beleos: (Default)
beleos ([personal profile] beleos) wrote in [community profile] kenoslogs2023-01-13 05:00 pm

⏳ THE SCORCHING ISLE: Oracle Event One ⏳


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
    cutlery: (the Call of Duty of mobile devices)

    [personal profile] cutlery 2023-01-16 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Again, he’s almost immediately reminded of his thought that he’ll never complain of Howl’s strong emotions again now that he has the comparison of Ruby’s. His emotions run preternaturally dull as a simple trait of most demons, and so hers are like a deluge. That fear in all its intensity makes him flinch visibly, but he’s the one to hold up a hand as if in a placating gesture almost immediately. It’s practical, of course. He’d very much like her to relax.

    Yet, he’s surprised in equal measure as her face quickly doesn’t match the feeling. It’s small, just as needing of a sharper gaze, but his attention definitely narrows. It’s not suspicion, but more a surprise and curiosity. She’s used to this motion, that much feels clear. ]


    No, it is no trouble…

    [ His voice is softer than his greeting, both in an attempt to calm her and to keep his voice lower if she’s hiding from someone outside. The dread grows, and with that, he lowers his hand, but still stays seated. He expects that if he does move, she’ll positively bolt. ]

    You surprised me admittedly, so I apologize for the— [ …He never knows how to describe what the Aspects do. ] Well, for what you felt when you entered. I am merely taking a rest away from ignoble sorts.
    hauntedking: (32)

    [personal profile] hauntedking 2023-01-16 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
    What do you mean-?

    [ Then one of them is being half-hurled at him and he has to brace himself. Fortunately, he's still immensely strong. He reaches out a hand to stop the charge and he probably does it cold. Like running into a brick wall. ]

    Stop this, both of you-!
    subsist: (pic#15626817)

    [personal profile] subsist 2023-01-16 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
    [ The spectre appears to have left them alone for the time being. Kaeya remains on high alert, keeping track of every mirror nearby, every reflection that might just turn on him once more. So far, nothing seems to be out of place so that allows him a moment to exhale slowly. He also takes the time to reorganize his thoughts, and think about what he wants to say. ]

    I doubt it's interested in hurting anyone else. It might try to go after you, however, now that you've aggravated it.

    [ He can't argue against the notion that it's probably a good idea to stick together for the time being. Not that he thinks he wouldn't be able to handle the spectre if it tried to attack him again, but if it continues to prey on things he'd rather keep close to his heart, then... ]

    If you insist on sticking around, then I'd advise you to be on your guard.

    [ Slowly, he finally rises to his feet, dusting himself off. There's some light bruising on his neck from the looks of it but he can only hope that will fade in time. He looks toward the path ahead of them. ]

    I don't suppose you know the way out, do you? [ This maze is a nightmare. ]
    ragou: (17.)

    [personal profile] ragou 2023-01-16 02:57 am (UTC)(link)
    [ What kind of SORCERY... no, Douman, stay civil. ]

    Ah, irrefutably! [ I bet you taste delicious, furry noodle... Douman's smile curves a bit too sharply for comfort, but it still remains comfortably safe. For now. ]

    But it seems wasted in a place like this, hmm? What good is your sunny disposition when no one here can appreciate it? Would you not benefit from relocating, or are there reasons beyond your duty that keep you tragically rooted to this frozen prison?
    sharethememory: ([screenshot] 066)

    oh no : ( /baps the embarrassment away begone

    [personal profile] sharethememory 2023-01-16 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
    [ It's funny how the grass is always greener on the other side. While Reigen is bemoaning the hotness of the general Shard-Bearer population, Zhongli is much more interested in those who seem to be one step from the beaten path of the rest of the group. This was not a new trait - Zhongli also tended to enjoy the more colorful individuals in his own homeland such as the rock performer in a land of poets and the non-believer who rose to one of the highest positions in a very pious country. So one laid back normal individual lounging in a library filled with magic otters (well there is actually only one of those), warriors, strategists, and wizards is just the person who would catch Zhongli's interest the most.

    (Also Zhongli being a looker is actually quite unfair since he's the one that decided what this mortal form. Completely and utterly unfair!)
    ]

    A fellow consultant and one with a most enviable success rate, at that. Well, that makes this meeting all the more fortuitous. Perhaps there is much that I could learn from you.

