2023 catch-all

[sterngaze]

Who: Liem & various
What: Catch-all for non-event threads
Where: Various
When: Throughout the rest of 2023
Warnings: Will be in headers as appropriate

Comments

[sterngaze]

[Liem is deep enough into his evening now that when he drains his glass and puts it down, the weight of his intoxication pushes him forward until he's slumped with his elbows resting on the flower-strewn table, face cradled in his pale hands. He should stop drinking, he knows. If he manages not to make himself sick carrying on like this, he'll only wind up passed out on the table instead.

Problem is, that doesn't so bad to him. It might even be nice, to drink himself muddled until oblivion swallows him entirely. At least then he wouldn't have to think about anything else.]

… Are you calling me a shithead? [he mutters at the table, head still in his hands as though it's too heavy for him to lift. But he sounds more bemused than irritated.

It's strange, the way Gen ended up harmonized to Zenith as well, and yet he still seems to associate it with bad people — like a gutter that catches the ones who were too fucked up to keep on living normal lives in Springstar. Liem can't even disagree with that comparison when it comes to himself, but that's not why he succumbed in the end, and let himself be (forcibly) swayed to the side of dark. Like Hayame, Gen might have assumed that he ended up here because he'd given up, but the truth is actually the opposite. While he might have wanted to participate in something good, letting go of his home only ended up robbing him of the will to do anything at all.

It's the mention of the woman at the bar that gets Liem to raise his head again. He glances sharply up at Gen, scowling.]

You are not leaving with a vampire.

[Gen is still referring to "adults" like they're a separate species, but he wants to fuck a member of the eternally damned? Absolutely not.]

[sterngaze]

[There is still no guarantee that they can win, that they can truly go back home as they've been promised — but if the two of them are willing to fight for such uncertainties, why should they not add one more to the list? Liem refuses to believe that Hayame's happiness is a less worthy cause to fight for than her redemption.

He brightens a little, when her gaze rises to regard the house resting just beyond him. His fingers close automatically over the shard in his hand as he turns his head to glance back at it.]

Soon, [he says with satisfaction. The home looks visibly close to completion; the roof and walls are all whole, as is the rather tall, broad front door. At this point, most of the work still to be done is internal.]

It should be done within the week, if there aren't any further delays. Issues with the blight set the schedule back some, but we were spared the worst of it, since most of the materials used were local.

[After a moment, his expression settles and he looks back up at Hayame, a serious cast to his pale blue eyes.]

You will take it, won't you? It'll just sit empty otherwise.

[The house isn't even in the more populated part of Alenroux; anyone considering purchasing it would have to be willing to brave the long, monster-filled nights all by themselves. Probably most shardless inhabitants wouldn't be keen on the prospect.]

[warmare]

[It is strange for Hayame to look at a house and feel as if she would be able to enter it without difficulty. But this one... She knows was built with her in mind, even if she never fully committed in clear words to accepting it, always shying away from the definitive and letting assumption and implication speak for her. Unlike the residences of her own world which were meant only for humans, the only race deemed worthy to step inside... The door is large, the ceilings tall, the halls wide...

Her own expression is... conflicted, when she meets Liem's gaze. His fingers have curled back protectively around his shard, but... her fingers have not released his hand. If anything... the grip may be slightly tighter, confronted by this... this choice she has been avoiding.

But even in that avoidance... She had come here, even though she would not have been able to give a truthful reason why she needed to pass by this area of Alenroux in her day's patrol. She had not told herself she would meet him here, which meant that she had come to see... that. The house. The symbol of what might have been if Liem had not gone to Zenith, if he hadn't rendered this place a symbol of betrayal and unfinished business-

He is back, though. It is not accepting a tainted gift from a traitor, now, it's... something a friend had done. Done partially for her. So even though the words are still not easy to say, heavy and awkward on her tongue... Hayame tips her head to the side slightly and averts her gaze awkwardly, summoning up the courage to say something as supposedly simple as,]

...

