⏳ THE SCORCHING ISLE: Oracle Event One ⏳

[beleos]

ARRIVAL

All Bearers have heard whispers of them - the Oracles. Mysterious and unknown entities of an abstract nature, they serve as the heart of each faction’s cause - both as a means to an end and a very real stepping stone in achieving their objectives. To claim an Oracle means growing ever closer to victory: to see your homes restored as they were, or to herald in a new one of your making.

So you go.

A Cornerstone has been set up for each faction; one for the Zenith and one for the Meridian in Yima’s manor and Heliopolis, respectively. They warn you that upon transportation, your safety cannot be guaranteed and there is no telling what waits for you beyond - to be prepared. To make sure you have whatever you deem necessary with you before you go, as there is no telling when - or how - you will be coming back. CONTINUED HERE...

NOTES

Upon your arrival, you woke up with an HOURGLASS NECKLACE. Please refer to the Time Mechanics on the OOC Summary and bottom of this post for details on its usage.

The COURTYARD is frozen in time. Player Characters and the Great Tree are the only signs of moving, free life in the courtyard. During the intro, time magic does not work.

Characters are free to investigate but cannot move beyond the courtyard if you choose a prompt during the intro. You may mingle among your fellow Bearers or speak with [MR. TIBBS] if you so choose. (Also? LOOK AT HIM HELP)

Iconoclasts and Stargazers will notice Aspect benefits/detriments now.

All characters will be weak for the 24 hours - think like mild flu - and unable to leave until Mr. Tibbs has dispersed them. This is the time in which any threads with the NPC will be carried out.

The INTRO concludes with said dispersal of PC’s once interactions concluded. They will be sent to a location around the castle of your choosing; they are free to move about freely from here. Your prompts can start with you waking alone or in the presence of others - whatever you’d like!

Your character will innately understand how to use time magic from this point forward. It will come naturally to them, like a skill they were born with.

CASTLE: OVERVIEW (p a s t)

The Scorching Isles is home to the Atirat, a people of sea-dwellers who have the ability to walk on land. (Think mermaids with the ability to shift back and forth between human and mermaid forms.) As such, much of the Scorching Isles is covered in large bodies of blue water and glistening pieces of ice to accommodate their lifestyle.

THE CASTLE, however, is what dominates the landscape and it's where the Shard-Bearers will be spending their time. The white castle with colorful glass windows is obscured by a thick layer of clouds and fog. Nearly every location on the island has a thin layer of fog that rolls through it, which gives the entire Island an inescapable chill. The castle has artfully built rooms with a CAVALCADE OF DECORATIVE ICE, lavish mirrors, and white plants accented with blue decorations. Several portions of the castle are submerged due to the aquatic nature of the native residents.

And everywhere you go, you find them - STATUESQUE BODIES FROZEN mid-movement. They are haunting reminders of the power in your Hourglass - the very real power to decide their fates.

The castle has many winding paths to explore, as castles often do. There are sleeping quarters, HALLWAYS, a wine cellar, and a few large rooms presumably for diplomatic affairs. Players can use these rooms at their own leisure for whatever purposes they see fit. (Exploration, combat, or supply gathering.)

However, many of these rooms will require some strategy to access their full potential! Atirat were much more comfortable being underwater than many Kenosians may be. Therefore, rooms of higher importance may be COMPLETELY SUBMERGED or require swimming through an underwater pathway to reach them. Very minimal supplies will be kept out in the open for all to reach. More desirable supplies - such as warm clothing, small weapons, treasure, and the like - will be located past or within one of these flooded areas.

Players may gather supplies within and preserve their Sand or use their Sand to make other rooms accessible and gather whatever lies within! The larger the asset you attempt to unfreeze, the more Sand it costs - and the more drained/vulnerable you will be as a consequence, so choose your path ahead wisely.

Currently, a pervasive fog is preventing you from wandering beyond the Castle's limits. Should you try to venture past it, your Sand will rapidly be stolen and you will find yourself suffering the same fate as the islanders if you don't move back to safety quickly... However, if you ask Mr. Tibbs what lays beyond the mist - he will tell you about the thriving farmland, the once-bustling village surrounding the castle, and the beautiful coral reefs beneath it. Sadly, they're beyond your reach - but maybe if the Bearers decide to unfreeze them when the week is up...

