⏳ 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

[liuli]

[ :handshake:

hmmmm. that's not a bad idea, though, they are... all tall and very strong... ] Hmm. I'd worry they might be able to snap free of it easier than we'd like.

[ a pause. ]

Perhaps their shoelaces. [ gu yun delivers this in a very serious cadence, but it's hard to tell if this is a joke or not. tie their shoelaces together. are they even wearing shoes? a beat; ] That is what you get for wearing shoes in the house, anyway.

[ unbelievable ]

[vapour]

Oh, hm. I kinda figured you were getting lonely here on top of everything. Will you still be here after we leave, then?

[salvageable]

[ help, i'm godmoding shoes on them

He has to suppress the laugh that threatens to slip out of him as he turns to look down at Feet. ]

Barbaric, but I guess it's no real concern when they're tracking water all over the place to begin with.

[ Dokja understands the offended Asian sensibilities... Anyway, he crouches down and starts working on tying those shoelaces together, making sure to apply some very firm doubleknots before standing back up and taking a step back to admire his work. ]

How's that?

[prizeneck]

[A tag like this is worth two, anyway. <3

If only his scent were the only thing that Mamoru noticed about the other person in the room. Mamoru's fingers are already on the hilt of his cane, the latch open to draw the blade inside it, his feet feeling the floor thrum underneath him with not just weight but the balance of someone with an incredibly strong core. Ready, steady.

The shades show him someone with a nimble but solid outline. He's quick to mutter 'memory' so that they label this person immediately.

While unruly and hard-nosed, usually, Mamoru does what he's told and he stops.

He had sensed aggression, but not in the same way he felt aggression from others. There usually lingered some inquisitiveness in those intents, in the aim to injure, to kill. 'Seek and destroy,' brushing past the ends of his hair and raising gooseskin at the back of his neck.

This… this, though. Fanged and heated, black-stepping and sickly, it feels like resentment, lingering hatred, and the aim to make the hurt linger.]

I believe you. [He believes Gu Yun because it makes sense. Even though he hasn't turned, the two Mamorus laugh simultaneously. It's a gritty thing, a chuckle that skitters through the floor, even as the doppelganger moves away. Somewhere into another mirror, perhaps.

Mamoru takes the chance to huff a small little laugh as if he's remembered an inside joke that only he knows.

He finds this kind of situation the ideal moment to meet someone, after all.] Are you armed?

[kenosevents]

[ Mr. Tibbs eyes light up and practically sparkle when he is punned in return. Is this... a kindred spirit?

But. Cough. Onto other more important matters. ]

It's a common thing for people to write about. Lots of people wanting to be the hero, you see! Alas, two different books. Two different places on the shelf.

Not many people looking for book recommendations these days...a shame.

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian had been keeping his distance from Silco, at least in a sense. He was never far since if his master called, he wanted to be able to respond both quickly and using the least amount of his now limited energy. But as Silco had briefly mentioned wanting to pursue one of the secondary hourglasses, well. He thought it wiser to accompany him on that sort of venture.

Not that it was anything strange, he thought. Sebastian had made his helpfulness and dedication clear, so he didn’t imagine there would be any question raised for this alliance. As he strove to project, Mr. Michaelis was simply helpful to all. Of course.

As they approach, Sebastian’s rather neutral smile turns into a little frown as he nods in agreement. It’s not all that different from anywhere else, but to his sensitive nose, the air smells just a bit more stale. ]

I believe you are correct. If not it, then certainly something else.

[ He casts a glance to the sunbeam frozen in place and cants his head at the oddity, but it’s just a passing curiosity. The display case down the hallway is much more notable, and without hesitation, he walks closer. Inside the cabinet is… a block of wood. It’s finely hewn (at least, in Sebastian’s opinion), but otherwise seemingly unremarkable to be in the case. Yet when closer, there’s a detail that provides a good indication that this might be what they’re looking for.