[Just say it. All she has to do is say it, but it is... harder than she thought. Never in any moment in her world had she ever thought to live anywhere but a stable, because that... that is where jinba were kept. She had always known she would never step onto a proper floor, never have a door to close and lock for privacy, never have a bed like humans had, never own something. But now, after all Liem had done...]

... I will accept it.

[... "Thank you".]

[epiprocta]

[ The only answer Liem gets to his question is a noncommittal half-shrug and a grunt -- teenspeak for 'kinda, yeah?'

Though Gen doesn't even necessarily mean it as an insult, more a statement of fact. Liem's acting more like the type of shithead he's used to dealing with, than he is acting like himself. And while maybe it makes sense that Liem's acting like this if he really is aligned with Zenith like himself -- a place where he can't imagine anyone he really respects ending up -- that still doesn't change the fact that it doesn't feel right.

He can't shake the sense that Liem doesn't really belong where he is now.

Case in point -- ]

What's the big deal? [ In contrast to Liem's sharp attention, Gen looks back to him languidly, eyebrow raised as he gestures with his glass. ] It's just blood, isn't it? I've got plenty of that, so what's the harm in giving some of it away, huh?

[ Aah, the belligerent confidence of a youth who very rarely falls sick and knows he has the bulk to make the loss of a pint or two of blood a breeze to handle. Gen throws back the rest of his beer in one go, flags their (by now quite weary) waiter for another refill, then cants his head to look at Liem. ]

'sides, don't you have to do it sometimes, too? [ A pointy ear flicks before he adds, lips curving in a shitty grin. ] -- oh, is that it? You don't want someone else gettin' to me before you can have a sip?

[ Haha. As if. He just wants to see Liem flustered by the insinuation. ]

for Link & Keitaro — Meridian Alenroux Expedition

[sterngaze]

Quest Info

[bakedapple]

[ For three days, Liem's unit in Alenroux have been slowly but surely tracking the remaining monsters towards their mysterious origin point in the northern reaches of the island. Although the group has three Shard-Bearers, none of them can be considered "heavy hitters" among the Meri; compared to some of the deities and sorcerers among their allies, their skills are better suited for investigation, scouting, and survival. For this reason, the group has prioritized safety over speed, allowing Liem to carve out a path for the rest of the group to take, while foraging for food along the way and maintaining their energy levels.

It's because of their diligent efforts to preserve their energy that Link finds it off, on the morning of their fourth day, to wake up feeling more groggy than usual. He is accustomed to staying up through the night and sleeping outside on the ground and rising before the break of dawn, so the feeling can't be attributed to their rustic lifestyle over the past few months. Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he stumbles towards the center of their camp and makes it all the way to the burnt-out fire before he realizes... the soldiers are gone. The swordsmen and the archers. Even the mage who came along to act as their doctor and healer, normally impossible to miss by the bright red of her Legionary robes, is not in her usual spot next to the fire.

Blinking and gripped with alarm, Link spins around and scans their camp. The natural light is still low as the ALenroux sun has only just began to rise again after the long night, but there's nobody to be found. If it weren't for the remains of the previous night's fire and a few tents, there'd be no sign of any person having been here. Everyone's packs and supplies and equipment are gone too.

He doesn't know what's going on, but... this can't be good. ]

Liem! Liem, are you here?

[ He's most likely sleeping in the largest of the tents, assuming he has not disappeared like the others, but Link runs to a smaller one set up beside it. Is that new Bearer, Keitaro, gone too? Link has no said so aloud, but he was unsure of bringing a new arrival along on a mission that could prove to be so dangerous and had quietly steeled himself to make sure he stayed safe. How could he face Cyrus and the others if something were to happen to him? ]

Keitaro! Liem! Where are you?

[sterngaze]

[As their group penetrates deeper into Alenroux's north, the forest around their company becomes increasingly strange. Liem is reminded of the challenges he had encountered in the Beyond: illusory landscapes, deadly creatures, dangerous landmarks. Though he does his best to find a safe route for his team as they head north, the challenge adds long hours onto their journey, as they're forced to detour around hazardous elemental storms and pick their way carefully through illusions. At night, their travel is even slower; many of the members of their team are human, with only a smattering who can see well in the dark. Their choices are to travel through the dark, or to endure the entirety of the long night in one place, a stationary lure to every passing monster.