    [ Zhongli crosses one leg over the other, back straight and folding his hands over his knee as Reigen picture-boxes him in. He's quite reserved in comparison to Reigen's expressiveness but offers a polite smile all the same. ]

    I feel like I would be missing out on quite the opportunity if I turned down such a generous offer. Yes, I would indeed like to hear my fortune told. And then in return, I should provide you a service as well.
    subsist: (pic#15626867)

    [personal profile] subsist 2023-01-16 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
    [ It has been a decent amount of time since Kaeya and Silco last spoke with each other. He wouldn't say that he was deliberately avoiding the other man. After all, it wasn't like he wanted to be held hostage by a parasitic entity for who knows how long that went on, but after that — well, he's had other things to do. Leads to follow up.

    And it wasn't like they were particularly close, so once Silco drew that line in the sand, he hadn't bothered reaching out.

    (He did, at the very least, keep the present Silco gave him for his birthday. That has to count for something.) ]


    Nothing that would bring us any closer to acquiring the Oracle.

    [ His answer comes so easily to him, as if there isn't a burning bridge between the two of them. He looks over at the other man. ]

    How about you?
    salvageable: (pic#15332057)

    [personal profile] salvageable 2023-01-16 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Time magic... It's a common enough theory that he's read about in other stories, and he supposes it can be applied to things he's more familiar with like regression, but it's doing that classic trope of wanting to extend human life so Dokja's eyes just end up glazing over.

    A new perspective would certainly help, he thinks to himself before his thoughts are interrupted by something a little more ominous. ]


    Blood?

    [ He repeats the word because what the heck? Blood in a cookbook? He pushes his chair back to stand in order to make his way over to where Matsui is. ]

    Where?
    salvageable: (pic#15563135)

    [personal profile] salvageable 2023-01-16 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Sat wrong, huh... Dokja flips open the cover to settle on the first page, though he pauses from reading its contents at the question. His eyebrows lift in surprise and he returns his gaze to Mamoru, quiet hanging in the air between them for a moment before Dokja huffs out a breath, not quite a laugh but enough amusement curling its end.

    What an interesting guy he's met. ]


    Does something about me sit wrong too?
    shisho: (pic#16114557)

    [personal profile] shisho 2023-01-16 03:38 am (UTC)(link)
    [ A little jolt of electricity runs through him, when he hears the voice behind him. Of course, Reigen had expected to be followed at some point; it wouldn't do to underestimate anyone, no matter what side of the fence they'd chosen to come down on. For it to be this one, though? It's both a thrill and a mild annoyance to have to deal with Silco again, especially now that he has a gaggle of unfrozen fish-people tired and sickly and aching. People, brought under his watchful gaze and his brassy leadership. One of the small Arirat children, with their thousand-yard stare, holds fast to his hand as he turns to face the new danger.

    Not to him, no. To the ones he'd taken responsibility for.

    It's hard to talk to Silco. He's slippery, an extremist with nothing to lose. Reigen knows he pressed harder than he ought to have, when they first met, but had parted feeling confident that as long as he stayed out of the man's way, the better off he'd be resource-wise when he'd have to get into it. He feels the Atirat child press against his leg, seeking some sort of sign from him, and he reaches down to cradle a hand around the back of their head. It's a casual gesture, but one done so naturally, he must be used to it. ]


    Oh. Hey, Silco. It doesn't affect you, so how about you just look the other way this time?
    zauneyete: (I'm still around bitches)

    iv. Wildcard!! lmk if you'd like alterations!

    [personal profile] zauneyete 2023-01-16 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
    [ The stairs that ascended upward were... daunting. Even for a sprightly nearly fifty old man with lung problems, he wasn't the one that was truly suffering. He'd stopped mostly to take a few breaths, at the first landing, and could he really be judged if he was going to stop and smoke a cigar? Maybe it might be a touch ludicrous, but he thought to stop and do so before he ascended the next... length of this long, grand staircase. What was at the top? It didn't matter, it was unknown.

    He wasn't alone though, was he? Leaning against the railing, a half-unblinking stare took in the other person, trying to figure out whether it was the... lack of supplies, the chill, or something else that affected the other. He very nearly pulled out his cigar, but instead, he just put a hand on his hip and said:
    ]

    This looks harder for you than it does for me. Which might be saying something.
    epiprocta: (52)

    [personal profile] epiprocta 2023-01-16 03:50 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Gen offers no response at first save the gently crackle of his cigarette's ember as he takes a long drag. Then, with the cigarette still parked between his lips and muffling his words a touch, he drawls, ]

    You think you're real funny, huh.