LIBRARY (s a f e z o n e)

The ROYAL LIBRARY - A treasure trove of knowledge, history, and glimpses of a fractured past scattered throughout. The lower floor of the Library is void of much reading material and contains several intricate-looking art pieces on decorative pedestals.

A spiral staircase dominates the center of the room, with its once delicate structure overtaken by sheets of formidable ice; it leads you toward the upper levels where a sea of books awaits. There are isles and isles of books, most perched on intricately carved shelves. Many books lay in piles or are discarded onto the floor, and scattered papers are common throughout.

Curious Kenosians may pick out books from the shelves and read on various topics, but players may also pass through this room on their way elsewhere. This area will function as a safe haven where violence and the taking of others' Sand is not allowed; do not disturb the books or Mr. Tibbs won’t be happy!

NOTES

Characters who wish to receive a book with lore specific to the island may comment [HERE]. You will be RNGed a book from a pre-written list of topics. The books may give you a deeper look into the island, its inhabitants, and its history! (Only 1 book per player! Please assume all other books they read are about commonly-available topics.)

THE EATING PARLOR (p a s t)

There are no basic amenities on the island. No hot water, no warm beds, and no salacious magazines (that you know of. heh heh). That would make the Eating Parlour a wise stop for anyone. After all, this could be the perfect chance to procure some provisions!

The EATING PARLOUR has all the equipment one would need for meal preparation. Dried plants hang from the ceiling, and the walls are lined with mason jars filled with every strange manner of presumably edible thing (Is that a head over there? Hmm… maybe you should check).

The parlour also comes with a garden under a massive windowed dome so that the inhabitants could have fresh produce at hand. Many plants have withered, but there are some salvageable plants if you know how to look for them. But beware… Some of the plants have a strange blue glow. These plants can spell potential disaster.

If someone should make contact with these glowing plants, they will crumble into glass shards - glass that will quickly burrow its way under the skin and curse that person with Blight. Blight will make all resources within that person's vicinity slowly age and eventually crumble to dust. (Which I relate to on a personal level tbh.) Iconoclasts will be immune to its effects.

NOTES

Please see the "Blight" section below for more information on its effects.

TREASURE ROOM (f u t u r e)

Faint singing can be heard coming from this room. Once you hear the song, it dulls your senses and leaves you in a haze. There is no stopping your feet from guiding you to it through the doors and into the Treasure room. The door slams shut at your back, sealed with a wall of ice and magic.

Players will find themselves lured to an icy chamber bordered by a ring of cold blue fire. There is a deep pond that surrounds the platform you’ve found yourself standing on. Beyond its glassy surface and crystal clear water, one can glimpse all manner of treasures - from crowns, jewels, ornate statues in various statues of repair, scepters, spears, and books that seem impervious to the water's cold chill.

As you come to your senses, you will find yourself frozen in place and at the mercy of a large statuesque being before you. This beautiful and horrifying figure in a perpetual song is the SIREN, the only Atirat you’ve seen in person. She measures nearly 20 feet (6 meters) from her head to the tip of her long-finned tail. She cradles an icy shard in her arms, singing to it as if it were a child.

She sits serenely in front of a large hourglass filled with white sand, which is bordered by a spear and a lance. Emblazoned in faint text at the base of where she sits reads: “The future lies in our hands.”

NOTES

Welcome to the Siren’s Chamber! Players must use their wit, charisma, or some good ol' fashioned elbow grease to escape the room or break the Siren’s magic. The Shard that the Siren holds contains dormant time magic that players may activate by using the Sand within their necklace. Players can access the future in 5-second intervals and use whatever they find in that time period to escape their predicament.