They have spent days' worth of time in the woods and fought off multiple attacks by monsters by the time a sudden icy squall forces them to end their night march early, setting up a hasty camp at the bottom of a forested slope. Liem's magic keeps the camp for the three shard-bearers dry and protected, but it cannot accommodate the full company of soldiers, nor can Liem create a second dome for their use. The Legionary troops are left to their own tents and their own fire, except for the handful who are able to fit into the magic hemisphere alongside them.

Strangely, when Link rouses with dawn's light, even those soldiers seem to have packed up and left.

Liem wakens slowly at Link's calls; unusually slowly for him, given that he has always been a light sleeper. He emerges in bleary haste from his bedroll, unsettled by the quiet and by the tone in Link's voice, and frowns around the deserted campsite.]

Link? Where is everyone?

[no19]

[ It was a restless night for Keitaro. Of course even the Imperial Navy had conducted some maneuvers at night and trained in remote places, he had rested on the hard ground looking forward to returning to a real bed. Truth be told, their camp here wasn't half as bad. He might not yet understand the powers of this place fully, but the roof Liem had conjured over their tents promised some shelter, Keitaro could convince himself.

Still he laid awake for a while, twisting and turning over his conviction to join this expedition. On the one hand he fell into chiding himself for being overeager and urged himself to look on to the next day with patience. On the other, hesitation wound itself around his conscience. Keitaro still hardly knew this world, much less those monsters they were tailing—perhaps he'd been too anxious to volunteer. But certainly he felt as safe as he might, even as though the other Shard-bearers were looking out for him. He mulled those things over, not thinking he'd fall asleep that night, only to wake at Link's voice.

Keitaro is on his feet sooner than he knows it, but Liem is already there when he gets outside. The man had taken care to lead them around and seemed to not miss a single step of the troops in the rear. Keitaro looks at the deserted campsite in disbelief just so. ]

What's going on?

[ This has happened before...! The thought rushes into his mind. Those creatures...

Frankly, he's not yet convinced of the state of this world, despite finding few similarities to his home. But when everyone had disappeared in Sector 5 there hadn't been so much as footprints of them leaving. Keitaro looks down, expecting morning dew after the unpredictable weather they'd travelled under, but the barely risen sun casts a misty glow on the ground. ]

[bakedapple]

I don't know. [ Said in response to both of their questions, Link looks between them both with a worried expression. ] Could a... could a monster have carried them off overnight? No, that can't be. Neither of you heard anything, right?

[ They're all trained soldiers — they would have at least put up enough of a fight to cause a commotion, if that were the case. Link's gaze finally stops on Liem, to give the other man a silent but knowing look. If their unit has really disappeared, then this mission is as good as over. And who knows why they aren't here.

With a deep breath, Link steps outside the boundary of Liem's protective bubble and steps slowly around the campfire their companions had huddled around. Sure enough — footprints. Multiple sets. The boot pattern matches standard-issue Springstar greaves. ]

They went... this way. Most if not all of them. [ Points to indicate the trail leading into the thick, misty forest brush. ] But why?

[ He has a bad feeling about this. It's enough to make him forget, momentarily, how groggy and unwell he's still feeling himself. ]

What should we do?

[sterngaze]

[Liem follows Link out into the unprotected portion of camp, pausing only to glance around the dome and grab his crossbow first. It doesn't seem as though there is anything immediately nearby that they might need to fight, but the abrupt disappearance of their entire unit has him on edge. He isn't about to go anywhere without a weapon in hand.

As always, when Liem steps past the limits of the bubble, it collapses into nothingness. The deserted camp appears much as it did from inside the boundaries of the spell; it appears as though the unit packed up and left in a hurry, enough so that they left behind a couple of their tents. He scans the misty foliage around as Link inspects the ground, searching for clues left behind and finding nothing at all.

