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
    liuli: (178)

    [personal profile] liuli 2023-01-21 06:37 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ mams being a little unlucky is familiar. the crow mouthed statement about doppelgangers feels familiar, puts a bit of a grin on gu yun's face. he watches with slight curiosity - thinks I have got to get one of those - but otherwise, focuses on the other version of mamoru, watching him shift his stance.

    feeling it, really. right now, gu yun is aware like he'd just taken a fresh batch of his medicine. not because he has - he's actually near out, the red mark under his eye just a faded pink - but because of the crow that flies overhead. seeing the world through the crow's eyes has given him a clear vision of their tiny little battlefield, and he feels the wind wrap around the doppelganger as it steps up. ]


    Luckily, I have all three of those in spades.

    [ he would like to see anyone or anything in this universe out-annoy him!!!

    neither gu yun or his doppelganger move, at first - then, slowly, gu yun lifts his hands upwards. not to his sword, but higher, reaching up to the top of his head and gathering his long hair in a ponytail, high at the top of his head. his doppelganger matches him, and both gu yun's draw their swords a second later. his is a jian - thicker than mamoru's, but double edged. familiar in his hand, even if without the iron grip he's used to. a sword is good for such tight quarters; he's prepared his own stance, light on his feet, with a soft clank of the armor as he slides back. gu yun's own doppelganger matches him, easy, and hums. ]


    My own will be much of the same. Keep your eyes open for a secondary weapon and martial prowess alike.

    [ there's just a lightness to the way he says that last bit - keep your eyes open, laced with a private little joke. ] And persistence. I do so hate to lose.

    [ the gu yun doppelganger actually laughs, when the original says that? like it's all just a very funny little joke.

    and then, with no preamble at all, he comes out of the mirror like a bullet - almost shockingly agile for someone so armored, light on his feet as he immediately brings his blade to test against mamoru's, aiming to strike at him with the ferocity of a military commander - pushing backwards to try and get him to lose ground in the tiny space between them. ]
    liuli: (7)

    [personal profile] liuli 2023-01-21 06:38 pm (UTC)(link)
    Now, now. For all you know, he could be a river rat.

    [ don't play along ]
    liuli: (230)

    [personal profile] liuli 2023-01-21 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ well that's weird! letter blood! it does briefly overshadow the slight approval of the well-thrown punch, but, that's fine.

    and, good, good. they ought to go onwards - he's pleased to hear joonghyuk agree, and rests his hand against the top of his sword, watching his doppelganger out of the corner of his eye. he laughs, when joonghyuk gives him a stinkeye, amused, and takes a light step into the next mirror as gu yun walks just slightly towards it, then leans backwards, imitating gu yun as he tests the boundaries of this mirror movement. ]


    Does anyone? [ know how much onwards entails? it's a little dry, but beyond that gu yun puts his other hand lightly onto the right wall of the mirror and starts to walk. he could probably play deaf to the snarky comment, too, but he does not, leaning his head back to look at the joonghyuk clone. ]

    My goodness, we've only made it three steps. Are you going to throw a tantrum like a toddler?

    [ do not taunt him. his own doppelganger's voice comes a moment later, almost musical in its amusement - Because we are so good with handling children's tantrums. gu yun does not react, very purposefully ignoring it, but that's just rude ]
    liuli: (211)

    [personal profile] liuli 2023-01-21 06:50 pm (UTC)(link)
    True.

    [ he doesn't say anything else about that, though he does look thoughtful again. ]

    And it is. Like any other resource conflict - treated like a chess game with lives on the line.

    Riddle me this. What do you think is the most 'Meridian' course of action? You'll have to forgive that I'm still fairly new here.
    liuli: (80)

    [personal profile] liuli 2023-01-21 06:54 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ gu yun looks thoughtful, for a moment, tilting his head at eustace. ]

    Perhaps, but - if we think of it as a fairy tale, then, why would the 'knight' be anything more than just a costume to play dress up in? Besides, wouldn't most people want to consider themselves something brave?

    [ even if they're not? goes unsaid. even if they're furry little creatures also goes unsaid because, once again, he has to resist making a joke, but less so this time if only because things are very serious.

    as for the wizards... gu yun hums. ]
    I don't know. Able to do time magic or not, I'm not sure what we would do to be called traitorous so easily. Rather... to me, it smacks of a friend. A former one, perhaps.
    hauntedking: (23)

    [personal profile] hauntedking 2023-01-21 06:56 pm (UTC)(link)
    Hmm. That... is an interesting question.

    [ He seems thoughtful. ]

    We are trying to restore our own worlds, but each of us come from different places. Different times. I cannot imagine that we would want to seek the destruction of anothers home solely to save ours.
    comelately: (they say the end is coming)

    [personal profile] comelately 2023-01-21 07:13 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ it is 100% the stupid feathers.

