’t really one of them. he knows he’s an idiot—he knows he’s choosing the harder path, the one that may just trap him in his own sin for the rest of his life, but he desperately doesn’t want that choice to be made for him.

so, although amos has the physical advantage and manages to get a hold of dextera just like he wanted, the only thing dextera can do now is force his body to go limp as everything he has is diverted to protecting his mind and heart. the physical fight is lost, but he doesn’t think amos is going to kill him. he has to hope amos isn’t going to kill him.

which means, his last bastion is to hold onto the sunlight warming his shard and pray. ]

Hayame…

[ it’s an apology as well as a beacon; of all the people he feels like he owes the effort to, hayame is someone he knows has been working herself to the bone to ensure meridian’s victory. he’d asked her earlier to save him from a mind he knows is weak, and although he desperately wants to fend off amos with his own power, it’s starting to feel futile. ]

[baltimores]

[ If he can't brute force Dextera into Zenith, then yeah, he might have to kill him.

But addition for Zenith takes priority over subtraction for Meridian, so that isn't his goal. Not yet, at least. Amos feels Dextera go limp in his hold and tightens it, pushing more and more Zenith energy towards him. Through him. He has more than enough, now — if he can just kill that last bit of light...

And then that name, and for a second, Amos hesitates.

Hayame will not hesitate to kill him — and down here, he has no real defences against her. He'll be completely at her mercy.

So, a choice to make, and one Amos makes immediately in the following second. He redoubles his efforts to drown Dextera in Zenith, his other hand coming up to hold him by the throat. There's no meaningful pressure there yet, but that isn't the point; the point is there could be within seconds, if he needs there to be. His best option at insurance — but really, the sooner he gets this done, ideally before Hayame shows up, the better. ]

[warmare]

[Hayame did not like Dextera. … Not that this was particularly noteworthy, seeing as Hayame did not like many people at all. He was weak-willed, simpering, and mute, not someone she could trust beside her in battle, nor someone she could rely on as an ally…

But he was Meridian. And when he had come to her early in this Oracle’s “game” to admit that he was feeling vulnerable to the influence of others, when it was clear he might make an easy target for Zenites ready to sway him… Hayame had sworn she would protect him. Whether she respects or likes him or not, she would not leave a Meridian to be corrupted in that way, to have their hearts twisted forcefully away from what they have chosen. She would not even twist a Zenite that way. She would kill them if need be in a second (she has killed them, there are shards on her person that are not her own), but to worm her way into their hearts and try to trick them… no. There is no honor in it.

The sound of her name is like a beacon. The way it is said is like a warning. Somehow, when she was not by his side-

Hayame turns immediately from where she had been stalking another traitor and breaks into a gallop. She leaps over roots, dodges around other shard-bearers, ignores those that call out to her or ask what the matter is, and focuses only on the sense of where Dextera was, growing closer, closer…

In the chaotic spill of communion she can sense who is closest to him. The likely enemy. The knowledge of who is there coalesces… but it doesn’t stop her. (Even if it makes her-)

Hayame’s hoof beats echo in the tunnel before she bursts into the scene, long black mane and tail whipping behind her as she pulls up close but not too close, all too mindful of the hand on throat and the stinking, oppressive feel of Zenith. All too aware that it’s Amos, that the last time they’d spoke her voice had been hushed between them, close and soft and slightly desperate-]

Let him go, Amos.

[But it is not soft now.]

[passio]

[ dextera doesn’t know amos and hayame have any history, not until hayame’s physical presence brings realizations and the two people other than dextera cause a kind of spark in the communion space between all three of them. it’s neither good nor bad, just laden, and perhaps he wouldn’t have called on hayame after all if he had known it would be more complicated than just rescuing him.

it’s too late now, though; dextera swallows, and he can feel his throat bob against the ridges of amos’ hand just tight enough to hurt. ]

Hh… h…

[ he doesn’t even want to be in the space of their minds, when three people feels overwhelming. his desperation comes out in a thin thread of sound instead. ]

[baltimores]

[ He hears the sound of thundering hoofbeats, and he knows he's running out of time. He feels Hayame's steadfast determination before he hears her voice, and Amos' expression evens out into nothing. An empty stare, still focused on Dextera, without so much as a glance in Hayame's direction.

Because he and Dextera are of the same aspect, so Amos feels him more than he does Hayame. And he thinks he's close. He's close..

He knows Hayame will kill him, and his life isn't worth risking on the chance he might convert Dextera. Hell, even if he succeeded, she'd probably just kill the both of them.

It's a moment longer before Amos dips his head and sighs. A second or two after that and he lets go of him entirely, as demanded of him.

It still feels so close though. It's almost tantalizing, in that way that he just might be able to add to Zenith's numbers. He just... might... ]

There. I let go.

[ His voice is flat and without inflection, no emotion other than hostility in it. Still, he remains facing Dextera. Hayame's form is in his peripheral vision, but as long as she doesn't make any moves towards him there's still a chance. He just won't know it until he sees it, maybe can manufacture it.

So, he waits. Because he does not like Dextera, the distaste for him permeating the air around him via their shared communion; because it's Dextera's turn to give up something for him, and his allegiance is the only thing he has that Amos could want down here. ]

[warmare]

[How she hates the sound of Amos' voice then- how flat it becomes. How empty. But there is no time nor place for anything but that passing thought. Hayame does not move any closer from where she has arrived, but her entire body is tense and ready, prepared in an instant to lunge forward and lay hands if she needs to.

