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
    spilledinkpot: (pic#16163489)

    [personal profile] spilledinkpot 2023-01-17 01:11 pm (UTC)(link)
    [He is aware that the water is cold. It has to be, because the ice that forms the castle around them would not indicate otherwise, and the humans he has been observing have all been shivering. But he himself... has forgotten what the sensation felt like. There have been strange sensations that occasionally struck his body since their arrival, but... Was that "cold"?

    He has forgotten.

    And... he responds all too sincerely to what might be sarcasm.]


    Humans are, yes. It is best to keep yourself out of the water if possible.

    [He is... not. But this time, he hopes there will be no "Mother" in the water, lurking in the dark of the hole in the lake floor he last time he had waded into such a situation. Now, though... his pale eyes look the over man over. When they had spoken over the communion...]

    I can inform you of what I find, if you like.
    prizeneck: (47)

    [personal profile] prizeneck 2023-01-17 01:19 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Sure...

    Does this guy have photographic memory, is that it? (No.) Eyebrows knitting slightly at the speed at which he's flipping those pages, it's almost as though the man is not paying any attention to the words.

    And yet.

    Huh.
    ] 'Time magic'? Such as…?
    spilledinkpot: (pic#16163494)

    [personal profile] spilledinkpot 2023-01-17 01:21 pm (UTC)(link)
    [When the woman ("Misa-Misa"?) accepts his offer, the man? creature? very carefully steps forward, close enough that he can lean his unnaturally tall and gangly form over to lower the parcel into her hand, but far enough away that when he straightens back up, he is just out of arm's reach.]

    I cannot take credit for the idea. Sebastian Michaelis is the one who cooked and prepared all the meals, I simply carried as many as I could through the "cornerstone" with me.

    [It is labeled with a (D) written in a fine hand on the paper wrapped around the packed meal inside.]

    I cannot taste for myself, but I have been assured that they are well-made. I would advise you avoid the local food for as long as possible.
    prizeneck: (62)

    [personal profile] prizeneck 2023-01-17 02:14 pm (UTC)(link)
    For me? What, that old drivel about worlds ending?

    [Mamoru snorts. Even if it were true, Mamoru finds the whole thing very… superficial.] Nothing in particular.
    liuli: (176)

    @ MERIDIAN | communion, the second or third day.

    [personal profile] liuli 2023-01-17 02:50 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ hello meris! this message comes bright and early in the morning, from a calm and relaxed voice. gu yun's emotional presence, should you be able to feel it, gives away nothing besides a persistent sense of calm and determination. a tactician or a general at his table, strategizing away. ]

    Good morning.

    It might do us some good to consolidate information around this place, particularly as we get closer to the end of the week.
    Let's take a moment to look at the big picture of these Isles beyond the little otter's conflict.

    For those of you that have been searching the library, what have you found?
    I was able to speak very, very briefly with someone called Mimsy who was a master of time magic of this place.
    Additionally, if you have found any texts in the library that have handwriting, we should compare them. There was at least one with a bookmark written in blood, but that's all I've seen so far.

    As an aside - I've only sent this message to you all, for now.
    Close quarters first to see what we can learn, but it's inevitable that the other side holds pieces to the puzzle we may be missing.

    Don't get frozen. There's still much to be done.
    appeale: (you are running out)

    [personal profile] appeale 2023-01-17 02:50 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ despite her own talent for performance, Rudbeckia is utterly hopeless at reading others for any emotion besides those in the realm of hostility, and so she finds herself puzzling over Gu Yun's intentions as she follows his lead through the maze. the contrast between his demeanour and his tone doesn't escape her; it's the motivation she wonders at. is he asking this unimportant question to put her at ease, or because he truly doesn't care about their surroundings? is it just confidence, or is it deliberate façade?

    either one seems dangerous for her. ]


    Not that I'm familiar with. [ it's genuinely difficult for her to give a certain answer—worldbuilding was never the novel's strong suit, whether she was reading it or living it. for all she knows, there were people throwing fireballs on the other end of the continent, and she simply didn't hear about it in the three years she spent as Ruby. ] Where I'm from, the only magic that people can use is holy power, and only paladins or priests learn it.

    [ she talks about it in the vapid, airy tone of voice one would expect of a princess who has never had to care about such things. ]

    I suppose demonic monsters would be considered magical too, in a different—... [ a frown comes over her expression and her head whips around. ugh, the mirrors. but: ] Did you hear something, signore?

    [ the sound seemed barely more than an unintelligible whisper; there's every possibility it was only the ice. it had felt familiar, nevertheless. ]
    passio: (pic#12166651)

    [personal profile] passio 2023-01-17 03:10 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ dextera himself is not a particularly stealthy person. once he decides to move, he’ll be noticed without a doubt, so he has to make his one and only advantage count. as soon as amos seems to linger in one direction, dextera lashes out from behind.

    truthfully, he doesn’t want to hurt amos. at least, not with his first blow, not if he can simply keep the man from moving on him. instead, his blade is still strapped around his shoulder, laid against his back where he most comfortably keeps it, and he aims his open palm between amos’ shoulder blades with the white-hot light of purification improving the power behind it. ]


    —!

