festivals and mur--ahem, investigations 🎊🔍

[beleos]

COMMUNION WITH YIMA

After given some time for recovery and for Yima to hear reports of what transpired at the Tree of Life last month, a Communion message gently flows through the minds of each Shard-Bearer. They will have to choose to accept this message, and once they do, they will be greeted by Yima’s voice resonating pleasantly in their heads. She first apologizes for their harrowing experience with the Dryad, and that she hadn’t anticipated such a violent reaction from the Tree; she believes that their experiences point to an imbalance within the Tree itself, most likely brought about by the soon-to-come arrival of the Oracles.

She has spoken with Cyrus, and they have jointly decided that an investigation into the matter - and potentially the destruction of the Dryad - may be required to purge its influence from the Tree. Yima requests that any who would willingly seek out the Dryad volunteer to do so and will be outfitted with a ward against any tampering to prevent them from falling into the creature’s clutches a second time. It will take her a bit to fashion enough of these wards - but she anticipates being ready toward the end of the month.

She concludes her message with another heartfelt apology for your suffering, that she would not have sent any into such a situation she believed were truly dangerous. That being said, she takes responsibility for your ordeal and asks that if there is anything she can do in recompense, you have but to ask.

Yima will be available for Communion chatter here!

FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE - HIGHSTORM

Takiltu is a month cycle the natives of Kenos regard with some amount of reverence and a hearty helping of excitement: the first part of the month (November) is spent reflecting on and celebrating the differing cultures and worlds each Kenosian represents. The second part of the month (December) is spent celebrating unity and togetherness, to come together with friends and family, to be kind to others and share in one’s wealth - whether that comes in the form of knowledge, monetary gains, or the exchange of gifts and one’s time.

Each city celebrates differently, the flavor of their festivals a reflection of their people.

In Highstorm, the first thirty days of Takiltu are spent in Remembrance. The city is decorated with string lights, paper lanterns, candles, and torches to illuminate the streets in beautiful colors and shimmering magical illusory shapes. The focal point of the festival takes place in The Court, where the reflecting pool has been especially decorated with arrangements of flowers and lights. Festival stands erected around the Courtyard peddle paper lanterns as well as refreshments, fanciful decorative items, and enchanted jewelry that is said to make one’s recollections of the past temporarily clearer.

The pool itself is the main attraction, here; citizens who approach its waters and gaze into its depths will find its normal abilities to reflect memories enhanced. The images are surreal for their clarity, vivid - and normally, one is requested to look into the eyes of those most precious to them whose souls remain lost, to pay homage to their memory and sacrifices, and to wish them rebirth in the new world to come. A purchased lantern is then lit and sent skyward where it floats into the moonlight, joining the others hovering above.

But this year, there is an addition to the usual fanfare. Emet-Selch has been asked to assist with the festival; as long as he is given permission, he can recreate the memory displayed in the reflecting pool. Yima has granted him a temporary blessing which enhances his natural creation abilities - a gift for their people she is grateful for. Your character can choose what it is they see in the water - whether it’s a place, a person, or the feelings of a certain point and time, he will temporarily recreate it around you. Everyone will be able to see this conjuring and interact with it while it is functional. It will last between 15 to 30 minutes before dissolving into beads of light that slowly trickle skyward before disappearing. You’ll be told to light a lantern, send it adrift, and that this will give peace to the part of you and your Shard that surely aches. But does it…?

Elsewhere in Highstorm, the High Theater has been painstakingly decorated and aglow with magical floating motes of light; the interior has been transformed into something of an Art Gallery. The pieces within are dedications to parts of worlds long gone, as well as the people in them; some are beautifully painted landscapes of exquisite, far-away places beyond the imagination. Some are more mundane and familiar snapshots of life in a home world not too different from your own. There are portraits of families, loved ones, and those the Zenites long for most. This is their time to mourn, to grieve, and to appreciate their pasts - the pasts that will lead them to a brighter future, one day. They must move on into the future, but treasuring that which came before is equally important to them.