For example, if they activate the shard by using their time magic, that shard will begin to glow blue. The room around them will shift, and it could change to a point in the future where there is a sword nearby. If you can grab it, now you have a weapon! When the 5 seconds are up and time returns to the present, you will still have that weapon on your person. You may also try verbal communication if you’d like. If your character is someone who would try and talk their way out of a situation diplomatically, they may give it a try!

It is up to player discretion/creativity to think of a scenario you’d like. Each “future" does not have to be the same across player encounters! What one group experiences may be tailored to the player wants (because branching timelines exist). Let your imagination run free!

HALL OF MIRRORS (p r e s e n t)

Should you reach the rightmost wing of the massive castle Library, you will find a door hidden in the very back of one aisle against a wall; it looks as though the door used to be concealed by magicks that have since dissolved.

The stairwell leads down and into darkness. Once you reach the bottom, shimmering light cast from an unknown source beneath sheets of glistening ice will illuminate your new surroundings; you are in a maze of mirror-like ice. This labyrinth is silent save for the quiet creaking of shifting ice that may disquiet you and leave you uneasy regarding the stability of this area… but it holds beneath your feet.

Mr. Tibbs had told you that the “Kaleidoscope” - where your Sand is counted - rests through here, so eventually, you must brave the journey. Is it a trick of the light? Maybe the product of an especially active imagination…?

Did you just see one of your reflections move without you?

NOTES

Please refer to the OOC Summary for details on the Hall of Mirrors!

THE BLIGHT and TIME MECHANICS

BLIGHT

Blight is an infliction that will age supplies and infect people with a creeping disease that steals their Sand. For objects, this includes weapons, food, and items like cloth. It will take a few days to deteriorate things beyond use - so watching your supplies and acting accordingly is in your best interest. Generally, it will make it more difficult for PC's to get by given that their already scarce resources will dwindle and deteriorate - especially since it's 'contagious' through touch.

The Blight will not act quickly enough to severely hamper infected persons, but repeated exposure will cause effects to a person's body - notedly protruding VEINS in the face and extremities, a lower body temperature, and increased agitation. These effects start out mild and grow more severe with each 'dose.'

Characters must touch an object/person that is Blighted to become inflicted with Blight themselves. When that happens, it will become easily identifiable as Blighted from the faint blue, shimmering outline around the infected subject, as well as the WITHERED, FROSTBITTEN or ashy appearance it takes as it progresses.

However, there is one single perk with Blight. (Or is it a perk?) Players will feel reduced impact by the cold surroundings, making the climate around them somewhat more hospitable. Beware of falling victim to a chill you can't feel...

TIME

To use your Sand, each character is granted access to and innate knowledge of a spell they channel from their Shard that automatically manipulates their Hourglass. This allows the remote control of Sand (aka gathering and dispersing), as well as the ability to pull Fragments of time from Shards.

Fragments are literal pieces of you taken from your Shard. They manifest as memories or images displayed on little shards of broken glass (think of the memory being played out in real-time on the mirror's surface), and can be crushed to convert into Sand automatically, either voluntarily or by force. The only stipulation is that the parties must be close to one another, and the Fragment must be exchanged while both Bearers are still. This means someone has to give it to you, or you need to immobilize them before you take it - one way or another.

Once the Fragment is crushed, the memory and associated time of that person's life is lost and your character will suffer amnesia until the Oracle is claimed. How deep this goes is up to you; they could lose a large chunk of time - even all their memories surrounding a person or place for a big payload of Sand, or they could lose very little for a meager net gain.

Sand is automatically gathered or distributed by your Hourglass and added/subtracted to your running total. No need to micromanage. Convenient!

Please note that using Sand to unfreeze anything (resources, a door which can be then opened, etc) is an unpleasant experience. Each time you use Sand in this way, your character will be left feeling weakened and flu-like for an hour or two, which will leave them vulnerable. This effect stacks and scales up to outright KO-ing them for a few hours if they go crazy, so unfreezing too large of an area is off the table!

NOTES

• An OOC POST will be coming shortly explaining how Sand is going to be tallied and the Oracle claimed.
• Should your character attempt to unfreeze any NPC's, please respond [HERE]. NOTE: unfreezing NPC's may result in physical violence with CW's for severe mental instability/illness and a potential reference to self-harm.
• HAVE FUN!!!