    Johnny, as ever, doesn't really think he did anything bad in their singular conversation, and so has already put it behind him. The dirty look is barely noticed. And, frankly, he assumes it's because Anders doesn't want his company rather than because of anything he said earlier - until Anders tells him not to call the weird stuff he says weird again. ]


    I wasn't gonna call it weird, [ he says defensively, while privately thinking it's kind of weird. ] "Spirit realm?" What's that mean...? Like an "afterlife?"
    comelately: (remain in our toolkit)

    [personal profile] comelately 2023-01-21 07:25 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ thanks bro........

    a nod, understanding, at least practically. More information certainly couldn't hurt. Johnny just has to wonder why they're frozen. Maybe it was a horrible natural disaster - or maybe someone did this to them on purpose. It's not up to him to decide whether or not they deserved it - but with his own life on the line, he's not particularly inclined to bet on their innocence. ]


    You think they might be conscious...?

    [ he hadn't considered that... what a horrible fate. ]
    warmare: (寒い)

    [personal profile] warmare 2023-01-21 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)
    [For all that other shard-bearers tended to find her rude or off-putting... the ironic (or sad) thing was that... Hayame didn't necessarily think she was being that way. If she were being disrespectful, she would just leave without bothering with conversation, and she certainly wouldn't return the bow. But she does. It produces a different sort of movement, one that involved a bend of the forelegs along with the dip of spine to make the difference in their heights lesser during the act, yet it is still the same sort of ingrained, practiced action of a woman (warrior) who has been doing such all her life.]

    Well met, then, Marshal Gu.

    [She thinks she's business-like and no nonsense. Straightening back up with a scrape of hoof on ice, she doesn't comment on whether it's easier to communicate face to face... but her face (hah) probably makes it clear what she thinks. Which is... that she hates communion. Almost as much as she now hates that magic using river weasel.]

    You will find that most of the people here adore their magic. Be careful who you say such to, lest you find yourself with an unfortunate label.

    [Look at her, mentoring the new arrivals. Her hoof scrapes along the icy floor in barely held back residual anger from the display in the courtyard, her fingers aching to grab that damned Tibbs and not the grip of her bow.]
    comelately: (and history keeps getting paid)

    [personal profile] comelately 2023-01-21 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
    ... It's Joestar, not Dono.

    [ local guy who doesn't know that honorific. Joestar and Dono sound... a little bit alike? Maybe? Really, he has no idea how he got to Dono, but it doesn't matter!

    Carefully, he peers over the edge of the pool. He knows nothing about castles and royalty, so what Douman says sounds reasonable enough to his ears. ]


    They keep diaries for the whole castle? Huh. [ interesting. ] Maybe you're onto something, then.
    comelately: (when the melody ends)

    [personal profile] comelately 2023-01-21 07:59 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ i foolishly assumed the bird WAS gu yun... forgive me.

    don't forgive Johnny, though, because his actions remain the same either way. He's not all that surprised he missed, considering the crow was watching him, but he clicks his tongue in frustration nonetheless when his nail misses. Well, he's got more where that came from...

    Except the crow suddenly yelling at him takes him off guard. He drops his hands, shoulders arching in surprise. ]


    W-what the hell? [ IT TALKS?!? When a guy appears, Johnny immediately points at the bird, staring at the newcomer urgently. ] This thing just called me an idiot! Seriously!

    [ something which is evidently more concerning to Johnny than this guy, seeing as he just walks over and picks the bird up like a stuffed animal. Well. Now he's really confused. He stares at Gu Yun, entirely perplexed. ]
    spilledinkpot: (pic#16200107)

    [personal profile] spilledinkpot 2023-01-21 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)
    It is a shame.

    [But there are always things opposed in the world. In his own... it was the Inside and the Outside, the land within and without the wall... there was the Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother... and here, there was Zenith and Meridian. And he had chosen his side.

    But would he raise a weapon- ?]


    I am not a warrior, as you yourself seem to be.

    [The injured eye, the tall, strong frame... he may be tall himself, but he is spindly and thin, not seemingly possessed of much raw power.]

    I would rather not come to blows, but I will defend myself.

    [As long as Lady Yima did not explicitly demand weapons or violence... He did not plan to pursue it.]
    liuli: (117)

    [personal profile] liuli 2023-01-21 08:14 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ this bow sure is something if only because it's wild!!! it's wild!!! he does a very good job of keeping any of that off of his face, though. it feels a little like an out of body experience, or like a dream, but this is the reality of kenos!

    anyway. there's something about the way hayame says that - be careful, lest you find yourself with an unfortunate label - is very funny. his eyes light up a little, just a bit of mischief like a twinkle. ]


    Well, it wouldn't be the first or the last time such a thing happened. [ someone tends to run his mouth all the time ] But I find that my blade and bow speak well enough to silence complaints.