    [ knock amos breathless, knock him down, steal his sand. dextera just has to hope he can do it. ]
    cutlery: (isn’t that Prime Directive violation?)

    smart of ciel to tell sebastian to take a break. no better way to bully

    [personal profile] cutlery 2023-01-17 03:11 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ MATSUI… PLEASE… I love him ]

    Hm. Truly, it could not hurt. I am sure the chill does not help matters, and temperatures are something I am not the best at perceiving correctly…

    [ Sebastian scoots his chair back because it’s zero surprise at this point that he’s decided he might as well do it now while they’re chatting. It’s almost a theme for their conversations that it involves something like this at this point? Matsui doesn’t seem to mind, so. ]

    What about you, Matsui? Has the chill or the sand gotten to you?
    passio: (pic#12270466)

    [personal profile] passio 2023-01-17 03:42 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ his silence means it’s easy for him to get pushed into a particular direction. he knows they need his help, and he does plan to help, but— ]



    [ perhaps he’s not allowed to be selfish at a time like this. for all he knows, this strange little creature used his sand for something productive, and asking for it back would actively harm something that’s already been assisted. dextera’s brow furrows as he goes through this mental struggle, but ultimately, he decides that he’s already so low on time that he can’t afford to sacrifice any more.

    he gestures more urgently to himself. whether or not mr. tibbs can hear him, he insists upon it in his shard as if to remind himself. ]


    It was mine. You took something of mine!
    ktizo: (🎵 blood red skies)

    [personal profile] ktizo 2023-01-17 03:45 pm (UTC)(link)
    Hm. I could perhaps assist, if you need it. I am more than capable of defending myself and others.

    [He takes the jar and eyes the fruit(?) inside before lifting it from the syrup and biting into it. Hm... if he could only create here, he'd have a towel on hand. As it is, he's just going to have to deal with a bit of a mess.]

    As for healing, I'm unsure it would help. This fatigue... it has been present ever since I arrived on the island.
    prizeneck: (5)

    [personal profile] prizeneck 2023-01-17 03:50 pm (UTC)(link)
    I have some experience dealing with opponents I can't see.

    [The dark is his domain, after all. He tilts his head in a mock bow of thanks, feeling the limp on the walk, the hissing sound of his breath reaching very subtly at the skin below his ears. Mamoru's lip is quirking, but he hasn't unsheathed his sword yet.]

    So you saw a blind person walking around and thought I was an easy target, is that it?

    [personal profile] halsband 2023-01-17 03:58 pm (UTC)(link)
    Fuck both of them.

    [It's all he gets out before Silco strikes, turning the way he doesn't anticipate and fucking up his admittedly not well-thought-out plan. Heine barely manages to block that with his own blade. It's a new thing for him, any sort of defense, and he's notably slow, at least to himself; but it wouldn't do to get stabbed again, he can still feel the blood trickling out at his abdomen. After blades clash, Heine attempts to quickly go for Silco's chest and puncture a lung or the heart if he can drive his knife through, a very unlikely outcome.]
    prizeneck: (90)

    [personal profile] prizeneck 2023-01-17 04:03 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Some people were lucky enough to have armor. Mamoru, not so much; he has to deal with his own abrasion-proof clothes.]

    Got it. [There's a click to his cane, something unlatching. Mamoru withdraws his sword, a thin, razor-sharp thing that only looks like a katana's blade in passing.]

    If this thing is anything like me, [and it feels like him, somehow, except bursting at the seams with want and anger — does he really feel like rancor incarnate? no wonder people here have mixed him with a gangster,] he may test your balance first, then your strength, and lastly your patience. He knows that this is an enclosed space, so may shift his grip hands at random. Don't turn your back on him, and don't be afraid to fight dirty.

    [Just as he says that, he changes his stance to the opposite dominant feet, his eyes widening as the doppelgangers step out of the mirror's surface and, to his vision, that looks insane.

    It makes him somewhat giddy.
    ] I know I won't.
    ktizo: (🎵 for the river of tears)

    [personal profile] ktizo 2023-01-17 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
    "Oh? My thanks." He takes the book, looking down at it briefly before glancing back up at Byleth.

    "'Tis only fair that I share my own book's contents, then. If you would like, we can sit together and read."

    It seems like the perfect excuse to get to know someone and learn at the same time. "I am Hythlodaeus. A pleasure."
    ktizo: (🎵 i'm an overture to your symphony)

    [personal profile] ktizo 2023-01-17 04:16 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Laughing at the name, Hythlodaeus waggles his book at Gu Yun.]

    Information on how time magic was utilised here. To grow specimens for meat, apparently! Ah, but they seem to have created quite the terrible creature in the process.