Should you touch any of the motes of light that are around the art pieces decorating the Gallery, you will find yourself able to feel, hear, see, and taste a piece of the world the piece represents. Some of these are warm gatherings over a dinner table with family; others are heart-wrenching expressions of loss and bitterness and pain. Be cautious which you choose. Oh, and do be careful not to stand too closely with someone else when you touch one, or one accidentally touches you - the experience is absolutely contagious through Communion.

CELEBRATION OF CHERISHMENT - SPRINGSTAR

While Highstorm’s Festival of Remembrance is a more demure and reflective time, Springstar takes a much different approach to the season. In true Meri nature, the Celebration of Cherishment encapsulates celebrating life in all forms - and that means parties! The Psychagogía is the main hub of excitement considering, but festivities can be found in almost every single district of Springstar. Wherever you go, something is happening and someone is trying to rope you into having a good time.

The city has been decorated with bright and colorful multi-purpose magical ivy-like vines that sprouts buds that bloom over the course of the month into gorgeous flowers. These flowers are considered sacred, and their blooming is a momentous time of joy and good fortune. Each flower is left intact; disturbing one is tantamount to a war crime by the natives, so don’t get observed if you try to pluck one!

The Psychagogía is incredibly lively, teeming with people and events; almost every venue is peddling some kind of ‘Cherishment’ celebratory sale or discount. The first portion of the month includes what the locals call “the meri-ment” (and seem quite chuffed about that pun), in which Kenosians are encouraged to go bar hopping and taste the wide variety of specialty ales and liquor unkegged only around this time of year. Participants are highly encouraged to share stories of their worlds and cultures, to tell those they mingle with tales of the worlds they will one day return to and why they’re special, unique - to celebrate their one-day return.

Alongside this comes a great deal of outdoor grilling, fresh meats and vegetables sending tantalizing scents everywhere you go once the evening hours arrive. Some of these food and drinks can cause… interesting… effects if you consume them in excess, especially at the Emotional Damage - so try to show restraint. It would be a bit embarrassing to find yourself strangely infatuated with the first person you lay eyes on after your fifth night out on the town, or feeling compelled to express warm feelings aloud you wouldn’t normally commit to another. Luckily, it only lasts a short period of time - but beware the wicked hangover afterward. Strangely enough, if you’re suffering, you feel oddly compelled to seek out a little TLC from someone else - someone with whom you might have some unresolved feelings toward, positive or negative. Is it longing? Anger? Jealousy? Unspoken affections? Love? Whatever it is, you're more likely to seek them out for some care.

At the Coliseum, nightly brawls between Meris take place and the usual assortment of monsters are temporarily taken out of offer. This part of the festivities is one where each Kenosian is encouraged to settle any differences or misgivings with others and to get it out of their system, cleansing them of bad mojo - “leave it in the ring,” as it were. Despite beating each other bloody at times, most combatants willingly stop before it gets too serious and fighting to the death is not permitted. You must embrace your adversary before you leave, and your ‘bad blood’ will be considered purged and settled so you can start anew.

The Empório district is celebrating consumerism, because of course it is! All the usual goods are on a considerable discount, and for a brief time, gardening tools and supplies are free! The reason for this is that Springstar’s citizens are encouraged to plant one seedling in the gardens in Katoikitikós once the flowers lining the city have gone into full bloom. It is said this honors gods across cultures and time as well as invites good fortune. You are encouraged to plant a seedling in a group or pairing, as space is limited - and there are superstitions regarding this togetherness resulting in more favorable results. Should you plant a seedling with someone else, you might indeed find that something is beginning to blossom between you… Based on your Aspects, you might find yourselves feeling closer and more connected - or repulsed depending on your compatibility. This effect will last through the month after planting. Should you check on the seedling later, its health will be reflected in the state of your relationship. Friends will find the little plant thriving; enemies will find it is sickly and dying.

For those Shard-Bearers who have already harmonized with the Meridian or who have quarters in Heliopolis, you will find the communal meals much more lavish and indulgent than usual. There may even be a taste of home waiting for you among the spreads on offer, or some comfort food you haven’t had in a while. It is encouraged to share anything to your taste - or even to share why it is meaningful to you via Communion. Or you can just eat. You do you, man.

