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
    sharethememory: ([screenshot] 103)

    [personal profile] sharethememory 2023-01-23 06:04 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Everything requires a fair exchange. E V E R Y T H I N G. ]

    Oh yes, that would be most helpful. Let us see what ingredients we can procure from the eating parlour. If the list of missing ingredients is not too long, perhaps you could find them while I start preparing the soup?
    wolof: (Hi Cat)

    ii - im so late im sorry

    [personal profile] wolof 2023-01-23 06:14 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Given their last conversation, she's almost surprised to find him with his nose in a book. Sorry Anders, Akua has certainly made some assumptions about you that are not at all accurate, but what can you do? Live with them or defy them as one does, but her lifted, surprised eyebrows say it all.

    Although she's happy to dig into the odd book when he presented it, her own in her hands something of history and the royal family -- and given her disposition... it's a fitting tome -- but her eyes skim the words as he spoke, her lips formed into a thin line. Time, and time magic, are more for... a type of magic she does not have. She has, however, been subjected to the reversal of time before -- it is deeply unpleasant -- and she can put together a theory or two.

    Anders has, after all, has brought this book to one of the finest minds in Praes. She would probably only be outdone by one other from her world, and he's just as bad as she is, if not worse. (Imagine! Apotheosis on a pig!)

    Her fingers tap against her book, considering.
    ]

    I don't think playing with this sand is at all a good idea. [ She agreed, but her fingers lifted, as if to point this out. ]

    I have forced people to experience their possible lives before, through magic -- they were of my own making of course -- but the experience is... similar to what this person is writing about.

    I would think this Collective Unconsciousness is the space where all possible choices and pathways meet. Opening that up to absorb would be quite the feat.
    exhound: (11)

    [personal profile] exhound 2023-01-23 06:18 am (UTC)(link)
    [Vander had never wanted things between them to go down this violent road over and over again. There had always been regret hanging in his heart for that moment that had first turned two brothers against one another, even with how necessary a strike it had seemed in the moment. But Silco being Silco, could never let it go, no matter how Vander felt about it.

    And it didn’t help that Vander sealed the deal on their opposition the moment he took that first swing in Highstorm.

    There was the bittersweet satisfaction as his first swing here slammed into his opponent—he tried to make a grab for Silco in that short moment of proximity, but the man was quick and knew better than to stay within his reach for long. Knew even more that he should seize any opportunity to lash out when it presented itself, and that knife of his once more bit into Vander’s flesh, quick and neat along the back of his hand. It drew another pained grunt from him as he withdrew it to his side as he took a step back of his own.

    But that other hand of Vander’s was busy too, groping blindly onto the table behind him until it found purchase on one of his old gauntlets—the one with metal now blacked and warped, as if by a great source of heat. He grabbed a sturdy hold on it and swung it forward, letting the thing go and allowing the momentum to carry it through the air toward Silco.

    The throw is haphazard—whether it hit him or not mattered less than further driving some distance between the two of them. They couldn’t keep doing this dance every time they crossed paths. It needed to end.

    (He knew better than to think it possible, but still—)

    Pained and angry:]


    Stop this, Silco!
    ktizo: (🎵 and yet our hope remains)

    [personal profile] ktizo 2023-01-23 06:19 am (UTC)(link)
    [He finishes eating and sets the jar aside, smiling up at Anders as he busies himself.]

    I am Hythlodaeus. A pleasure to meet you, truly.

    [Remaining where he is for the moment, he looks around at the little nook Anders has set up.]

    Is this what you would do back home? Heal others?
    ktizo: (🎵 losing grip)

    [personal profile] ktizo 2023-01-23 06:23 am (UTC)(link)
    "Mm... only a name. Not very helpful when we cannot ask the inhabitants of the castle who that may be."

    But exploring doesn't seem like a bad idea, and so he nods. "Perhaps we could unfreeze a couple of the locals and ask... I wonder how helpful they may be in this state?"

    He hasn't a clue, but it doesn't hurt to try.

    "I have plenty of Sand, so I don't mind spending a little, whatever we find."
    exhound: (43)

    [personal profile] exhound 2023-01-23 06:48 am (UTC)(link)
    [Toppling that pillar has proven to be the right call, the way it throws the Siren off-balance. Her rigid motions and despairing words paint an eerie picture before them, but there’s no time to dwell on it.

    Vander raises his one gauntleted fist, using the old and clunky thing to shield himself. It’s a habitual movement that serves him well in this moment—it blocks the bulk of the spear’s swing with a clang, though the momentum of it rattles painfully through his arm and he nearly loses his footing on the wet, icy floor trying to brace against it. He keeps his gauntlet-toting arm upright wardingly, his focus in the following moment on steadying himself rather than going for an immediate counterattack.]


    Hard to have much appreciation for a song freezing us in place.