CODING

Comments

gray | meridian | advocate

[gravings]

A. Hall of Mirrors — chill edition

[ This place is a hellscape to Gray, and that was true even before her doppelganger showed up. To a girl who purposefully removes mirrors from her living spaces, having to traverse an entire maze made of them is a shock to her system. In the end, she finds it more effective to make her way through with her eyes closed — not because she possesses echolocation, but because slow, awkward progress is better than none at all.

Perhaps other travelers of the hall will hear the clear, ringing thwack of Gray walking into a mirror, though she doesn't make a sound herself. Doggedly she progresses without sight, feeling along the smooth mirrored walls and struggling to paint a mental map of the maze's odd angles and twists. She sharpens her hearing as well with magical strengthening; if there's anyone else here whose footfalls sound familiar to her, she'll cautiously travel toward them. If there are any unfamiliar ones, then she'll try to quietly move away from them.......... only to walk into another mirror with a shameful thump. ]

B. Hall of Mirrors — no chill RNG edition

[ Owing to her slow progress, Gray's doppelganger naturally decides to manifest. There's no luxury left to her after that; she needs all of her senses, sight included, to fend off her doppelganger's brutal offense.

The hall becomes dense with a rapidfire clashing of blades. The two Grays move across the hall, their scythes whirling and flashing a hundredfold in the mirrors' eyes, their rapid travel marked with shattered mirrors and flung bodies.

It's a fight too raucous for the confines of the hall, especially considering that Gray and her doppelganger aren't the only people here. Case in point: after a powerful blow, one of the Grays which I'll be RNGing is sent flying at high speed toward one innocent bystander...... ]

C. wildcard

[ You know how it goes! Check out Gray's plotting comment or slide me a surprise....... I'm not the boss of you ]

[glowup]

[The bowl that would never be cleaned (tm) continues to not be cleaned, as Anders is now also distracted by arguing with demons. He picks at something mysterious stuck to the edge of it with a fingernail, and deigns to give Sebastian a withering look.]

All demons are lowly; that's the point.

[Surely a demon should know his own lore? Please.]

You told me you were summoned... No demon comes when called without taking something in return. Even if it isn't a body, that's close enough.

ii

[cutlery]

[ Above all else, Sebastian hated feeling weak.

It’s his pride above all certainly, but for a demon, weakness was deadly. It was simply part of their culture (if it could be called such) that if any flicker was shown, it was something to be taken advantage of. So, the weariness that fell upon Stargazers was something he absolutely loathed. He would push himself, and he could do so much more than most, but when it came time to need something like rest… Naturally, he wouldn’t do so in the library.

So, as Ruby slips into a room to hide from someone else, the sound of her entering the room comes with a feeling first. They’re both Stargazers, and therefore both prone to the bond of empathy that unites Aspects. As someone enters the room, there’s first an intense, visceral feeling that’s like hackles raised and fangs bared more than a single emotion. And yet, as Sebastian’s attention snaps up, it’s gone so suddenly that it surely feels abrupt, like a word cut off mid-syllable. ]

Ah— Signora?

[ It’s an uninteresting room that she’s found, a bare room of desks and chairs for meetings of some sort, which is exactly why Sebastian had picked it. He’s sitting against a far wall, rather clearly having been resting. He doesn’t move from his sitting position, but in comparison to that sharp burst of feeling, his expression is now one of polite surprise. He sees her posture as she slips in, and with a slight tilt of his head he asks curiously, but with a softer tone: ]

Is someone coming?

[ktizo]

Ill? Perhaps, I haven't felt right since I arrived. If you have something small, however, I would be glad to eat something.

[He sits up a little- he needs to keep his strength up, so eating would be in his best interest.]

'It's kind of you to offer. What is it you have set up here?