Once the flowers have bloomed and the festivities reach their peak, one might find the city loud and boisterous and sleep a little more difficult to come by. Springstar is absolutely thriving and alive - and you, too, feel more invigorated and energetic despite any lack of zzz’s. Should you leave the city, however, this effect will vanish and you might find yourself unnaturally fatigued and in need of more rest than is customary. Returning to Springstar will slowly build up your stamina again. This effect lasts until the end of the month.

THE MYSTERY OF ALENROUX

Once celebrations are in full-swing in the cities, some characters (i.e., any characters that choose to participate in this prompt) will be contacted by Cyrus or Yima, depending on their faction or whichever they feel a stronger inclination towards if they are currently Unharmonized. Both will explain that there’s something that they’d like you to investigate, but also to prepare and be careful, since this request doesn’t come without danger… A Shard has been lost in Alenroux, and they both hope you’ll be able to retrieve it.

MERIDIAN

“I’ve gotten word that a Zenith Shard-Bearer was sent to Alenroux a little bit before you arrived, and they haven’t come back yet. Normally, none of our business, but based on what some of the farmers have been saying, I think they’ve gotten hit by Discord. If it gets high enough, well… You don’t really have your mind anymore. We can help them through Purification. Even if it’s just for long enough to calm them down, it’s better than them being trapped in madness. It might be easier to dissipate them first, though, then Purify their Shard. They were last seen heading to the Northern forests. Let me know what I can give you to help, and make sure to help each other. Good luck.”

ZENITH

"Please heed my request, though I do not ask this of you lightly... One of the Zenith's children has been lost among the fields of Alenroux come nightfall and I fear the worst has befallen them. There are dangerous elements attracted to the presence of a soul, and the likelihood our brethren has been lost... it is great. Seek out the Shard - and if you are able to retrieve it, please do so. If it has suffered corruption too great to be saved or would place you in too great a danger to take back, then... I trust you to make the merciful choice. I place this in your hands and will give you whatever you require to see it through. Look out for your fellow Zenith and work together, as I do not want to lose more of you. Be well."

Both factions will offer their recruits access to standard weaponry and armor/protective clothing. If a character asks for more, they’ll be given a weapon or a piece of armor with minor magical properties which would normally cost 1 AC token to purchase. Magical weapons are on loan however. If your character takes these and/or chooses to keep it, please note this in your Committed Actions! If they choose to keep standard weaponry, Cyrus/Yima will just be disappointed in your dishonesty. :(

When you arrive during the day cycle, you’ll also find horses and magic hoverboards to use (they go the same speed tbh), because heading North to the forests is a bit of a trek, and you might not make it there in time on foot! As the sun starts to set, you’ll see the people in Alenroux start to leave, going clearly your opposite direction. Once night falls (Nov. 9th OOC), it doesn’t take long for things to change.

There’s just a sliver of a crescent moon in the sky, which makes the rolling hills and forests much more ominous than they were during the day. And as the stories say, it only takes an hour or two before you start to run into strange creatures. Closer to the Cornerstone, there are indeed strange creatures, and while they may not all look scary, they might present different kinds of dangers such as…

• A light in the dark looks like a fairy, but stare at it too long and you’ll find yourself hypnotized by a ghastly fish will lead you to a body of water to drown you.
• An innocuous puddle may form up into a mass of corrosive goo, complete with the bones and items of the last person it came across. When you slice it, it simply creates a copy of itself, so hopefully you realize this before you’re surrounded.
• A strange straw poppet (sans pins, of course) that possesses you once you touch it and will use your body to try and fight anyone else while your consciousness is trapped inside the doll. To be freed, you only have to destroy the doll, but you’ll feel the pain of how its destroyed even if you don’t bear any injuries from it.