Along the glass are hairline cracks that seem to be in the process of moving, but stopped along the way. One piece is impacted and shattered inward by… a small ball, from the looks of it. He looks down the hallway where it curves out of Silco’s view, and indeed there’s an Atirat child frozen mid-realization of their mischief. It prompts nothing more than a thoughtful “huh” from Sebastian. ]

I suppose we may as well continue breaking in rather than pick the lock at this point. I assume that is it?

[ It... sure doesn't look like an hourglass, but maybe it's behind it? ]

[prizeneck]

[She's not subtle.

In fact, Lottie is so not subtle most of the time that she's actually normal, in comparison to almost everyone in this place that seems drawn from some sort of overpowered lottery ticket. In this case, only a handful of people look like comparable compensation prizes, and Mamoru and Lottie are both in that same branch.

And he's fine with being followed. Her intent is anything but aggressive, even if too mischievous and very scattered for a recon mission, like a rookie in their first assignment and getting lost in wonder at the intricacies of the briefing and the new sights. Adrenaline riding just enough to be mindless.

He's fine with it until she prods at his mind with the shard.] Quiet.

[He turns, but his gaze doesn't aim at her, not before he scans everything around them. The feeling is weaker but not gone, so…]

Nice glasses. [He says, finally looking at her.]

[kenosevents]

It's my home! I couldn't very well abandon it.

[ He looks down at the ground and kicks a single otter foot. ]

Although it is so exciting to have guests now and again. Even if a number of you do seem to do more than enough brooding. [ Oh he's looking at a couple of you.... AMOS. ]

One would almost think you've never had a magic spell cast on you before!

[leicesters]

[Claude wasn't lurking. Or eavesdropping. It was absolutely, definitely, a total coincidence that he strolls around the corner of a bookshelf with his nose in a book, as if absorbed in the text, almost bumping right into them before he lowers the book and exclaims with theatrical surprise:]

Oh! Fancy finding you two here. Are we having a reunion party?

[He looks between them both, grinning. This isn't the time or place for that, obviously, but he's always nothing if not keen to lighten the mood in a room.]

[liuli]

[ 💖💖

in terms of movement, gu yun barely seems bothered by the occasionally creaking floor. he's used to these conditions from the northern borders; he's delicately led the black iron camp across icy tundras, never one to leave his men to do something he wouldn't do, first. snowy rivers, icy waters, silent forests full of woods - in a way, the scorching isles feel enough like home that even the strange addition of magic is the only thing he has to learn how to adjust for.

the double laughter is bizarre, sure - it just adds to the discordant image of the doppelganger and the man, the two of them stepping away from each other, and gu yun's nose wrinkles a bit at it, about to make a snappy comment at it before the other man catches his attention, and he watches the doppelganger move away. currently, his vision is fine, a little dicey, but with his liuli glass and more recently, xiao ping, he'll be fine.

for the question - is he armed? ] I am. [ gu yun shifts his left hand so his sword makes a shhink noise against the edge of its scabbard, then lets it fall back into it fully. ] Not much in the way of peaceful strolls around this castle, one way or another.

[ he takes a few steps closer, making no effort to hide it, because he's not here to attack mams. meridian solidarity! ] I have a feeling those mirrors might become troublesome. [ very dryly: ] How's your self loathing?

[ don't joke ]

[youngprodigy]

[Cid noticeably starts, but he looks up and relaxes.

No, this man doesn't look like he's about to attack.]

Not precisely, no. I was thinking aloud, wondering if aught here was worth unfreezing.

[He sighs.]

I'm not unconvinced that talking animal had something to do with it.

[sharethememory]

There's a stuttered unfinished motion as if Zhongli is deciding whether he should offer a hand in assisting Hythlodaeus or if such a gesture is too forward for a first meeting. Either way, it seems he's too slow and his decision remains unmade by the time that he is standing. Ah well.

"Now I feel like the rude one as it seems you were quite comfortable where you were.
But I would welcome the company and any tips to make sure the drink is to your liking."

And off they go, Zhongli stepping carefully around Hythlodaeus's little nook before heading back toward the entrance to the library. He does watch him out of the corner of his eye for the first few moments to ensure he doesn't outpace the other.