    [ At the same time, he reaches forward to (sigh) condescendingly pet Mr. Tibbs on the head. Like he's a dog. ]

    You wouldn't be bothering with all this menial bullshit, explaining things to us and keeping an eye on things if you were actually responsible for this, yeah? So for real, now -- there's gotta be something that makes you special, hm?
    gravings: (035b)

    I-A

    [personal profile] gravings 2023-01-16 03:51 am (UTC)(link)
    [ In Gray's homeworld, she became used to being relied upon. In the months since she's left it, she's felt quite the opposite; her peers now are overwhelmingly older than her with a sense of adult responsibility, and thus hesitant to rely on a girl as young and harmless-looking as she is, no matter how much she requests otherwise.

    So it's a little nice that this woman is so willing to trust in Gray's ability. At the same time, it makes her a little nervous — that this elegant-looking woman is placing such high expectations on her. Gray does her best to shoo that nervousness away and put on a more reliable air, or at least not look totally surprised at the woman's trusting beam. ]


    If anything does happen, please get behind me. I'll do my best to keep you safe.

    [ Gray doesn't know Rudbeckia very well or even at all, but it's hard for her to ignore a friendly face. In any case, time's a-wastin', so she tentatively begins to walk...... somewhere. ]

    Is there anything you think we should look for first?
    salvageable: (pic#15563162)

    [personal profile] salvageable 2023-01-16 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
    [ i see where your priorities lie

    With preparations complete, Dokja's fingers turn to the necklace around his neck and pause there. While he'd been the one to suggest this plan, he's a little more hesitant now that it's go time. They'd been told that Sand is precious to them, after all, and there's only a finite amount...

    Even so, it would be best to use it in the hopes of learning something. ]


    This is my first time trying it. Just a spell should do.

    [ If he seeks it out, the innate knowledge should come to him. So he readies himself, then nods at Gu Yun to stand at the ready as well, while I clamber off to send this thread to the mods and see what happens with the unfreezing. ]
    pyojeol: (pic#15721051)

    ib BLOOD........

    [personal profile] pyojeol 2023-01-16 03:56 am (UTC)(link)
    [Sooyoung glances over at the sound of Matsui's voice, one hand covering her nose, as she replies -- albeit in a stuffy kind of way,]

    S'just a nosebleed, it'll pass.

    [and she lowers her hand a little to prove it! it is in fact, a nosebleed! matsui should know how those feel, right???]
    salvageable: (pic#15552891)

    [personal profile] salvageable 2023-01-16 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
    Gu Yun and Dokja are unfreezing two NPCs using Dokja's Sand! These NPCs are in a bedroom and look as though they're frozen in either an embrace or trying to kill each other. Before unfreezing them, Dokja has tied both their shoelaces (i'm sorry i assigned shoes on them) together just in case.
    shisho: (pic#16114587)

    1/3

    [personal profile] shisho 2023-01-16 04:17 am (UTC)(link)
    [ His palms meet with a crack, the suddenness of it diffused by the broad smile that spreads across his face, dark eyes wide with raw delight. Finally, an opportunity to draw on his skills, to test the limits of his ability -- wrong anime, excuse me. The self-described "psychic" was a man who would not turn down business, gladly rolling his fingers together as he shamelessly added: ]

    Trading a service for a service? I'll admit I'm usually keen on being paid cashmoney for my work, but considering where we are what what's passing for 'currency' here... okay, that sounds like a fair deal.

    [ One 'Arataka Reigen-style Fortune', coming right up!

    He'd spring from the chair with all the pomp and circumstance of a showman, were it not for the heaviness of his limbs, the lethargy that pools within him no matter how many energy drinks he's slugged or naps he's taken. He can feel it thrumming along the connection between himself and the others who share his aspect ( -- the 'truth of soul', as it was said to be ), and so he turns the showboating into a display of gravitas.

    Standing slowly, he makes his way to one of the shelves and sets his fingers to the spines of the books -- dragging the digits along the time-frozen items to-and-fro for a few seconds. A few more, as his eyes closed and his nose scrunched in extreme thought. It looks painful, laborious as he does so. And then - a burst of Sand, the audible sound of a clock re-engaging with a vibrating '--TOCK', and the book springs into color. It's something he can draw out now, taking it from the shelf in order to bring it back to the man with him. ]


    This'll be the one.