After a moment of this, he makes the gesture and speaks the incantation that together indicate he is using magic to scan their surroundings for spells. The frown on his face deepens slightly at the slight vibration he detects as a result.]

Some power lies over this place; perhaps it is what called the soldiers away. Though I neither heard nor felt such a call.

[Certainly, he did not hear any commotion that would have indicated a monster descending upon the camp as they slept, nor does the scene seem to suggest that the soldiers were taken against their will. The only conclusion he can come to is that the soldiers were enchanted somehow, by some force yet unseen.

Glancing between his two remaining companions, Liem says,] Gather your things. We'll have to track them down.

[Even if it means heading deeper into that mist that seems to have blanketed the forest in this region. Hopefully visibility doesn't become too much of a concern.]

[no19]

Neither did I.

[ Though, Keitaro is also sure that he would have woken up at that much noise. Just to see the dome disappear from above and around him, he wonders if it had anything to do with sheltering them from sounds. Or, rather like Liem says, whatever may have enchanted those soldiers to leave. ]

Is that possible?

[ He turns to Liem, hesitant to set foot outside the circle the spell had arched over. Though, now that the bubble is gone the fog disperses over the area too.

Naive as that question may seem, certainly Keitaro understands that they couldn't take a straight path for all the illusory snares and treacherous weather that had been strewn along the way, encountering them as soon as setting out nearly. But even without much experience of this place, he knows that losing not just some men but almost all of the contingent can only mean their retreat. This is bad...

He grabs the sword the Legionary had issued him, now gripping it tight with resolution. There's no choice but to go with Link and Liem, if it might mean rescuing the other soldiers. ]

They can't be more than a few hours ahead, right? In this place, I mean...

[ Over all their journey had been slow and steady thus far, so if this many men kept the pace. Even their trail was plain to see, denying Keitaro's initial worry. ]

[sterngaze]

[The scowl on Liem’s face stays steadfastly in place in the face of Gen’s languid indifference. What’s the big deal? He can’t tell if the teen is saying that because he’s still young enough to think that he couldn’t actually die, or worse, if he just doesn’t care if he might. Either way, Liem can’t be all right with that kind of laissez-faire attitude when it comes to fraternizing with monsters.]

You know that’s not it. I don’t… I don’t have to.

[If the suggestion makes him flush at all, it’s difficult to tell through the tinge of colour that intoxication has already painted over his skin. Hadn’t he already told Gen that he didn’t drink blood? That had been a bit of a lie, and it stopped being even remotely true some weeks ago at this point, but Gen just spent all this time telling him how he thought of Liem as a normal, boring, decent man. Decent men didn’t fix their sights on a teenage colleague and start plotting how to get their fangs into them.

Even though it’s far too late for Liem to pretend that he’s above that, that he wouldn’t indulge at least a little if given the chance.]

Vampires aren’t just people who drink blood. They’re monsters and killers.

[Liem’s urgent murmur is definitely not quite as soft as he’d meant for it to be, and earns at least one eye-roll from a nearby patron. Jesus Christ, it’s one of those types. Who let this guy in here?]

I don’t want you to get taken advantage of.

[bakedapple]

Let's pray they didn't travel far.

[ Link nods to Keitaro, and after a moment to make sure he has all of his equipment and supplies, he beckons for Keitaro to follow as Liem takes the lead. Their tents can stay here for now, unlikely to be disturbed with no rations or people here to draw monsters or wildlife, and will serve as a useful marker for resuming their slow trek when they return.

When they return. When they return. They will find their missing men, Link tells himself, as they begin to follow the soldiers' path. It's easy to trace the disturbance caused by a dozen people stomping through the thick vegetation, so at least they can count that as a blessing. And despite the worsening visibility, it should not be difficult to stick together by following the noise created by their own movements through the brush.