    [ get good, magic scrubs

    gu yun nudges a little at some of the ice near his foot. wow, she did a number on this place. ]
    How vexing this whole thing is.
    kenosevents: (Default)

    [personal profile] kenosevents 2023-01-21 08:15 pm (UTC)(link)
    Hmmm? Then who sent you all here?

    [ Curious...curious indeed... ]
    liuli: (arrowed)

    [personal profile] liuli 2023-01-21 08:18 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ maybe it is... whos to say.gif ]

    It does that.

    [ gu yun sounds so deadpan when he says this that it has to be a joke. maybe?? probably??? either way, he's now holding the bird by its ankles as it hangs upside down, and it seems to have given up yelling swear words, cowed into behaving itself. ] New relationships are so difficult, aren't they?

    [ what does this even MEAN ] Xiao Ping, apologize.

    [ the bird caws another crow caw that sounds suspiciously like a swear word. gu yun gives it a little shake. ] Come on. [ silence

    silence

    and then a sullen crow caw that does not sound like words but more like a normal bird. ]
    comelately: (and those eleven days)

    [personal profile] comelately 2023-01-21 08:29 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Johnny is silent throughout this exchange between man and bird, but his expression speaks for him. It says "this is fucking weird, dude." Eventually, after that sad little squawk, he forces himself to come up with something to say, lifting his hands placatingly. ]

    Uh... don't worry about it. I didn't know it was someone's pet.

    [ that must be what this is. Right? Maybe it's his new pet, and he was worried about leaving it back home, and that's what he meant by new relationship? Keeping a crow in your house sounds like a nightmare, so it makes sense, in a sort of nonsensical way. ]
    salvageable: (pic#15733301)

    [personal profile] salvageable 2023-01-21 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ The audacity of this man... Dokja's about to retort that he's doing what every normal library patron does inside of a library, but then he's stopped short by what he's hearing because hello? Using books for tinder?

    His mouth drops open in surprise as his gaze shoots to the fire currently living its best life. No way...? ]


    Don't tell me that's what you've been using for your fire.

    [ Help, that's sacrilegious... There's not a lot of things Dokja cares about in this world, but books!? It better not be books. ]
    leicesters: (163)

    [personal profile] leicesters 2023-01-21 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Claude is startled by the voice; he'd been distracted by his own reflection for a while now, because he could swear he'd seen it move on its own, but he can only glimpse it out of the corner of his eye. He realises he shouldn't linger, especially under the circumstances, but his curiosity is piqued enough that he wants to confirm whether it's just his overactive imagination, maybe because of how tired he's felt ever since he got here... or maybe he's not just seeing things at all.

    Regardless, he blinks at Sooyoung as she appears from around a corner, and he realises a hand had snapped to the sword at his belt for fear of an ambush. It doesn't come, so he relaxes and lowers his hand, studying her.]


    Hey, aren't you... [Give him a second, it's been like six years and an entire war's worth of time since then. He makes a rock throwing motion, then laughs.] Sooyoung, right?
    joyd: (✝ throw this away)

    [personal profile] joyd 2023-01-21 09:29 pm (UTC)(link)
    [At first is only a swatting hand, swung out to try and bat away whatever has nudged him on the shoulder. It's followed by a low groan; Emet-Selch has successfully roused him from the dregs of sleep. A pair of irritated gold eyes peek out from over the spread of his jacket, which lays half-covering his face, other arm bent across his brow.]

    Ugh, what do you want?

    [Tyki props himself up on his makeshift bed, pulling the jacket off his face. He glares flatly.]

    Can't you see that I was trying to rest? This bloody game can wait a few hours.
    leicesters: (030)

    [personal profile] leicesters 2023-01-21 09:30 pm (UTC)(link)
    Ah, so you're both seeking the counsel of the wise veteran who survived the previous conflict, are you? [He puffs himself up with a smile as if they've pandered to his ego, but the joke doesn't really last, and his expression becomes more grim and thoughtful. He glances over his shoulder to make sure there aren't any (other, besides him) eavesdroppers, before looking back to them both.]

    Listen, the whole premise of this situation bothers me. Our dashing Tribune tells us an Oracle is here and it'll help us somehow, but that it's somehow as mysterious and unknowable as the Goddess herself. [He scoffs.] Doesn't that seem kind of convenient?
    joyd: (✝ penetration)

    [personal profile] joyd 2023-01-21 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Gold eyes track the gory smear of letters, a glint to the cast of his gaze that twists somewhere between hunger and intrigue — the human and the Noah intertwined. That had looked very close to the word survive. He doesn't believe he's imagined it, but there's no clue as to the cause.