    [ Deathly serious, even as he smiles, looming over the book like he's about to tell a ghost story, not 'read' a fortune. ]
    shisho: (pic#16114479)

    [personal profile] shisho 2023-01-16 04:18 am (UTC)(link)
    You do know I'm not to be held liable for any mention of ill fortune, misfortune, future troubles, difficulties, trials, struggles, deviations due to free will and freedom of choice, and other differences between fortune and reality, yeah?

    [ SPOKEN, LIKE THE RAPID-FIRE DISCLAIMER AT THE END OF LIKE, A PHARMACEUTICAL COMMERCIAL ]
    epiprocta: (38)

    iii-a

    [personal profile] epiprocta 2023-01-16 04:23 am (UTC)(link)
    [ He's been zoning out by himself where he's seated on the floor an armslength or two away, nursing a cigarette while staring into the middle distance and trying not to think about how fucking tired he is of all this magical bullshit. So while Gen doesn't really give a shit about the long-term repercussions of their actions, because he's far more concerned with short-term survival -- he does look over when Ruby's low mutter provides him with a convenient distraction. ]

    Yeah? A little genius, aren't you?

    [ Those pointy dog ears he'd grown in the past month still haven't faded, and one gives a flick in thought as Gen takes a lazy drag at his cigarette. The stare he fixes on her is confrontational and sharp, and he holds it in silence for just a little too long, just enough to make her uncomfortable before he continues. ]

    So s'better that we all just starve to death together, then? Or are you one of the lucky few that can just live off of sunshine and air.
    shisho: (pic#16114672)

    [personal profile] shisho 2023-01-16 04:24 am (UTC)(link)
    [ okay that's over with, so he closes his eyes and sets the book's spine between his knees, rocking it back and forth until the covers are held loose between his palms -- ready to be thrown down and open at moment's notice. ]

    Focus on your breathing, and let your mind drift... You're looking for an answer. Something you care about, but aren't ready to deal with.
    sanguinary: (than know i've built a home)

    [personal profile] sanguinary 2023-01-16 04:28 am (UTC)(link)
    Is that so?

    [He'd meant it in a wholly neutral way... But maybe it is dire! Or encouraging! Encouragingly dire!]

    --In any case, I think that there are likely other things to focus on in this exact moment.
    sharethememory: ([trailer] 026)

    [personal profile] sharethememory 2023-01-16 04:41 am (UTC)(link)
    [ It is the figure in the mirror that answers first, raising his head high enough so the gold of his amber eyes can be seen as well. Despite the aggressiveness of his words, those eyes remain flat and emotionless as he seems to take no pleasure (or any other emotion really) from this conflict. It is simply a required necessity. ]

    "Months, weeks, days - it does not matter. Time waits for no one as she spins the threads that guide fate's hand.

    We made an oath. We have a duty. We made a contract."


    [ The words seem to hit their mark as Zhongli visibly winces at that. But with a shake of his head, he turns to Akua with a bit of a pained if polite smile. This situation was already quickly spiraling out of control. And oh, what an awful first impression this surely was. ]

    Your words of encouragement are greatly appreciated.

    Though I believe the root of the issue is that my --- hmmm, younger self knows that deep down I have no intention to harmonize with either faction. He's probably rightly vexed considering the choices we had to make in haste in the past.

    [ Zhongli turns back to the mirror, question already half formed on his lips to ask his doppelganger except---

    Except the robed form simply is no longer there.
    ]

    Ah...

    [ There is a beat of eerie cold silence before the empty mirrors start filling up around the two of them (a middle-aged tradeswoman, an elderly fisherman, a child with amber eyes much too old for its youthful face) until at least a dozen mirrors have some "refection" of Zhongli. Odd for some should be too far to cast a proper reflection. As a collective, they all speak (a word here and a phrase there) while always retaining the age and timber of the figure in white.

    Zhongli fleetingly muses that this is just what happens when one has walked and lived among mortals in so many shapes and guises.
    ]

    "If you will not set him on the correct path, then begone.

    All who breaks their contracts shall suffer the wrath of the rock."
    gravings: (083a)

    i welcome you warmly!!

    [personal profile] gravings 2023-01-16 04:53 am (UTC)(link)
    [ She she's been caught....... Gray immediately burns with embarrassment and stiffens up straight, turning to face the man speaking to her. She opens her eyes reflexively and catches a glimpse of him, but just as quickly her eyes dart low to the ground so that all she can see in the frame of her hood is the man from the knees down, the mirrors blocked out.