However, as you get closer to the Northern forests, they become significantly more fearsome…

• With a roar, a massive, multiheaded beast descends, and each of its mouths is perfectly capable of taking a bite out of you. Watch out for the snake’s head in particular, since its venom will cause you to hallucinate your worst fears.
• As you come face to face with an odd creature, bioluminescence lights up on its skin, and the spins on its back quiver with a sound like a rattlesnake’s. As the spines quiver, you find it exceptionally difficult to take your eyes off them and move as it stalks closer slowly. You can fight blind, right?
• Diving in and out of larger shadows like its water is a slimy beast that’s incredibly fast. Its teeth may be small, but its tail is a razor-sharp whip that could remove a limb if you’re not careful.

These are just examples, however. There are many creatures lurking the wilds of Alenroux, so feel free to create your own monsters with unique effects.

It's a difficult trek North, and you may be tired from hours of running, fighting, or both… But eventually, a few people do find what they were looking for. They might have even missed it, if not for how their Shards suddenly felt like they were burning. From the shadows, a twisted creature of roots and lights which what looks like many crystals in a glowing mass appears and one of its eyes locks on you. It looks like now is your chance.

NOTES

Weather summary for the first 30 days of Takiltu (NOV & DEC):

Highstorm is in late fall, early winter season. Some flurries may occasionally fall and it is getting considerably cold out there! Bundle up!

Springstar is in the throes of early summer; the weather is climate and pleasantly warm for outdoor celebrations (but not sweltering). There are occasional afternoon showers, but they don’t last very long.

Notable city changes:

If you wander the Markets in Highstorm, you might notice some of the peddlers seem a bit wary of you. Hm, guess something happened around here! Probably totally unrelated, but Silco and Vander (or anyone with them) will be treated with nervous suspicion.

Similarly, if you're traveling with Set (or you're Set) in Springstar, you might occasionally find yourself getting strange looks. Ask Set why.

Faction updates:

There are no explicit changes in faction behavior at this time. This will be a staple in all future event write-ups to catalogue the fluidity of the conflict as it progresses, though, so we're including it here for posterity!

Event Notes:

The Reflecting Pool in the Courts of Highstorm can be observed normally with no addtional effects or can bring your memory to vivid life thanks to the help of Emet-Selch (and Yima). If you grant him permission (which can be handwaved), he will breathe life into whichever memory you have chosen to view! If this includes any NPC’s or interactive elements, you will be responsible for playing them out in any tags until they disappear. Please see Emet’s toplevel for any interactions you’d like to thread out with him as a part of this.

For the Gallery in Highstorm, the art depicted in and scenes experienced through the pieces are up to you to create! Feel free to go wild with any associated NPC's in the scene and worldbuild as you see fit. Highstorm holds a variety of citizens from across the multiverse, so you could feasibly go fantastical places, or experience something distinctly profound and beyond your imagination...

The drinks and refreshments in Springstar can be enchanted in just about any way you’d like, including bringing upon minor physical changes of the cute, fun, and flirty variety! Feel free to get creative (as long as you get permission from your thread partner), the Meris would also merrily insist growing extra fluffy, scaly, etc bits during the celebration will only help you party harder! 🥳

As reminders for Alenroux, once night falls, a character is not able to leave until sunrise, which is 24 hours later. If your character is dissipated, you can have a PC retrieve their Shard or the respective Faction they're allied with will send out a search party to find it. Remember to report character deaths!

CODING

Comments

[ktizo]

Noting that Silco jumped when he touched him, he makes a mental note to stop doing that... for now.

"Emotional Damage? Hm, sounds intriguing! Let's go, then. Would you like to lead the way?"

At the very least, Hythlodaeus would be at his back for the walk there if Silco led them there. Not that Hythlodaeus is thinking of that, he's more interested in seeing what this brand new bar has to offer.

[zauneyete]

Silco gestured for Hythlodaeus to follow him, but his pace was such that he would find them walking side-by side, no matter how much he slowed. Again, paranoid was his name, and being cautious was his game. "This way," he directed, and it's honestly not far.

Far enough that there's a few streets to cross, and at every junction, Silco took care to watch, his careful gaze looked over the streets, investigated the area, made sure they were safe, before he continued. His steps quicken, when they get close, and although he's still careful when they arrive, there's a quick few words to a host, and there's a table Silco pointed to -- high along the wall -- a place where his back is to the wall, and he can see the entrance, and the rest of the bar.