But this fog... what's going on with this fog, anyway? The sun is still rising, so perhaps it's like any other fog — a byproduct of the burgeoning, warm rays hitting the cool overnight dew. And yet, the stinging in Link's eyes makes him wonder if that's all it is. His head hurts, too. Link tells himself that he needs water, and breakfast, and some kind of exercise to help him clear his head... At least he'll get the latter out of this tangential adventure, but he has no choice but to wait for the others. ]

for Rudbeckia — offerings

[sterngaze]

[On some days, ever since the unexpected occasion when Set ambushed Liem with a date and brought him back to his shrine to cap off the evening, Liem returns to that isolated little holy place to leave tokens of appreciation. Though he doubts that he ever would have come to give prayers to a god like Set in his own world, here in Kenos, he has been the recipient of the red-haired man’s devoted companionship, and been allowed deeper into his confidence than he suspects most others have. For a priest, and a man who has little else to offer, offerings for the god’s shrine are the least of what Liem might allow himself to provide in return.

On this day he comes much as he typically does on other occasions: quietly; not there one moment, but there the next, wearing a suit of gorgeously-patterned fabric that would suit Springstar perfectly, but which makes him seem rather out of place in Highstorm’s deep forest. He takes off his sunglasses as the cornerstone deposits him nearby, sliding them into a breast pocket with his free hand. His other hand supports a basket leant against one slim hip, its contents covered loosely with cloth.

As always, the sounds and scents of the surrounding forest call out to him, and he must put them deliberately out of his mind when he turns his soft, booted steps toward the shrine itself. He has not come here to delve into the Beyond; only to leave a gift, and return home with more of the collection of food containers that Set had apparently been stockpiling in an out-of-the-way little corner of the building. Perhaps to tidy up a little, should the place appear to need it. Then, he intends to take his leave.]

[appeale]

[ ever since Set first offered it to her, this place has been a sanctuary to Rudbeckia – but even more so of late, with her having found the courage to reunite with him and beg his forgiveness, and her rapidly growing fear of both Zenith and Meridian. in a world that is proving to simply be a third repeat in the cycle of misery that defines her existence, Set's shrine is an outlier. never before has she had somewhere else. she's certain that it won't last forever, as it will be lost when Set someday turns his back on her, but for now, she has no qualms about enjoying it while she has it. a place where none of those bastards and their insane ideological war can reach; a place where her friends can live without harm.

none of those "friends" cross Liem's path on his way through the Beyond, all of them alert to the approach of a being that they do not recognise as one of their own. none of them, though, are afforded the time to warn Ruby herself about the possible danger – and the dragon that accompanies her is soundly asleep within the shrine while she mills about, tidying at her own relaxed pace, both of them unaware of Liem's presence in all his silence.

currently, she is moving a stack of the very containers he came here to collect. her back is turned to Liem as he enters the shrine, muttering to herself: ]

Where is he getting all these, anyway... [ as soon as Ruby turns, and catches sight of a figure standing in the doorway, the containers clatter to the floor in a great cacophony of sound at the same time as she squawks— ] Waugh! S-S-Signore?! B-B-B—B-Buongiorno...

[ What the hell do I do?! Set! Help me!!

while the two of them have rarely had cause to interact, she recognises Liem, both from her time in Meridian and her new alignment with Zenith. someone who was made to switch, like her. someone who has since returned, unlike her. if he has any memory of her, Liem will find Ruby's appearance to have changed dramatically – her sclera have gone black, a sharp contrast to her bright blue eyes; her limbs are dyed in a black gradient, as though she has smeared her hands with charcoal, as though she is decaying from her fingertips up her arm; her long, golden hair ends in black wisps that fade at the tips. it is a mark of high Discord for the Zenites, leaving her with the look of something undead. (privately, she has thought that it is fitting for someone like her.)

curled up along the wall like a coiled serpent, the dragon's eyes are open, its gaze fixed on Liem. ]

[sterngaze]

Something strange is at work, certainly, for this to have happened while all of us slept on.

[Even if nobody woke them for night watch, Liem would have expected at least one of them to have been roused by the sound of camp activity as the soldiers packed up and departed. The strange, heavy feeling weighing over him suggests to Liem that their strangely deep sleep may have been magicked as well — though in what way, he cannot discern, even when he turns his gaze to his companions. The auras settled over them don’t differ in any obvious way from the general thrum of enchantment in the air itself, and he cannot properly discern its purpose.