[He gestures to the chairs around them.]

ii.A

[gravings]

[ Why is Gray here, it's a mystery, but she's here now and bewildered by the sight of pure, gentle Matsui getting into a fist-slinging, ground-pounding wranglefest with what appears to be himself. All that said, the two of them look like they're having a more or less """normal""" fistfight, so driven by the twin powers of peace and not-wanting-to-see-Matsui-fuck-himself-up, she swoops in and grabs the nearest Matsui by the scruff of his collar to try and break up the fight by dragging him away. Of course, she has no trouble dragging a wholeass man because magic. ]

Mr. Matsui!

[glowup]

[Anders hums and nods, turning away briefly to go and rifle through the supplies he's got stashed over here. Over his shoulder he says,]

It's a clinic— or I'm trying to make it one. I'd love to haul a bed in here from one of the private chambers, but I'd probably get stabbed in an alcove before making it back.

[Hah. Anyway, he returns with a jar, full of something syrupy and something round and whitish. A peeled fruit? Probably. ...Hopefully. He pops the jar open and holds it out.]

These are either fruits or olives— either way, it's something quick. There's always a healing, if these don't help.

[sharethememory]

[ A non-trivial amount of sand was used in the taking of this nostalgia trip, but there are also zero regrets. There's a certain peace of mind that comes with having an old friend at one's side, and an even larger sense of security when that friend happens to be dragon-shaped.

Zhongli blinks out of his musings at the sound of Kaeya's voice, expression lifting when he sees him. The following blink takes in his appearance with a feeling of mild concern. (The up[down]side of sharing the same Aspect.) How has the Calvary Captrain fared during his stay in this frozen castle? ]

Master Kaeya, I see that you are well. My friend---?

[ And he pats the dragon on the side who at least shifts its head minutely to look in Kaeya's direction. Or rather would. Kaeya might notice that its tracking the sound of his voice more than anything. ]

Yes, this is Azhdaha. One of the guardians elementals of Liyue.

[ Circa pre-500 years ago. ]

PASSION ISN'T PRUDENCE

[sharethememory]

[ While Zhongli himself has also been pretty relaxed about the whole mission (easy to do when one is still unharmonized), he is positively charmed to find a person who seems to be even more laid back about the assignment than him. And that, sir, means he'll wander over to see what Reigen and his little alcove are all about. ]

How delightful.

I was going to ask if you would tell my fortune, but fortune tellers rarely offer to solve a person's problems. Are you a Fixer here in Kenos?

[ Zhongli makes a small deferring nod to Reigen before he claims the unoccupied seat next to him, seemingly to make himself comfortable. But wait. There is one thing amiss. He takes one look at Reigen's stacked book pile before carefully removing and resorting them by topic and in alphabetic order like some giant jenga puzzle.

Really now, all the librarians(?) are frozen and headless. Is he going to make Mr. Tibbs clean this mess later? ]

ia - library

[sharethememory]

[ This man is in no position to help save anyone. Least of all from themselves.

But that doesn't stop him from trying. ]

Broccoli soup? Is that the regional specialty here?

[ Zhongli glances down at the book in Matsui's hands. ]

What a strange choice given what I imagine this place was like in its prime. While broccoli is a crop that favors cool weather and temperatures, it is not one that needs much water to thrive and can be overwatered if not careful.

[ Welcome to this week's edition of useless trivia. ]

THE CAP REALLY TOOK ME OUT

[sanguinary]

[Hell yeah... his pass... He's a pretty decent person to Perceive, at least, considering he's just sitting here vibing with all of the various things that he does notice. For the most part.]

Ah...

[HEAVY BLOOD?? There's some concern in his expression. Surely that isn't normal?? Human bodies do feel heavy sometimes, though, that much he's painfully aware of.]

Are you in need of iron? Water, electrolytes, salt? There are many things that could cause the blood to become sluggish, which could be contributing even more to that heavy feeling... It's easy to overlook these things, if you aren't accustomed to dealing with such limitations.

[He's really out here like "does this guy remember to eat".]

II – Castle

[sharethememory]

[ Like a moth to a flame, this nerd is subconsciously drawn to the study and its many frozen wonders. It's much more interesting than the other rooms he had passed anyway (and he wasn't quite sure if anyone was napping in that bedroom a few doors down. Best to let them sleep if they were.)