He took that seat, before Hyth could try, but as he sat, he said: "Hopefully you don't mind."

His tone, of course, said that he didn't really care if he did.

[ktizo]

He doesn't seem to mind how they walk, as long as they get there. Nor does he mind which seat he takes, shrugging good-naturedly and sitting in the remaining seat once Silco sits down.

"Not at all my friend. Now then, what drinks are on offer...?"

He takes a look at the menu before handing it over to Silco. "Something fruity for me, I think. And for you?"

[zauneyete]

Silco waved a hand. "Whiskey, neat. Something top shelf," he said. He didn't even look at the menu, he didn't need to. This place, he knew, had a decent showing. It wasn't one of the fine whiskeys he kept in a decanter in his office back home, but it was suitable. The service, of course, recognized him, it's hard to not, when he'd been here frequently enough.

At least before he'd been killed in the street.

He slipped his glasses off, the first sign of the drink's effects took place. Mind, Silco always had one eye that glowed, a burning orange pit that burned from the center of a dark sclera of an eye that never blinked. The other, though, that one was sharper now, brighter -- almost --

"I'm surprised you found me in all of that mess. It's quite the... lively event."

There was a distinct lack of... disgust with it. Silco didn't seem the type to have fun, but he had owned a bar.

[ktizo]

As Hythlodaeus' eyes already glow, it's hard to notice the effects on him. But he sees it in Silco, and he tilts his head slightly. Curious.

"Indeed, it's quite packed out there. But I have always had a keen eye, if nothing else."

And now he can get a good look at what Silco's soul looks like, should he ever need to find him from a distance. And... ah. Hm. His soul seems almost corrupted, a grey that sometimes borders on inky black, and there's some kind of presence that isn't quite a part of the soul but more of a lingering essence. How very strange. He doesn't think he's ever seen anything quite like it.

In any case, he rises to go get the drinks. "I'll be back in just a moment with our drinks, then. Sit tight for me, would you?" He grins as he heads to the nearby bar. Whether Silco will choose to follow or not is up to him, but he isn't there long anyway. As he sits back down he takes a sip of his drink and hums, pleased.

"Ah, refreshing. Perfect for a warm day."

[zauneyete]

Silco doesn't follow, but from up in the back of the bar, he kept his sharp, almost piercing gaze on the man, although he often flicked it about the rest of the bar. As if he could just imagine something happening in here. He waited, and when Hyth returned, he did him the courtesy of offering the drink a sniff, to make sure the Whiskey was decent enough, before he took a single, cautious sip.

"Is it?" he asked. "I find the heat oppressive."

He lived down in the fissures, and while it could often get hot, or stifling, it wasn't like this. The sun beating down, like a hot lamp turned down on their heads. He disliked it, and not just because the sun was too much for his eyes these days.

"You must enjoy the sun," it's an audible observation, but he says it for a reason, to test the waters on the man's loyalties. "Especially if you stick around here often."

[ktizo]

Hythlodaeus had been warned by Emet-Selch to be careful around Silco, but he can't find anything wrong with the question. So he answers as he usually would- honestly.

"Well, my current home is in Springstar. Truthfully, I like both cities equally. They both bring something unique to my daily life. If I wish for the bustle of a city full of life and cheer, I need only look outside my doorstep. If the heat and sun gets to be a little much, I can retire to Highstorm, where it is also quieter. How convenient, hm?"

[zauneyete]

His home was in Springstar, hm? It was obvious, then, what he'd signed on with. "Meridian, then?" he asked, another slow drink.

Silco was Very good at moderation, after all, and he wasn't the type to indulge in more than necessary, so he drank slow, sips rather than chugs. The mark of someone who owned a bar, and knows how to avoid the pitfalls. "You seem the type."

He added it, offhand. Bright, friendly, cheery. The kind of person who people liked. That spoke of these bright and cheery pathways in Springstar, as opposed to the quiet, moonlit paths of Highstorm.