    [Not that he hasn't seen worse, in his line of work.]
    passio: (pic#12189864)

    [personal profile] passio 2023-01-17 04:20 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ she’s really tearing into it.

    dextera knows very little about the city of which he speaks, and the only woman he knows it could possibly be about is yima. when he thinks of it like that, it mostly seems tragic—to fall in love with someone so intent upon bringing about the end of the world. ]




    [ almost guiltily, he gives his honest opinion. ]

    It’s sad.

    [personal profile] halsband 2023-01-17 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
    I'm doing jack shit with it.

    [He says that like it should be obvious.]

    If you're here to convince me to help with something, you can fuck off.
    ktizo: (🎵 and remain forever strong)

    [personal profile] ktizo 2023-01-17 04:27 pm (UTC)(link)
    "Rested? Not at all." He says it cheerfully enough, but his smile is tired and his eyes are heavy- it gives away how exhausted he is.

    "If I could only shake this lethargy... alas, I fear it is here to stay for a while." And so, he's spent much of his time in the library, where it's 'safe.' It wouldn't do to go out adventuring while in this state.

    [personal profile] halsband 2023-01-17 04:31 pm (UTC)(link)
    Don't think it really happened?

    [There's a bit of interest in that question, because Heine is operating under the assumption that worlds were destroyed. The denial of it isn't something he'd considered for too long, maybe because he wants it to be true.]
    passio: (pic#12160329)

    [personal profile] passio 2023-01-17 04:37 pm (UTC)(link)
    —?

    [ dextera doesn’t want that responsibility. his head jerks up from where he had been lowering it, naturally ashamed as the archangel stated his generous goals, but he doesn’t actually think he can protest it. already, he can imagine the archangel scolding him for rebuking a gift so gracious.

    his head spins with all the ways this could go wrong. yet, he can’t say no or turn around, not with his initial hope to protect the archangel still in mind. ]


    I don’t know… who…
    ktizo: (🎵 fade away)

    [personal profile] ktizo 2023-01-17 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
    "Nonsense, I can hardly stay in the library for this entire trip! I'd at least like to try and explore."

    He follows at a steady pace, and Zhongli doesn't outpace him any- he's tired, but moving around isn't too bad after he's loosened up a little from sitting for so long.

    "I only hope nothing out of the ordinary happens while we're out." He's doing his best, and he could surely hold his own if they were attacked, but he's... slower than usual. Everything takes so much more effort...
    ktizo: (🎵 with my chorus guiding you)

    [personal profile] ktizo 2023-01-17 04:50 pm (UTC)(link)
    [He notes her wariness, but her fears are met with nothing more than genuine friendliness.]

    I'm a Stargazer, aye. And I'll admit, I feel I should be doing more than sitting in the library shivering, but... well, it's so difficult to motivate myself.

    [It's not a problem he's used to having. Trying to be open and friendly as usual however, he simply smiles and continues.]

    And what is your name? You may call me Hythlodaeus.
    passio: (pic#12160604)

    IT’S BEAUTIFUL

    [personal profile] passio 2023-01-17 05:08 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ dextera has seen the room of mirrors and turned around every time. it unsettles him to see his own face staring back at him. it reminds him of the laboratory, of terrible dreams. it reminds him that he’s lost his brother, even if his brother never made it to the age that dextera sees in his reflection.

    like the urge to touch a bruise, however, he’s skirted close countless times; this is the first time he’s felt the need to actually go in. even before he recognizes gen’s voice specifically, he can hear something going wrong, and for all his flaws he likes to think he’s the helpful kind. it becomes all the more important to intervene when he finally realizes it’s gen. ]


    …!

    [ from this angle, he can’t get a good sense of what’s happening, and that keeps him from leaping into action.

    instead, he approaches cautiously, and the broken shards of glass crunch beneath his feet in announcement of his presence. gen hasn’t harmonized, at least he hadn’t the last time dextera saw him, so if dextera has to fight… ]
    passio: (pic#12440855)

    [personal profile] passio 2023-01-17 05:11 pm (UTC)(link)
    Someone else found a book of poetry. She let me look at it. It was sad.

    [ great report! ]
    fishfearme: (small smile)

    [personal profile] fishfearme 2023-01-17 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)
    It was subtle, but Byleth perked slightly at the invitation. Rare was it that someone offered to share his company, what with his terrifying reputation and social awkwardness scaring most people away.

    "I'm Byleth. A pleasure." he replied, and he placed a hand over his unbeating heart and dipped his upper body in a shallow bow. He was mimicking what the Kingdom nobles did when introducing themselves, as it seemed to be the polite thing to do. Of course, he had no title or noble line to follow up, so he paused fractionally before straightening back up.

    "Thank you for the invitation," he continued. "It's very kind of you. I must confess, though, that I have never sat and read with someone before. Are we to do it in complete silence, or may we speak whilst reading?"