Without thinking too much of it, he unconsciously answers Cid's question. ]

Quite so by the positioning of the denizens of this place. I can only imagine it was a sudden burst of energy - either divine or perhaps arcane in nature.

[ Only to realize a moment later that perhaps that was not the wisest thing to do because now it looks like Zhongli was stalking the poor man. Not a good look at all. He holds his hands up and out in a gesture of peace, smile slightly sheepish. ]

My apologies. Am I interrupting?

[sanguinary]

Ah - thank you, I will. [When he's done with his One Single Broccoli Soup Recipe Of At Least 34 Pages.] Time magic, though? From a time far before now, I assume...

[If only because it seems like such an embedded part of this world at this point. But who knows! Maybe it's a new thing and it was way too powerful for everyone, thus leading to the immediate and catastrophic collapse of the entire civilization!

Or maybe it was the fucking otter, because Matsui pauses once he's flipped through to a particular page. There's a bookmark in there! Blinking, he pulls it out and peers over the red lettering.]

--Blood?

[sanguinary]

[PURE, GENTLE MATSUI...

Pure, gentle Matsui - both of them, honestly - are looking rather feral in this moment. It's finally happened, there's finally a reason for sweet Gray to see that he's not all he's cracked up to be when it comes to politeness and elegance. Both of their faces are covered in blood thanks to a twin set of nosebleeds, the one that she's dragging away baring his (quite sharp, actually - he has fang-like cuspids which rarely show under normal circumstances) teeth and the other taking this chance to try going in for another punch. IT'S FREE REAL ESTATE.]

Don't touch me—!!

[Is Matsui 1 talking to his captor?? To Matsui 2, who's still hellbent on beating his soul out of his body?? Good question! Matsui 1 is attempting to thrash his way out of her magically-beefy-arms grasp, but despite his general physical proficiency, he's still unharmonized and thus at the level of strength average for a particularly fit human.]

[sanguinary]

Ah... How familiar.

[This sounds exactly like some useless botanical information that Kuwana would rattle off, given even .5 second's worth of the chance to do so. He'll slip a finger between the pages of his terrible broccoli book to mark it, turning his attention more fully to Zhongli.]

Do you tend to crops often, or are you simply blessed with an abundant knowledge of the growth patterns of broccoli?

[Despite the punkassery of the statement, there seems to be nothing malicious behind it. He's even a little curious, too, considering he knows nothing about this man or what he does or who he actually is, all things considered.]

iia!

[sanguinary]

[Tragically, she might find Matsui a very unsatisfying patient to work on, depending. No matter how she pokes and prods at his injuries - all relatively minor, with only a few deeper slashes across his arms and palms - he doesn't seem to react. Not to the roughness of treatment itself, or the fact that it's happening at all. Sometimes, Catholicism [redacted]s and you [redacted] about it.

But that's neither here nor there! He's a very good patient in the sense that he doesn't kick up a fuss, takes direction well, stays still or moves whenever asked. He's quiet, too, while she works, and seems to give off a general air that he would rather not be talking at all. He's not opposed to conversation when it starts, even so - even if the topic is something that has him huffing out a wry-sounding laugh, without a smile to match it.]

You could save a favor in the future instead, if you wished. Surely many would be happy enough to settle for something like that - myself included.

[He's sure seen supplies dwindling, and considering he has to worry about a fully squishy human body in the here and now, he's grateful for the help. Dying of an infection or something from a wound that wouldn't even bleed him dry... Now that's embarrassing.]

eating parlour, deviation

[baltimores]

[ A guy carrying an oversized, steaming pot down a hallway is... not the most typical sight to see, especially here.

A guy carrying an oversized, steaming pot walking through a wall is even less so.

Amos had caught whiff of the food, had deviated from his path in order to find out what was going on there just in time to see Reigen vanish through a wall, the steam emanating from said pot trailing just behind him before dissipating, too. He. Doesn't know what the fuck that's about; at minimum, it seems something worth investigating.