    She remembers the man's voice but only has a vague impression of his name; there were so many people introducing themselves that her feeble brain let more than a few escape. Gooyoo... maybe? ]


    I'm alright... um. Please forget you heard anything.

    [ She's fine!! ]
    copeless: (pic#16161907)

    [personal profile] copeless 2023-01-16 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Well, that's much more mild of a reaction than they were expecting. Frankly, after Mr. Tibbs had explained everything, they'd thought it'd be every person out for themselves out here - had thought people would be doing whatever they could to ensure the survival of themselves and the disadvantages of others. That's what their mother would do, and what she would want them to do, so naturally, it's what they expect in others. It's what has them checking under the man's statement for clues or for hints of a lie, not entirely sure if they should take his words at face value. ]

    Oh. Just looking...

    [ They repeat back, just for their own comprehension. They thought he might've wanted it since it's preserved and all, is what they think privately to themself. Foods that could survive in jars, things that wouldn't perish— those are the kinds of things they've been picking out, thinking more about longevity than nutritional value, as they're aiming to never have to come back here. Their memory of their mother's cruel voice in their ear keeps them from sharing that strategy, though, not wanting them man before them to get the same idea. Little do they know Sebastian probably has higher standards than dried jerky and tins of random vegetables.

    They imagine their mother encouraging them to take advantage of the moment, to take it before he takes it for himself, but their nerves get the better of them, leaving their hand knotting awkwardly in the fabric of their clothes, and their eyes still avoiding his. ]


    Is there... something you're looking for? If I can ask that...

    [ Maybe if they had an idea of that, they won't feel as nervous taking something with him standing right there - they'll try that first. ]
    copeless: (pic#16161909)

    [personal profile] copeless 2023-01-16 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
    [ All things considered, being offered a wet, slimy peach slice might be the nicest thing that's happened to them since they arrived to Kenos.

    Maybe the strangeness of the situation they've all found themselves in dulls the confusion they might've felt at the offer. In any other context, it'd be a pretty weird thing to do, not to mention somewhat gross. But right now, in the tensest, most unpredictable of times, what they take it as is a peace offering. He could've just taken the whole jar, as they expected him to do, but to go out of the way to share with them immediately is... well, to them, surprisingly kind, messiness aside. They still hesitate to take it from him for a few seconds, and the sticky texture of the fruit's flesh is not the most pleasant feeling, but their expression softens, albeit weakly. ]


    Why are you...? [ Being so giving? Trusting them easily? They don't know how to finish the question, so they trail off. ] You really didn't have to...

    [ There's a faint note of disbelief, there, but they've decided it would've been weird if they refused the fruit after the man had gone through the effort to take it out, so they're accepting it regardless. ]
    copeless: (pic#16161873)

    [personal profile] copeless 2023-01-16 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
    [ It should reassure them — that he immediately takes a submissive stance, and does what he can (verbally and non-verbally) to communicate that he doesn't mean them any harm. But they're hopped up on adrenaline and paranoia, and the sudden absence of everything that had made them strong and difficult to kill before coming here has, in a way, made them fear for their life in every encounter with any other Bearer — even during the innocuous encounters. It's why they're reluctant to let their guard down now (what little guard they have), eyes a bit wild as they stare down at this strange man kneeling before them. ]

    I.... I'm...

    [ They start to answer, then start second-guessing themself. Is it stupid to answer this question literally? This person could be an enemy. Say they're fine, and he might take that as a reassurance that they can take more of their 'time' being stolen. Say they're doing poorly, and that'd make them an easy target. For a brief but awkward pause of time, their brain goes into overdrive overthinking the simple question he'd posed to them, before they swallow thickly and take another half-step backwards, strongly considering running away. ]

    What do you want from me? You were behind me....

    [ The best vantage point to attack someone from. Their voice is quiet, meek, and shaky, teeth chattering more from nerves than the cold. He'd surrendered pretty quickly, but it's plain as day he has a weapon on him regardless - and they're no stranger to abilities that don't require a weapon to activate. So where does that leave them? Half way between wanting to bolt and wanting to hear him out. They'd ultimately prefer to be left alone entirely, as even being surprised by another human being suddenly puts them out of sorts... but desperate as they are for the cold, comforting embrace of isolation, a part of them is cognizant of the fact they probably won't make it much longer here without someone taking pity on them. ]