[subsist]

[ The Draumahol mention barely draws out a reaction from Kaeya. It's one of the areas he hadn't bothered looking into during his trips down at the Below, but he makes a mental note to do so later on. It wouldn't hurt to check every corner even if he doesn't think it's related.

That said, once Heine talks about the possibility of a hivemind army, he looks up from the book he'd been reading. There's a flicker of alarm in that starry eye of his. ]

From what I've been told, Manon's Shard was fused with many others so that's not entirely outside the realm of possibility. [ Is it? He doesn't really know. He needs to ask Childe about this later. ] Our Shards are essentially our souls so if they've found a way to combine it with others, then...

[ He really hates where this is going. ]

I suppose that wouldn't really be the first time someone tries to control others in such a manner.

[appeale]

[ that short-lived feeling that crackles through the Stargazer resonance like a spark is matched in kind with immediacy: Ruby, ever sensitive to hostility even without empathic bonds, snaps into the mindset of prey before she registers what is happening. it isn't just the rabbit-quick heartbeat that Sebastian will feel or the instinct to flee; for a moment, there is a blind and terrified certainty, beyond reason, that she is going to die right now.

but that flash of wild, animal fear he feels is only reflected an instant on Rudbeckia's expression. the smile that follows seems to come easily to her, either thoughtlessly sincere or otherwise well-practised. without scrutiny, it would be easy to read it as genuine; under a sharper gaze, her eyes still tremble with fright, and there is a mollifying air about her vacant façade, like a dog bowing its head in submission. ]

Signor Michaelis! [ despite her apparent cheer, she stays rooted at the door. her hand does not leave the doorknob. ] No, I, um... There was someone, but— Sorry, I didn't want to cause any trouble, so I thought it would be best if I just stayed out of the way...

[ for some reason, the more she tries to explain herself, the higher her fear ratchets, that feeling of dread growing more and more. it's always been a point of anxiety for her: no one will listen, no one wants to hear her speak, she should just accept the consequences without a word. so she trails off, and instead deflects— ]

I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you.

[ is it safer to stay in here with a predator, or to go outside and face something unknown? ]

[fishfearme]

[Byleth, of course, takes the question at face value]

No. There's no party. Dimitri and I were reacquainting ourselves.

[What a way to phrase 'coming to grips with the fact that we come from alternative timelines']

[sharethememory]

[ Even if Matsui had infused any emotion outside of curiosity in the question, it would have went straight over Zhongli's head or perhaps he would have purposefully ignored it. The world may never know. ]

I simply have a very good memory. And knowing a little bit of everything was very useful in my occupation as a consultant.

[ And in bothering chefs about where to source their ingredients. ]

Though regarding the people's ails, perhaps a familiar dish might be soothing to those that are unfrozen from their current predicament.

[liuli]

[ obviously? their fashion sense was just the beginning. gu yun is also small and likes to read and full of mischief and is very questionable

gu yun sticks his tongue out briefly, pleased that his pun was recognized, and then moves on. ]

Mm. You said earlier, it'd been a while since things here were frozen, hadn't it? Not so many chances to flex your literary chops. [ he makes a thoughtful noise. ] It's said in my home that it's important for a gentleman to balance both combat and literature, among a few other things; Time spent with either is rarely wasted, when used well.

[ the emphasis on time is there on purpose, considering. ] If we get a breath to do so, I'd be happy to talk literature with you any time.

[joyd]

[Recognition well met, then. Tyki comes further into the room once that crackle of tension dissolves, no fight seemingly needed. Better for his stamina; he's feeling more tired and distracted than he'd like, given the dire circumstances of their task.]

Already bossing me around, I see.

[Kaeya is lucky that he doesn't mind it much.

The cold gathers, ice growing as it engulfs the group of Atirat, a display of power that's fascinating to watch. He's never seen someone else wield an element. Tyki waits a few moments as it solidifies — crystalline, brutally blue where it imprisons its victims — before he circles around the other side. Make himself useful appears to the goal. A sheen of black fluid appears, covering his own hand like a glove all the way to the elbow, encasing it like armor.