[ktizo]

"Aye, Meridian. I joined so quickly in part to have my magicks back, I confess." What he doesn't mention is how he'd only joined with Meridian specifically to give both him and Emet-Selch an insider's point of view on both factions. Which one would be a better fit for them? Hythlodaeus honestly probably would have gone with Zenith since he doesn't really believe that their world can be saved, and as long as Emet-Selch is here he doesn't mind making a go of it in a new world. But perhaps Meridian will win him over, who knows?

He chuckles at the added comment. "I suppose I do. And you, you've joined Zenith I take it?" He drinks slowly too, though he also knows that this one drink won't even get him tipsy.

[zauneyete]

"I was harmonized before you even arrived, yes," he admitted. It's nothing to be ashamed of, and while he hadn't done so out of the need to regain powers...

He had been delighted, when he found a gift present in him, before he'd even been here more than a month. What a gift it was, too. If only it had been so useful during his altercation in the streets of Highstorm.

Another sip, before: "I don't know how much you know about our previous world, but my position from one to another hadn't changed. Although I suppose I can see how the..." his lip curled, and there's a tip of his head as he almost spit the word, "hopefulness that Meridian offers can be attractive. For some."

[ktizo]

"Perhaps." He notes the way Silco says it, and shrugs. "Personally, I am sceptical... but I want to give the idea a chance. Let Cyrus prove to us all that he's more than just talk."

He eyes Silco for a moment, obviously pondering another question. "Would you prefer your world to be saved? Or would you rather make a new life here? Putting aside matters of Zenith and Meridian for a moment- if you could choose one outcome with complete certainty, would you pick something familiar or something new?"

[zauneyete]

There's almost a derisive look, in the quirk of Silco's eyebrow, the way his odd-colored eyes -- blue and orange, both glowing from two different unnatural means, framed by black sclera -- and the quirk of his lips, almost to bite back a laugh, revealing a hint of bucked teeth covered by scarred lips. Silco was not a pretty man, made hard from a hard life of cruelty -- both dealt and received -- and perhaps there's more of it, with what he says:

"My world is gone. To promise that they can be brought back... is almost laughable. That we could make them again? I would make one place, and without the rest of the world around it, could I create that place anew? A city rotting under the boot of another? Stifled by poverty and poison? Could I actually make that?"

No, Silco knew he couldn't. He loved Zaun, but to recreate that which made them? No, he could never. "What I want is to let the rest of these worlds fall in line. Wipe the slate clean. If none of them are my home, why should I care about the rest of them?"

It's cruel, irrational, but there are two things that Silco treasures in the universe. Zaun, and his daughter. His daughter is here, and Zaun is gone. He would choose Jinx over Zaun anytime -- and even more than he realizes.

[ktizo]

Hythlodaeus pauses, thinking. His eyes meet Silco's, and he sees what looks like him holding back laughter, and he wonders if Silco ever laughs genuinely anymore. "I suppose it makes sense, yes. In your case perhaps something new would be better. Not that any world deserves to have been unmade, of course."

It's hardly a pleasant affair, knowing that their worlds are gone. But Zaun... it sounds like it could have been improved upon, to put things lightly. Or perhaps it's Piltover that needs to reassess how it treats people.

"Do you know anybody from Zaun? Perhaps you could carve out a place for you and yours here."

He's sure there's a place for Silco in this world. There has to be, right? The man has seen suffering beyond anything Hythlodaeus can imagine he's sure- perhaps he could make a new, better life here. Though it does feel callous to hope for such a thing, knowing that there are those who were destroyed along with their worlds. So many lives snuffed out.

[zauneyete]

"Do I know anybody from Zaun?" he asked, his tone turned a touch... amused. "I ran the place. If they are here, I know them."

It's a way of speaking around the issue, of course. Certainly, Silco could explain that his daughter is here, and from Zaun, or that there's an old enemy from there as well -- the very reason why his sclera were black -- but he doesn't want to explain that, or give away who or what he knew. Who he was related to. That Hyth would probably eventually see Silco near Jinx, and put two and two together is totally unbeknownst to him, anyway.

He could only roll his eyes, with the slightest look of sarcasm, and explain: "It wouldn't matter. Not here. It's too... easy. There's sunlgight, there's clean air..." a scoff.