So he collects what few belongings he needs, and leads his severely-reduced party into the woods, following the trail that Link had spotted. He does not forge ahead on this occasion, instead sticking close to his companions so none of them risk losing each other in the fog. It’s more efficient to let Link continue following the soldiers’ trail in any case, so that Liem can focus his attention on scanning for magic auras and other signs of strangeness in the wood around them.

Which makes it a little strange that Liem doesn’t so much as remark upon it when the thickly forested greenery around them begins to be interspersed with — walls; buildings; rough, natural features mixed in amongst the features of a well-established cityscape. What does give him pause is the spilt blood that they stumble upon a little further up the trail. It soaks the ground makes the air heavy with a familiar, metallic tang, but there are no bodies to be found, human or otherwise. There is only a small square of stiff, cream-coloured paper, pinned to a nearby tree. Liem gestures for his companions to pause for a moment, and his heart hammers in his ears, loud and slow like a tolling bell, as he reads the familiar, angular script written on it:

You’ll thank me for this one day.]

[sterngaze]

[Even before he steps through the threshold, Liem realizes that the shrine is currently occupied. He can hear the faint scuff of footsteps muffled on carpeted stone, and see the flickering of a shadow cast by the candles inside. As he approaches, however, he thinks that perhaps Set is within; it isn’t until he brushes aside the drapes obscuring the entrance that he realizes that the one in the god’s shrine is someone else entirely.

He has a moment to register a petite, feminine figure; long, gold hair fading to black; and in the corner — a small, rather floral looking dragon, curled peacefully up as though enjoying a nice nap. Then, the figure turns and the food containers in her arms — his containers — go clattering to the floor as she lets out a startled yelp. Only the presence of the dragon keeps Liem from hurrying closer in order to help clean up the sudden mess. He stays frozen in the doorway instead, his basket still balanced on his hip.]

Oh—! My lady…

[So; she is the one who has been tidying up around here, on the occasions he arrives to find an unfamiliar scent still lingering in the air, or a bit of strange, feathery scale lying under a piece of furniture. He had wondered why there should be signs of monster activity in Set’s shrine. Liem had supposed it might just be from creatures investigating the curious location, but he’s never seen any signs of violence. Surely, had woodland monsters been attracted here, Set would eventually have encountered and disposed of them. Now, he sees, at least one monster has deigned to visit in the company of this woman.

He hasn’t seen Rudbeckia much in person, but it’s impossible to miss the changes to her appearance; especially her eyes, which now look eerily like Liem’s own, pale blue on black. But of course, the strange darkness to his sclera and the pale, greyish cast to his complexion are all natural; he has never looked any different.]

Were you tidying those? Please don’t trouble yourself; I was going to take them back with me once I left.

[no19]

[ Keitaro takes up the march behind the other two. Strange as it all is, he gets a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach as Liem points it out loud. Of course Keitaro doesn't think he sleeps too deeply, usually. But even if the trek of the day before had tired him out, he shouldn't have overheard the commotion of dozens of men leaving. "Magic" is a word that, here, ultimately contends with his previous understanding of it—in his world there'd been many things to call wizardry, but then been explained through technology. And an impossible future.

Still, next to Liem and Link, Keitaro feels ill equipped to act the rearguard when keeping his eyes and ears open is all he can do.

Though to him, too, their surroundings seem to change. Liem motions to them, but in near the same moment Keitaro blurts out his suspicion, not finding room to doubt his observation. It's almost like he forgot that they came walking in a forest, and that much more strange, had the other two navigated the underbrush so much more lucidly. ]

This place is...

[ Ashitaba City in the 1980s is still, in a way, far from home. However, Keitaro knows the inner city streets, the shopping district, even the way to the Kurabes' old house. ]

I know where we are...!