    [Amos might not have any words for her, but Vander clearly does. Words that serve more than one purpose. With his partner slipping through shadows to move into place behind her, they offer a distraction to help him strike. And if she can talk, there’s the possibility she can be reasoned with before this all has to go too far.

    But most importantly, if she is talking, then she isn’t singing. That’s an advantage they need to seize as long as possible.]
    ktizo: (🎵 as we ride again)

    [personal profile] ktizo 2023-01-23 06:49 am (UTC)(link)
    Eyeing the spear, Hythlodaeus gestures to it.

    "Your spear is a rather intriguing weapon. Did you create it yourself?" He wonders if, when touched, it would feel like water or if it would be solid.

    In any case, he goes through the ingredients carefully, not touching anything that looks like it could be contaminated. Eventually he finds some sweet leaves that seem like they'd be good for a tea.

    "And now for something to steep the leaves in..." He hums as he looks around, as if this were simply a jaunt to a local store. But he's aware of his surroundings, and listening intently for anything out of the ordinary.
    pyojeol: (pic#15721051)

    [personal profile] pyojeol 2023-01-23 06:52 am (UTC)(link)
    -- You found a book and the first thing you guys do is make broccoli soup?

    [SHE'S NOT EVEN VEGAN??? also assigns matsui broccoli soup cooker. anyway she holds up her hands and makes grabby motions with it.]

    Lemme see the book.
    ktizo: (🎵 born from blood of our fallen brothers)

    [personal profile] ktizo 2023-01-23 06:53 am (UTC)(link)
    Perhaps they were testing on the bird first, to make sure it was a viable solution. You wouldn't want to use magicks on an entire herd of animals, only to realise it ruined them irreversibly..

    [He shrugs. From the way the bird turned out, he has to wonder what was wrong with the methods they used. It surely didn't come out correctly, right?]
    ktizo: (🎵 e'er our vows endure)

    [personal profile] ktizo 2023-01-23 06:57 am (UTC)(link)
    Hythlodaeus doesn't particularly like the bread either, but he's more reserved in his distaste. He's just grateful for the food, and to be by Emet-Selch's side.

    "'Tis better than nothing, after all."

    He brushes his hands off on the blanket once he's done, before shivering a little.

    "Have you found aught of interest while here?"
    pyojeol: (pic#15904257)

    LSDMFLMSDFDFS okay that's what she did

    [personal profile] pyojeol 2023-01-23 06:58 am (UTC)(link)
    [STOP not this otome game comparison what's hsy supposed to do... NOT write fanfic about him????

    This isn't the first time Sooyoung's met a person from a story -- and while she's consumed her fair share of webnovels that might have also featured Douman, she thinks back to the original tales, the stories that spawned so many. Yoo Joonghyuk would know more, probably. At the very least, Sooyoung doesn't think she's met any iteration of Douman before back in her world.]


    That makes you the second one, huh, after Set.

    [why is savant filled with weirdo historical figures... oh well, at least she's here, making it better (false)]

    I'm Han Sooyoung. I don't have my name carved in history like you guys, but I'm pretty important all the same.

    [okay]
    exhound: (35)

    [personal profile] exhound 2023-01-23 07:01 am (UTC)(link)
    [Vander watches his descent into the water with careful interest, trying to glean from his reaction if the water is freezing enough to make this whole thing a foolhardy venture. And while it’s clearly cold, it’s not enough to deter the man, so Vander gives him an encouraging nod before he dives in in earnest.

    He keeps the coiled rope in a loose grip, slowly feeding more of it into the water as Dimitri makes progress in his swim. With feet planted firmly, he waits out the following moments in silence, keenly watching and feeling for any disturbances with the steadily moving rope.]
    exhound: (07)

    [personal profile] exhound 2023-01-23 07:08 am (UTC)(link)
    Oh yeah, our furry friend out there sure made one hell of a first impression of the place.

    [He's certainly sketchy enough to be a rat, that's for sure.]

    Find any other hidden gems out there in all those books?
    salvageable: (pic#16171953)

    [personal profile] salvageable 2023-01-23 08:21 am (UTC)(link)
    How calm, cool, and collected of you.

    [ Exactly what he'd expected of Eustace, to be honest, and this time, Dokja does manage a smile that reaches his eyes. They've been through quite a lot together, haven't they? Faced off as opponents, saved one another, pushed the other down, then raised them back up again. Maybe that's why Eustace feels so reliable now of all times, like this is nothing compared to everything else they've had to tackle.

    Dokja's not given a lot of time to reminisce on their past before his thoughts are broken into by a soft laugh coming from behind. He spins around, hands reaching for the hilt of a sword that isn't at his side. Ah, that's right. He'd left it behind to keep his mirrored self from reaching for the same weapon. And now that he's getting a good look at the reflection that stares back at him, he's glad to have had the foresight. It looks exactly like him as it stands there, its laughter quickly cutting off as it regards Eustace with a considering stare. ]


    Made a friend, have we?