So he does, discovering the illusion. It's with a mild difficulty he manages to get through the space that had been covered up, eventually coming across this... ... whatever this is that Reigen has set up.

Amos stares at him, dumbfounded. Is he... playing some kind of dress-up family scenario with corpses... what...

It takes him a moment to actually process Reigen's words, Amos' eyes finally clicking over to him, away from the frozen Atirat. Another moment, and then, incredulously, ] What the fuck are you doing?

[ He vaguely recognizes that voice from communion, so, okay, probably a Zenite. A Zenite who ... ... yeah, no, he isn't following what's happening here at all. ]

ii!

[sanguinary]

["Who thinks of this stuff" it's him, the time-traveling sword--

No just kidding. Though he is unfortunately extremely familiar with time-traveling and also the concepts of alternate realities and timelines, he's not out here thinking about it All The Time... So when he trots over to give the weird book a little read, his brow almost immediately furrows. God he's gotta THINK now.]

I have heard of no such thing before, myself. A "collective unconscious" in this context sounds like it could be the memories of a world itself... Is this similar to what you're familiar with? [But as far as the cursed otter goes:]

It would seem that the creature was disliked by at least one person who frequented this library before us, too. I would not be surprised if there was far more to it and the sand it's created with this "time magic"...

i!

[sanguinary]

[Library man with a library plan... The vibes on this guy are different from before, huh? Small differences, but one that a sword's eye would pick up on.

Meanwhile, Matsui is more or less completely unchanged despite the general cursed state of affairs, except for the fact that he's Crankier because he's cold and tired. HIS OLD BONES!!! He has a book in his own hands, too, but he can't help looking over at the kinda-sorta laugh from his fellow book buddy...]

With the amount of strange things that people have been finding within these books, I can't even begin to hazard a guess as to what oddity has made you laugh.

[All he's finding is broccoli soup, god help him.]

[ragou]

[ With his spiritual sensitivity slightly returned (only slightly), Douman can feel Matsui's presence with more clarity now; take that as you will. (Hint: it's Not Good.) It's the familiar feeling of something closely tethered to the culture he's come from, which makes him look...

...what, more at ease? It's complicated. We never said a clown is easy to understand.

He laughs at Matsui's brief attempt at tackling their water issue, because of course he does. Breaking his crouch, he decides to full-on sit in seiza style by the edge of the pool, giant hands folded demurely on his lap. ]

Fufu, if it's cold enough to repel shikigami, it would be cold enough to repel you, I suppose!

[ A tacit question: "what, exactly, are you?", though he doesn't expect an answer for being obtuse. ]

It would've been more ideal for Tibbs-dono to have handed out winter clothing for his esteemed visitors, but ah, how unlucky for us that this world keeps being so unaccommodating.

[warmare]

[Hayame does not realize that someone has entered the Hall of Mirrors before her. Not at first.

She had been prepared for the idea that she might find someone down there. Supposedly it was the place they must all pass through, and so, unwittingly sharing the same opinion as a certain fellow, of course she assumes that it may be somewhere people set up ambushes or traps. If they are of Zenith... she can eliminate them right now, and take their [TIME], even if she would rather just kill them the normal way instead of relying on some strange, otter-begotten magic. If there are traps, she will clear them-

Something. She simply needs to do something, her first attempts at usefulness stymied by the mystical inability to leave the castle grounds and the lack of any actual prey to hunt and secure supplies.

At first, she is alone, her bow at the ready and her senses on guard... but the sharp scent of the cold spoils her nose, the strange echoes confuse her ears, and the splintered reflections distract her eyes. It leaves her growing more paranoid and on edge by the minute, and as her longer equine stride begins to catch up with the one who has entered before... the mirrors gradually cease to reflect her. Instead, they are occupied with the remaining ripples of another past. Who is that, in the alleyway, turning to hear the sounds of villagers? Why does that young man look so familiar, the sight of chastising on the shooting range even more so? That child taking a beating, does she not know--

She does know who it is.