Then he reaches out and cracks off one of those hands as easily as if it were made of wet paper. The noise is loud, almost sickening in the amphitheater of the room, a domed ceiling far above their heads as if this Hourglass had sat in some grand display a time ago.]

I almost feel bad for them. But at least like this, they don't feel any pain. [...] Probably.

[liuli]

[ im sorry for accidentally making this thread about feet

anyway gu yun lets dokja do this, absently stroking a finger through the crow on his shoulders feathers as he does - the crow nips at his fingers and as dokja finishes, he crouches down to look, hand on his chin, and then makes an approving noise. ]

That looks decent. Their hands are rather occupied, too - if nothing else, it should buy a minute or two if we need it, and cause no harm but a friendly reminder if we don't.

[ he looks thoughtful as he straightens again with a clank of his armor. ] I haven't attempted to unfreeze anyone yet. Have you? I suppose I'm not sure how it works.

[hauntedking]

Ah-

[ He suspects Claude has not, in fact, just wandered in here. But he's not going to call him out for no good reason. He offers a slightly strained smile, though. ]

...as Byleth says, we're just catching up. It's... been an interesting conversation.

03

[zauneyete]

[ Silco himself had been in need too much for the supplies, given his specific situation, but that didn't mean that finding them wasn't of use to him. There were plenty of others that needed them, and it was a great reason to lord power over those that required extra food.

The problem was, it was in the cold, wet water. Down underneath there, and while Silco had given himself plenty of mock drownings over the years -- no reason as to why -- that didn't mean that he wanted to do so in the freezing water. Really, if he did do it, there was an enemy elsewhere in this castle that could do it for him, and he wasn't keen on repeating it. He looked about, and noticed... Well, the nameless fellow, setting aside his parcel. ]

Hm, does this not affect you?

[consolation]

[If he insists on bending in at weird angles, then Caren isn't about to make it any easier on him. Dextera can get as close as he likes in whatever weird position he wants to without hostility from her. There are things she'd be more likely to point out to a fellow Zenite, someone familiar with the city and its people, that she doesn't raise about the book's contents, rather focusing on the judgments that first drew her attention and seeing what assumptions he'll make.]

This is pretty pitiful. We can either praise his bravery in writing it or rebuke his stupidity for doing the same. Imagine learning someone gave up a bit of their time only to read your heartfelt musings.

[From the text itself, there isn't anything immediately relevant to their situation here on the Scorching Isle just yet. The pathetic nature of the poems that had Caren so tickled are probably immediately obvious, however, as the speaker muses on the moonlit, purple-clad target of his affections.]
'
What do you make of it?

[youngprodigy]

Cid's eyes go wide, terror immediately welling up inside of him. As 'Marques', he'd been a shell of a man, blaming himself for things he couldn't even remember. Spending his days wondering why the pious of Eorzea would both with being kind to a Garlean like him.

Trying to figure out what direction to flee to isn't doing him any favors at the moment, disoriented as he is in the room full of reflections glaring right at him. "I... I can't not alone." It sounds weak, even to his own ears.

come hail or high water

[zauneyete]

[ Silco paused, his knife out, and his invisibility like a familiar cloak over him. That the man called out made him wonder if there were others about that he hadn't noticed. Were his senses that dense? He looked over his shoulder, and around, but no, there were no others, and certainly, no others that had been approaching the man. He remembered this one, although his much shorter hair and nails certainly made a difference.

His feet drew close, but he didn't let it drop quite yet.

Instead, he tried a different tactic, his silent feet took him back and away before he came from the other side --

Experimenting, before he struck. ]

[kenosevents]

[ Gu Yun..................

you might have just unlocked something very important. Very revolutionary. Very plot relevant (not really).

A small. Faint. Barely perceptible Mr. Tibbs blep in return for Gu Yun sticking out his tongue. Ok we've unlocked the most important thing here all else pails in comparison everyone go home. ]

Quite! Although I must remind you that you only have seven days. Wouldn't want to be spending all your time talking about your books when you could be doing something more important, hmmmm? [ HMMMMMM???? ]