    [ Its tone is mild as the reflection turns on its heel and makes its way out of the mirror's frame, then reappears in the surface of a mirror closer to Eustace, leaning in to get a closer look. Dokja spins back around to follow its movements, his own expression grim. ]

    He's just like the ones we would dream about while crying all alone.

    [ Oh, way more annoying than Dokja had initially feared. He doesn't respond, doesn't really trust himself to as he waits patiently for now to draw this being out from its home. ]
    sharethememory: ([screenshot] 063)

    [personal profile] sharethememory 2023-01-23 08:40 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Ah, a pity that Cid was not able to meet that person, but fortunate that perhaps there are some survivors of this castle who are still of sound mind. ]

    Difficult is quite the generous way to put it.

    But I suppose if we were to break down what little we do know - some strange affliction has plagued the castle and its inhabitants. An ailment which there does not seem to be an known cure. The response to this predicament was for someone or something powerful to freeze the whole environment in a single restorable point in time. And while we can unfreeze bits and pieces of it---

    I'm concerned that the cycle could repeat if the core issue is not properly dealt with. Perhaps in addition to studies such as this, visiting where these people cared for their ill might illuminate the situation.
    sharethememory: ([screenshot] 002)

    [personal profile] sharethememory 2023-01-23 08:49 am (UTC)(link)
    "Oh no. This was crafted by a friend of mine who is very adept at controlling the element of hydro. Even at a distance. I am currently unharmonized so he created it for me for my explorations around the castle."

    Since it would be impossible to keep Zhongli cooped up in the safe areas like the library. The weapon would feel remarkably solid and wieldable as any other polearm. Unless something happens to Childe, that is. Then it would probably become a messy puddle on the floor. Zhongli reaches back to touch the spear gently at that comment but is easily and thoroughly distracted by talk of tea.

    "Ah, an excellent choice. Not only will the flavor be quite pleasing, but I imagine leaves of such variety would also be very fragrant when brewed."

    Ugh, everything is so much more difficult when every utensil and cup must be unfrozen from time first before it can be used. But in this, Zhongli seems determined to make sure that they have all the proper cookware. He unfreezes a ceramic teapot and holds it out to Hythlodaeus.

    "Will this do?"

    baltimores: (073)

    [personal profile] baltimores 2023-01-23 09:56 am (UTC)(link)
    [ He misses — an act that is okay for now, because he isn't being attacked right now. Instead, Dextera is just yelling at him, and for... what? He hasn't seen the guy since the reflecting pool. Doesn't think anything there would have been cause to set him off; sure, he'd demanded to see one of Amos' memories, but that isn't a reason to try to kill him.

    Because that's what this is, as far as he can tell — Dextera is trying to take Amos' life source for himself. The memories are, ultimately, meaningless; the hole from whatever Mr. Tibbs had taken from him filled itself pretty quick. (No. Was just ignored pretty quick.)

    But fine. Dextera wants to talk; he'll talk. Amos switches over to communion himself, warily circling Dextera, dagger still at the ready. ]


    They're mine. [ Emphasis on the possession. ] You don't need my memories either.

    [ And when he sees an opening, he'll go for another stab — he doesn't need any of Dextera's memories, but he will take his life source if he can. ]
    baltimores: (112)

    [personal profile] baltimores 2023-01-23 09:58 am (UTC)(link)
    [ He glances over, a casual loll of his head in the movement, half a shrug with one shoulder lazily moving up, then down at his answer. He knows Heine is annoyed; he just doesn't care. ]

    Sure. I hear ya. It makes sense. [ He can't argue with that course of action. It's not too far off from what he's doing right now; the difference will be when this is over — but that's because Amos has a purpose here, in this world, where it seems like Heine doesn't. ] What about after? I don't mean with the sand. What's the plan when we're all out of here?
    prizeneck: (76)

    [personal profile] prizeneck 2023-01-23 10:13 am (UTC)(link)
    [This demanding little—???

    —Anyway. He doesn't even bother to hide the sense of ruffled feathers through the communion and then the following shake of his head.

    And also a begrudgingly snide comment back.
    ]

    you know just because you're in a castle it doesn't give you any royal rights

    [More seriously, though:]

    heading that way
    baltimores: (067)

    [personal profile] baltimores 2023-01-23 10:52 am (UTC)(link)
    [ He meets Douman's gaze, his own level and comfortable with being sized up. Anything he's got to hide won't be found on his person, in his body language. Not like this, at least.