[bakedapple]

[ The first glimpse of a strange roof over the trees does not, as presented, strike him as strange. It vaguely reminds him of the architecture in Kakariko Village. What's strange about it is that there's any kind of building at all out here, deep in Alenroux, far from any Cornerstones... Until the next building they comes into view is definitely, undeniably something he's never seen before — electric lights, colorful advertisements for sodas and Japanese candies in the windows, and a wide rack of magazines and manga just past the glass doors. It's something completely beyond Link's understanding, as this sort of modern-era convenience store doesn't really exist even in Kenos. Not like this.

He doesn't know where to look — at the strange glowing building lined by glass walls, or the harrowing patch of fresh blood on the ground. Keitaro says he knows this place, but that should be impossible, for multiple reasons. And the other guy looks like he's just seen a ghost.

...the other guy? The other guy. Huh. Who is he? He doesn't think he's ever seen him before, and yet, he hadn't snuck up on them from within the woods. He'd walked here with Link and Keitaro. Hadn't he?

Frowning, Link juts his hand out in front of Keitaro, stopping them a safe distance from the unknown man. ]

Who is this...? Do you know him too? [ gestures with his other hand at the blood. ] Where are our other men, and what are you doing out here?

[sterngaze]

[The bottom drops out from Liem’s stomach as he reads the note, and for a single, terrible moment, he is struck with dread that he hasn’t felt for well over a year, since before he was first taken from Taldor. Somewhere out in the wilderness — the city? — the author of these words is still shadowing him. That presence plays horribly with the reality of fresh blood on the soldiers’ trail, making Liem wonder just what happened here.

Wherever here is.

Keitaro’s revelation interrupts his train of thought, dragging Liem’s eyes away from the note and back to the young man following behind him. Initially, he thinks to reply with a question of his own. Where are they? He doesn’t recognize this city, nor recall anything like it from elsewhere in Kenos or his own world. But before he can venture such a query, Link’s wary gesture stops him short.]

Link…? [His own stricken expression furrows slightly, concern coming to the forefront for the moment, despite the renewed need to find the lost soldiers as quickly as possible.] We came out here together, remember? I’m your expedition leader. Liem.

[This isn’t his father’s work; at least, he doesn’t think it is. Some other power is interfering in their mission, but what, he doesn’t yet know. Glancing over at Keitaro, he asks,] Where are we? Have you experienced this before?

[no19]

[ Keitaro is all too willing to believe that what he sees is true, as firm fact. Even as he touches one of the utility poles that line the sides of these modern streets, he really can put his finger on it. If he is here he must be in the Ark's simulation after all, in all these weeks. Even with the mist in front of him he takes sure steps. Though, just then, he realizes the blood as across the concrete sidewalk, something slick the tip of his shoe touches. He looks down, not seeing Link's hand out, but stopping when it meets him mid-chest.

Keitaro's relief isn't made to last and he pulls his gaze back up, puzzled. ]

Link? This is Liem, he–

[ He would know the man much longer than Keitaro, wouldn't he? Yet one look back at Liem matches Keitaro's confusion. He is sure he knows the people he's with, as well as he might, and this place too. But what about the blood, the missing men? In a pause, Keitaro urges himself to look at the situation with reason and composure, despite the metallic savor in the air as he takes a breath. The simulation uses all manner of processes to make everything feel real to the senses... ]

This must be 1985. We're in Ashitaba City and...

[ They should be quite safe here. Keitaro puts his hand on Link's arm, gesturing that he need not keep up his guard. The look in his eyes even seems to expect Liem to understand. ]

My Sentinel, it brought me here before, from a battlefield in 1945. This is Sector 4.

[appeale]

Oh, they're yours... [ that answers the question she would not have asked, too, about his visiting here. not all of Set's acquaintances – friends? – make a point of attending his shrine. likely they have no need to; their relationship with him is not contractual as hers is, trading her devotion for safety. so Liem is here not seeking Set, the god, but Set, his shitty friend that doesn't return Tupperware. Ruby's thoughts leave her staring down at the scattered containers for a few seconds of silence, and then— ] Ah, I just dropped them everywhere, I'm so sorry!!