Because Amos is right about something. If he forcibly converted Dextera now... she wouldn't hesitate to attack the both of them. And of the two... she would go for Amos first. He would put up far more of a fight than the owners of the two shards hidden in her clothing... but her hands have cracked skulls and spines since this accursed Oracle had given its conditions, and she wold not hesitate to try and crack more if need be.

In fact, if things carried on this way... She will have to start hunting more than just Meridian's traitors.]

Dextera, get over here.

[Her voice is a snap, one hand moving to gesture tersely to her side. The longer that weak-willed man stayed close to the overwhelming pressure of Amos' devotion to Yima and Zenith...]

Now.

[passio]

[ there’s no argument. he’s already moving before she even demands it of him, afraid that the minute she blinks, amos will take advantage of that split second and overwhelm him. both fear and exhaustion have him stumbling, but hayame is not so far that he can’t make it without humiliating himself.

he stands in the place there would be a shadow, if they were safe under the sun. ]

…

[ his shard throbs; the area around it feels weak and raw, the way a new wound might. amos was terribly close, even if dextera’s insistent desperation managed to protect him long enough to call out for hayame. ]

I’m not joining Zenith.

[baltimores]

[ There's a slight flaring of Amos' nostrils in response, agitation at prey having been taken from him tangible through the air. He turns his head only slightly to track Dextera's movement away from him, and doesn't move otherwise.

But he can feel that sensitivity coming from Dextera's soul — more than he can feel the strength and resolution radiating off of Hayame. She's the only reason he doesn't give chase, because she will crush him. Everyone here knows it.

At Dextera's words, his head dips. Amos puffs out a sigh, annoyed and just a little cocky, considering. ]

You would've.

[ If Hayame hadn't shown up. Amos speaks as though she isn't here, because that's all she is in this moment — a tool to try to keep numbers on her side. This was between him and Dextera alone, there was no reason for anybody else to get involved—

He remains cold. ]

Shit, maybe you still will.

[ Preferably while they're still stuck under here. Amos really couldn't care less where Dextera's allegiances lie otherwise, but for now, all he has is to be petty — so petty he shall be, a sore loser getting in what barbs he still can. ]

[warmare]

[Hayame and Dextera are not friends. No one in Meridian would likely ever mistake that they were, considering one of the few times they had interacted in public had involved her pressuring him into an apology on all fours at a party attended by the entire faction. But when the lanky man slinks over to her and takes up his position in her would-be shadow...

She positions herself half in-front of him with a protective snarl as confidently and threateningly as if she was defending her kin. Because he had come to her asking for help in this very potential possibility, and she had sworn she would protect him from corruption. She would not be breaking her word. She would not allow more Meridian losses under her own nose.]

He won't, Amos.

[It's not like she doesn't notice he is still putting the full weight of his focus on Dextera, but she responds anyway, whether he's talking to her or not. If she sounds sure... it's because she is. Not because she believes in the other man's ability to resist... But because she believes in her own conviction. There are two former Meridian shards on her person as proof of that.]

Give it up.

[Her left forehoof stomps into the rooted ground, pawing an angry furrow into the dirt.]

[passio]

[ dextera had already fought this far to keep himself from being corrupted to zenith. it was the physical pressure that had begun to frighten him; he wasn’t sure how it would work if he was unconscious, if amos could just wash his shard with that energy while he was unable to fight back. when hayame reasserts on his behalf that he won’t be converting, not only does he believe her—but he takes heart in it, like something to cling to for the future.

he won’t change today, and he won’t change tomorrow, either. ]

I won’t try to change your mind. Just leave me alone. Leave us all alone.

[baltimores]

[ He finally turns to face them, movements stiff and unnatural and entirely his, nothing to do with the bark starting to coat his skin. A masquerade of a person; who he really is, a lot of the time.

Amos' eyes finally flick to Hayame's, noting the aggression in her tone. In her body. They flick to Dextera, the surrender he had been trying to force him into now almost peacefully being offered back to him. Mockingly, if he wants to give it an uncharitable read — and yeah, he kinda does.

He snorts, a sharp exhalation from his nose. There aren't any further words he can say to win. Taking action is a surefire way to ensure he loses, rather than come out of this at a draw. And... a draw is really all he can hope for now. ]

Fine. [ Still no inflection to his voice, only a lingering bitterness. Just. Fine, you win. ] You leave me alone, I'll leave you alone.

[ And maybe some bite, too — a sore loser looking to get in every last petty and meaningless dig he can, as though that'll make him feel better. Amos slowly lifts his hands up, showing nothing in them; takes a step backwards while still facing the two of them. Two steps, three. See? He can play under threat of dissipation in good faith. ]

[warmare]

[The last time she had seen Amos had been far different than this tense, bitter stand-off. It had been peaceful in the glowing dark, content and quiet and understood…

But for every moment of togetherness there is one that reminds (no, not “reminds”, it’s not like she ever forgot-) that they stand on opposing sides. Hayame has forged herself to a blade to accomplish what needs to be done, to try and make up for those who are too soft to do the same… and she cannot bend here. Not anymore than she could in the debates over Manon’s shard, in the Hall of Mirrors, at the World’s Edge…

Later, she will condemn herself for weakness. What if Meridian had lost by a single life, if she had just killed one more-

But she lets him go, even though he’s unarmed and alone, her eye dark and her brow furrowed beneath the obscuring leather of her eyepatch. She stands in front of Dextera and stares him down as he takes those slow steps, waiting for one, two, three to turn into four, ten, twenty, one hundred…]