"Regardless, it's not our home. I would much rather be done with Yima's goal, and move on."

Does it mean death? Silco thinks it does, or at least oblivion. He doesn't understand, or know what will be at the end, when Yima is successful, but he does know that he doesn't care about this world, any more than he cares about Runeterra itself.

[ktizo]

"Then you know Vander, at the very least." Hythlodaeus hasn't met Jinx yet, but he certainly knows Vander- and he knows that he comes from Zaun.

"Isn't an easy life preferable? I ask genuinely- what would make you happy?" Isn't that supposed to be what most people wish for? An easy life?

He sips at his drink again, but his eyes remain on Silco. The man is a puzzle, one he doesn't feel too much like he needs to solve but at the very least he'd like to understand him somewhat. What makes Silco happy?

[zauneyete]

That comment, of course, gets a very unique reaction from Silco. He focused his two blackened eyes at Hythlodaeus, and his lips twitched, as if there was an unpleasant odor in the air. His fingers of his left hand, gloved, clutched around his glass, and he lifted it to his lips, to take a drink. There's an air to him, feigned casualness, but the air is heavy, and Silco's unblinking orange eye bored into the man, an ember that burned with Such hate. He turned his gaze to the rest of the bar, to look it over again. With his back to the wall, he can't be choked from behind, but even so...

He almost wonders if he can't breathe, the way he felt in that moment, the way his body went too-tight and ready to run. He can't do that to Jinx again.

"At the very least," he said, his tone a tight, iron-clad neutral.

It's a landmine that he stepped on, and Silco isn't kind enough to pretend otherwise. He's quick to move on, to not acknowledge the decades of history he had with the man, and instead, he let go of his glass, and continued to stare over the rest of the bar.

"What would have made me... "happy"," if that was even a thing he could have ever experienced, "is not possible. Revolution for my city, legitimacy, and freedom that doesn't exist, now that it's gone. Therefore..." he tipped his head, and a pleasant, fake smile lit across his face. "I'm never happy."

It's a fact, and certainly not something that Silco felt he had to hide. He was a Zaunite, after all. What was the concept of happiness to them?

[ktizo]

Hm. It seems Silco has some history with Vander, but he doesn't want to pry. He decides to not bring Vander up in future- he may not know what happened between them, but he can feel the tension in the air, and see the hatred in Silco's eyes.

"Never happy, hm..." He doesn't really know how to take that and it's obvious in the way he drums his fingers on the table, trying to comprehend it.

"I admit, I cannot understand. I was lucky enough to have a wonderful life, you see. I wanted for very little. But life without happiness..." He frowns. "I fear it would not be worth living."

He wonders if he would become numb after some time. One race had discarded all things that gave rise to sorrow, hoping to have only joy. They found joy lost its savour in the absence of sorrow, and lost their will to live. He recalls Meteion's report all too well- sorrow and happiness are two sides of the same coin. Without one, surely the other loses its meaning?

[zauneyete]

"Hm, then you likely wouldn't understand," he said, his tone a little terse.

There's something about hearing that people had a "wonderful life" that always seemed to annoy Silco. It's difficult for him to pick out that twisted knot of a feeling, and figure out what it was -- but on some level, it was perhaps, deep at its root: jealousy. What about this person made them better than him? More worthy?

Was it because he was Zaunite? A filthy sump-snipe that's good only as far as his worth to the topsiders? That's the only answer he has, because otherwise, it's left to chance, and why should chance dictate such a thing? How is it fair that this person has a "wonderful" life, and Silco's own was left carting through mines, breathing in toxins, and working away until he can't anymore? How is it fair that he had to turn to smuggling and revolution to have his fingers around a dream of something better, only to have it slip through his fingers as quick as sand? How is that fair?

"My life is not without its high points, mind, but I'm fortunate. I scrabbled my way to comfort, up from mines and starvation when I was a boy. You can see how our perspectives could be different."

Hands spread on the table now, it's almost magnanimous, but there's a tone in there. Silco's using his "talking to Pilties" voice, the one he used when they investigated him, or tried to convince him to share Zaun's abundant resources.