    Amos inclines his chin at the notion that he would go for Douman's sand, just like that, and — yeah, maybe? He isn't so trigger-happpy, but getting the drop on him would be important if it came to it. Douman doesn't look like a fighter, but that doesn't mean jack shit. Especially not when the guy's got magic at his disposal—

    And any potential scoping out or plans of attack are immediately rendered all for naught. Just a quirk of the eyebrow at the way Douman doesn't seem to care for actual loyalty — said to someone who would do anything for Yima with hardly a second thought — but they can skip past that. It'll only be a problem when it's a problem, and right now... ]


    Nope. Place I'm from has been dead for almost a year. Highstorm's home now.

    [ ... right now they've got absolutely no problems with one another, which invites a friendly little pat of Douman's upper arm, courtesy of Amos. (His normal move is to go for the shoulder, but the height difference might be a bit much.) ]

    Guess that makes it home for you too, huh? [ Which is a good thing — the more the merrier. ] Think it's fair to miss it a little, actually, since there's actual food there, but it'll all be worth it if we've helped the Zenith out after all of this. Fuck if I'm not taking the hottest bath when we get back, though.

    [ This is officially friendly co-worker chitchat now. ]
    baltimores: (051)

    [personal profile] baltimores 2023-01-23 11:03 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Amos' doppelganger has indeed been stirring in the background; the part that Voryn's would turn its focus to it is the real surprise. One way or another Amos would've found a way to punch his until it simply didn't get back up; he wouldn't have thought of it teaming up. ]

    Shit—

    [ He whips his gaze around, catching his doppelganger already up on one knee, having already made purposeful eye contact with Voryn's. There's a nod on its part, and Amos is throwing his entire body into it to force it out of the way. And right into a mirror, shards of ice raining down on the two of them as the spell narrowly misses, leaving Amos to stare down at his doppelganger, bewildered.

    Well, he did appreciate the shield Voryn had given him, however busted it is now... ]


    Great. We can dodge your guy, but don't think that's gonna work—

    [ —on mine was how that sentence was supposed to finish, but while Amos had been making an attempt at punching his doppelganger in the head again — and again, and again, until it can't get back up — his doppelganger had taken the first blow in order to catch his arm. And not let go. And before Amos knows what's happening, his doppelganger is using gravity magic to make him lighter — light enough to lift with ease, to grab him with both hands — and is then throwing his entire body at Voryn, making him heavier in the moment to increase the force, the impact wherever he happens to hit. Whether it's Voryn himself or the ground or another mirror, it's going to suck.

    Maybe he didn't need to finish his sentence, after all; whatever happens here is probably going to get the point across. Amos' doppelganger is less likely to tire out, more likely to brute force its way through this — which, turns out, is annoying to be on the other end of. ]
    liuli: (7)

    [personal profile] liuli 2023-01-23 11:57 am (UTC)(link)
    [ the emotional vibes of "lmao ♥" ]

    Don't be silly. I'm a prince no matter the occasion.

    [ questionable. or maybe he's just a commander and is used to people listening.

    either way!!!! mams will find gu yun in the library, with his book spread out on his lap and another sheaf of stolen papers nearby where he's been writing in his own neat, elegant handwriting. as mams gets closer, he can see that the book on his lap has that same elegant handwriting in it... and also some chicken scratch handwriting? interesting ]
    liuli: (250)

    [personal profile] liuli 2023-01-23 11:59 am (UTC)(link)
    [ he's a warrior clown ]

    "Said anything" is the ticket.
    Neither were particularly responsive. I'm going to check in on the two of them a bit later.

    I suppose it's not unheard of for an underwater creature to use a trident.
    Maybe they hunted otters and Mr. Tibbs wanted revenge.





    [ this is a joke ]
    liuli: (306)

    [personal profile] liuli 2023-01-23 12:02 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ oh this is so useful what the fuck. gu yun gives dokja a brief sup nod from where he's sitting, surrounded by books and notes. god... if shen yi could see him being a nerd now... ]

    Tch. [ at first, as he's opening his book. ] No, that's too easy to read.

    [ however... his eyes widen a bit as he notes the name, and gu yun makes a quiet noise, turning his book open for dokja to inspect. gu yun's own elegant handwriting is a total mismatch for the words of mimsy. ]

    So, he created time magic. I suppose that makes sense - it seems as though he regretted it.
    liuli: shishishizijiang @ lofter (142)

    [personal profile] liuli 2023-01-23 12:04 pm (UTC)(link)
    Agreed.

    [ it's the soft part of him, the part of him that loves his own country as easily as breathing, that ultimately is more of a protagonist than he'd initially give off. it doesn't sit right with gu yun, either. ]

    The otter made a point, though.
    Even if by some miracle we all work together well enough to use our sand in a collective manner -
    Without enough resources to feed them, they starve to death.
    We need to find one who is willing - or at least able to talk to us.

    Or squeeze the otter for information, I suppose.


    [ sorry tibsy ]