    Standing now in the doorway to the cold blue room, Tyki leans casually, arms crossed, in no hurry to accelerate this interaction toward violence yet. Jehovah's witnesses wish they were this hot(?)... but also, as if sensing that errant impression, Tyki reaches across the thread of Communion to see if the reception feels anything like one he's encountered before. A little clue.

    Joonghyuk will feel it like a dark hand skimming the surface of his thoughts, fingertips prying for entry. He nearly can't help it. There's something compelling him to seek the connection.]


    It should be obvious what I want, shouldn't it? We got the same lecture. We're all here for the same things. [He gestures between them, first to the hourglass around his own throat, then to Joonghyuk's, then to the room around them. Sand, resources.] You're a bit vulnerable on your own like this. Isn't there anyone looking out for you?
    fishfearme: (frown 2)

    [personal profile] fishfearme 2023-01-21 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
    Yes. There's a distinct lack of concrete information about the Oracles and how, exactly, they will achieve our overall desire: that being the return of our worlds.

    [There was enough information to get them to latch desperately at the helping hand the Meridian faction extended - which was precisely why Byleth didn't trust them in the slightest. While he was willing to cooperate for the moment, Jeralt hadn't raised a gullible fool. This contract was weighted so poorly against him it left a bad taste in his mouth.]

    We're obviously being manipulated. Meridian and Zenith both are untrustworthy. However, as we are, there's little we can do about it but play along.
    joyd: (✝ a way out)

    [personal profile] joyd 2023-01-21 10:00 pm (UTC)(link)
    ... You went swimming? In this place?

    [Disbelief colors his tone, brows raised as he leans forward to better regard her, sniffling airhead impression and all. There's no judgment in him on that front; he isn't a schemer, really, at the end of the day. His surprise is sincere, and this girl certainly isn't a face he's seen yet, so she could be anyone. Zenith, Meridian, or someone in between.

    If anything, he's impressed at that tenacity.]


    Well, they say this is supposed to be a safe zone, so you don't need to worry. As you said yourself, we're all playing the same game. You ought to get out of those wet clothes, though, or you'll catch a cold. [He frowns thoughtfully.] I found a whole bundle in one of the rooms upstairs. Do you want to sort through them? You can pay me back later.

    [Tyki sits up, then bends over, pulling a pile out from beneath the hidden cover of his makeshift bed of chairs. A good place to store his find; if anyone got too close, he'd wake first. Not that thieving is apparently on the table here in the library.]
    subsist: (pic#15697814)

    ᴛʏᴋɪ.

    [personal profile] subsist 2023-01-21 10:02 pm (UTC)(link)
    — nowhere to go.
    somewhere in the castle

    [ One way or another, Kaeya manages to drag Tyki's unconscious body away from the chaos. It hadn't taken much for either of them to decide that it was better to retreat than continue to fuel the altercation, because once Childe had joined the fray, it hadn't been worth it to keep going anymore. They had what they wanted — the Hourglass — and so there was no reason for them to linger for much longer. If they had stayed, then Kaeya wouldn't be able to guarantee anyone else's actions. It's already frustrating that Childe bothered to step in, but he supposes that's a problem to deal with for later.

    All he has to do for now is to make sure they aren't being followed.

    He carries Tyki on his back, some haphazard way of a piggyback that's pretty difficult considering the man is passed out, but he deals with it. He has to. It's a miracle that they hadn't run into anyone else along the way, but soon enough, he stumbles into an empty room that looks as if it had been unfrozen by someone else. Good. At least this means neither of them will have to give up the extra Sand they just acquired to make this area usable.

    He wastes no time in putting Tyki on the bed, the covers pulled upwards to cover his body somewhat. The man doesn't look injured or anything once he gives him a cursory glance. Simply out as a light. Did he use up too much energy back then? Maybe he had. Nothing a few hours of rest won't fix, or so Kaeya hopes.

    He glances at the rest of the room. He might as well check if there's anything that can be salvaged here.



    After a while, Kaeya finds warmer clothes to slip into, and more blankets to pile on top of Tyki. He's taken to looking out the window once he's done, a lit cigarette placed neatly between his lips. There are a million things running through his mind right now. It's difficult to tell what exactly he must be feeling.

    But there's nothing else for him to do besides trying to process what happened. He might as well try to make sense of it while he has the time. ]
    hauntedking: (12)

    [personal profile] hauntedking 2023-01-21 10:10 pm (UTC)(link)
    You have nothing to fear from me.

    [ Dimitri smiles a touch sadly. ]

    I have no desire to take up arms against innocent people. Nor fight unless it is the defense of another. At least... at this point in my life.