[ktizo]

"I can see how, certainly." And for what it's worth, Hythlodaeus does think it unfair that Silco and the other Zaunites had to suffer so. He's seen the life that Caitlyn had, her ranch with a shooting range in a peaceful countryside, and he can see that she's been able to thrive where Silco couldn't.

"Forgive my questions, if you will. I only wish to see your point of view. I will never understand what it is to truly suffer the way you have, but... well, if you don't mind me saying- you are inspiring." Which is probably not something Silco gets called often.

"For despite the hardships you have faced, you have lived. Despite the odds, you are here." And perhaps Silco doesn't find that particularly wonderful, but Hythlodaeus does.

"Ah, but I do feel it only fair that you get to ask a few questions too, if you'd like."

[zauneyete]

Silco didn't think it was particularly wonderful, and he scoffed, a soft, derisive note. It's the sort of thing people said when they wanted to manipulate him -- thinking that the uneducated Zaunites, the filth under their feet -- would not be smart enough to pick up on it. Silco thinks of Hythlodaues in the same way, seeing him as a curiosity, or something to observe.

He took a sip of his drink, and shook his glass, thinking, even so. He didn't know the kind of world Hythlodaeus was from, or what sort of place could leave someone without... strife in such a way.

"Very well. Isn't it boring, living with no troubles like you did?" he asked, bluntly.

[ktizo]

"Boring? Not at all! We spent much of our time in service to the star we lived upon, creating critters and plants that could go free and populate it. I personally spent my time approving or denying the creatures my people created. 'Twas a busy job, especially when the creations we observed managed to run amok."

Which happened... a few times. Well, having no issues at all in several thousand years would have been a feat...

[zauneyete]

Silco's single real eyebrow lifted, more as if he was asking a question, than anything else. Who had ever heard of "creating" creatures, in such a way? He had read some basics of science, and had even read more since he'd first arrived in Horos, and now here, more so he could understand all of these things beyond what Silco had been taught -- what little he had been taught -- so it's entirely alien to him, so he says:

"What, like some kind of creation myth?" because it sounds so... fantastical. What kind of life did you even live, Hyth?

[ktizo]

"'Tis no myth! At least, not for us. I understand that people here are unused to the concept as a whole, but for us, it was daily life."

He sighs, wistful. He does pause before blathering on about what a wonderful life it was, though. He wouldn't want to rub it in.

"Though sadly, my own creation powers were pedestrian at best. I always looked up to people like Lahabrea and Emet-Selch, who could simply create fantastical beings with a click of their fingers... but I simply couldn't create anything too large or complex without spending a lot of time on it."

[zauneyete]

Silco's eyes looked toward the man then, searching. Ah. Wasn't that interesting?

"Emet-Selch, you say?" he asked, his tone idle, curious. That was interesting, wasn't it? That there was someone that knew Emet-Selch from his world? Silco, of course, knew the man in a professional sense, and while he wouldn't say they were friends... he knew where he stood with the man. Like two sharks, circling each other in the water, waiting for the other to lunge, or show enough weakness to lunge at.

Silco had once asked the man what kind of world he would want, and it had sickened him to think of. A world of "equality", a thing he could neither conceptualize or consider. That there would be a world where all were equal wouldn't happen. Someone would get the short end of the stick, and it would be Zaunites, or someone like them. Silco had said as much, about his concept of a future world.

Mind, his concept was... nothing. Perhaps these days, there was at least an idea of it, but... Ask him again in about a month, how he felt.

[ktizo]

He wonders for a moment if he shouldn't have mentioned his friend's name- ah, but he was hardly going to be able to hide their friendship from anyone, least of all someone as sharp as Silco, for long. So he nods, smiling.

"My oldest and dearest friend. Having him here is a blessing- I would be lost without him, truly."

And perhaps it is passing strange that two opposites like Hythlodaeus and Emet-Selch should be so close, but Hythlodaeus has never thought of it that way. As far as he's concerned they're a perfect fit.

"I trust you know him, then?"