Suddenly she rounds a corner in the labyrinth and can see him, there in front a mirrorlike shard of glass, looking back at her as if just as confused as she is to see the other. The bow she had instinctively pulled up to bring to bear almost lowers, her mouth almost opens to ask what he is doing there... Until she sees behind him that someone else has notched an arrow, the glint of the metal arrowhead reflecting in ten different icy sheets around them. The six foot longbow is back up, the string is drawn back to her cheek, her dark eyes sight down the bamboo shaft as she shouts out the warning of-]

Liem- !

[But the second before her fingers release the arrow... she recognizes his attacker, too. Not one, but two Liem Talbotts stand before her, one in the glow of the ice and one in the shadow and suddenly... a debilitating surge of doubt forces her hand to hesitate. Which was the real one?

Except she'd already loosened her hold on the fletching. She jerks the bow downwards at the last minute to try and aim towards the legs instead of instinctively targeting the heart, but... she cannot stop her arrow from flying off the sharp snap of her bowstring.]

[ragou]

[ Coal-gray eyes flick up over Amos, deep and lightless; despite the perpetual smile on his face and the way he demurs to the other man's presence, there's an undercurrent of something insincere about the way Douman holds himself, the patronization of someone who thinks that they know exactly how people will react to him at every given moment.

An ultimately benign annoyance, perhaps. Douman laughs at the mention of Mr. Tibbs, whose neck Douman still wants to hold between his teeth. You know, just Normal People Thoughts.

He stays where he is, when Amos approaches. All six foot five of him, garish like a bruise in the blue-white of their surroundings. ]

Mm, I do make it a habit to have tricks at my disposal! [ A flick of his hand, and he conjures a paper doll from under his wide sleeve; it floats in place, the mono-eye painted on its torso staring at Amos, unblinking. ] As much as this world has attempted to neuter us, some things remain inherent, perhaps.

[ He hums. ] Have you run into any trouble yet?

[ragou]

[ Novelty is truly the only reason anyone should approach Douman, and once it wears off, people should run in the other direction. ALAS.

He heard Sebastian come in, of course, but he feigns surprise with all the faux-innocence of someone who wants to be underestimated. For now. Just a humble monk, trying to contribute to the cause. ]

Mmmm! Good day, Sebastian-dono.

[ WE WILL ASSUME, they have traded names, ]

You remain as astute and well-informed as ever! Yes, yes, this is what the West would call a "familiar". [ He pronounces the term slowly, as he conjures another paper doll from seemingly thin air. ] I've not been able to properly acclimate to this world yet, so my familiars here have been rudimentary at best. How embarrassing, how embarrassing.

[sanguinary]

[IS ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH DOUMAN GOOD IN ANY WAY!!

But honestly, fair, it was hardly even an attempt. He really didn't try at all. Not even a gold star for effort. His hand is still in the water, though, and he closes his eyes for a moment as he considers the question. Bold move around a clown, even if said clown is sitting seiza with their big meaty claws folded for the time being.]

I do not believe so. [Tsukumogami are, after all, minor gods. Though in a weakened state... Hm. Well, neither here nor there, considering--] But I dislike being cold. [He said it twice...

Anyway, more importantly, he completely agrees that this world is rude as hell! With a sigh, he opens his eyes again, finally withdrawing his hand from the water so he can examine the now-red skin of his fingertips.]

This environment is bad for the blood. [TO SAY THE LEAST.] It won't be long before those with the least robust of it begin to sicken. I would like to keep that from happening for as long as possible, for as many people as I'm able to help.

[This is going to be A Task, since he barely knows how the human body works. Girl help.]

[passio]

Dextera will try to unlock an assistant/nurse type then! He’s spooked of anyone who looks too important, but someone who seems to be near medical documents or otherwise handling notes is his goal.

I

[passio]

[ dextera recognizes caren, and though he understands that they’re technically enemies now that their goals have diverged from the dryad, he won’t regard her as one until she gives him a reason to. he thinks it’s better to have allies, especially ones who seem as calm and collected as she does. ]

…?

[ invited by her oddly amused commentary on ferenan’s work, dextera moves to stand at a polite distance, and strains his neck to read the tome from an angle. ]