[ Rudbeckia lurches into motion, nearly stumbling to kneel on the floor where she begins gathering everything up once more. in the midst of her fluster, it takes a moment for her to realise that Liem is still lurking by the entrance, hesitating for some reason. she looks up, meaning to invite him in, and realises that slumbering in his direct line of sight is a dragon. Yes, that would obviously be a problem, wouldn't it? ]

It's okay, Fiore. [ her attention shifts, turning around to placate the creature: ] The signore is a friend of Set.

[ there is no doubt that, somehow or another, the dragon understands her – at the mention of Set's name, it releases a rumbling sigh as though exasperated, and relaxes. one eye remains open, half-lidded. that seems to be enough for Ruby, who refocuses on their unexpected visitor and his containers. ]

Um. Signor... Liem, isn't it? I'm sorry... If I had known these belonged to you, I would have brought them to you sooner.

[bakedapple]

[ Keitaro might feel that the trio is safe here, but Link is not even close to being ready to make that assumption. The here that they're currently in shouldn't even be here, and for that reason alone, they need to proceed with extreme caution. This being some kind of illusion, beset upon them by Aetós, is the most obvious of possibilities, but that's only one mystery of many. Clearly, this "Liem" character is also part of the illusion; between that and these strange buildings being something from Keitaro's world, it's safe to assume that he's the one targeted by whatever magic this is. ]

I don't know you. And I definitely didn't come to this place with you. You're no leader of mine.

[ With a stern look, he pointedly declines to lower his arm from in front of Keitaro. ]

What's that paper in your hand? And where are our missing comrades?

[sterngaze]

[Unease prickles over Liem’s skin as he looks between the two remaining members of his expedition. He already doesn’t like this strange, quiet city; he can’t recall ever having been here before, and he can’t remember how they were brought here on this occasion either. Were they transported here, as Keitaro had been before? He doesn’t recall anything like that. It bodes ill that he can’t remember how they came to be here, and it bodes just as ill that Link has forgotten who he even is. Something or someone is playing tricks on them, and they can ill afford the distractions.]

We don’t have time for this. Wherever they have gone, they are in danger now. The shadows are still thick enough for monsters.

[Frowning, Liem lets his hand drop, leaving the note pinned where it was. He cannot think of a single thing his father had ever done “for him” that hadn’t come at the expense of those around him. The vague promise contained in those written words is like a noose tightening around his neck.

As if in response to his unease, a scream sounds from somewhere out in the city, distant and echoing down the streets. Liem lifts his head like a hound called to attention, tightening his grip on the crossbow in his hand.]

Don’t fall behind, [he says, and hurries down the street, past the spilled blood, following the sound deeper into the fog.]

[sterngaze]

[Married though Liem may be to his manners, he remains in the doorway of the shrine even when Rudbeckia drops to her knees amongst the scattered collection of dropped containers, his eyes still half-trained on the dragon that has its gaze so clearly fixed on him — though his hands do raise in a gently placating motion at the sound of her exclamation.]

Please; the fault is mine for startling you. I wasn’t expecting someone other than Set to be here. [And he knows his appearance is not an entirely comforting one.

On some level he had known that Set had probably shown other people his sanctuary as well — but he apparently hadn’t ever brought Hayame here, which to Liem suggested that the pool of people to know this place must be small indeed. He certainly hadn’t expected to run into anyone else in just the short time he was intending to visit.

Rudbeckia’s presence here with a drake in tow, however, slides some puzzle pieces into place. Once she addresses the verdant-looking creature and the latent tension seems to leave its coiled body, Liem allows himself to venture further into the little building. First he sets his basket down on a convenient surface, but he then wastes no time in crouching to gather some of the tumbled food containers beyond the lady’s reach. When she ventures his name, he nods.]

You’ve nothing to worry about. Set is the one who’s been hoarding them here.

[What a strange choice of keepsakes he’s claimed. If Liem had known that Set wanted something of his to keep in his shrine, he would have offered something a little nicer than Tupperware.]

Is this drake your companion? I’d been wondering about the signs of monsters hereabouts. I’ve never seen any in Set’s company.