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
    prizeneck: (30)

    [personal profile] prizeneck 2023-01-25 11:10 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Mamoru can't help the scoff. It's all so very…

    fairy tale-ish.
    ]

    Is there a Wizard's Tower in this castle?
    prizeneck: (105)

    [personal profile] prizeneck 2023-01-25 11:15 pm (UTC)(link)
    [DAVID....,.


    (At the corner of the kitchen, there may be a man with his arms crossed over his chest, and his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, his head bowed as though asleep, whose shoulders begin to shake.)

    The hawk spreads its wings, and flits away from the beam, swooping down fast only to boop David on the head with its beak. You idiot.
    ]
    consolation: (14)

    i think i flipped tenses on you in my last tag PLEASE FORGIVE

    [personal profile] consolation 2023-01-25 11:52 pm (UTC)(link)
    That's what I said. Do you plan on chasing after it yourself? That would be an unexpectedly heroic endeavor.

    [She did not know him well, beyond the curious tenor of his voice, the probing curl of his smoke, and their current shared position within Zenith. He would have struck down a woman tending her own wounds if they were not, however tenuously, aligned to the same cause.]

    I wouldn't say it was a person. Nor would he. True demons would obviously be slighted by the insult.

    [She assumes. Exorcisms were intended to expel the darkness rather than focused on the life of the possessed, but it still held that most were still needed for individuals who had some small chance of being saved. Of true demons who had not hid themselves in human hearts, behind humans at all, but the abominations themselves? She shouldn't make a habit of talking to them about their preferences. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, pausing, a bandage faintly seeped with blood about he forearm.]

    But that demon, he hasn't turned on Zenith. [Caren had hesitated to protect Sebastian from the misunderstanding of being seen as a traitor, but in the end, provided that excuse for him all the same.] You can call this collateral damage.
    pyojeol: (pic#15847893)

    [personal profile] pyojeol 2023-01-26 12:21 am (UTC)(link)
    [
    ]


    Why didn't you lead with that.........

    [there are two pieces of information here, and one is clearly more important than the other??? MATSUI!!!!!! she's gonna get another nosebleed out of despair,]

    Who else knows about the bookmark?!
    pyojeol: (pic#16192132)

    [personal profile] pyojeol 2023-01-26 12:25 am (UTC)(link)
    [oh, it's the porn guy.

    Sooyoung looks up at Gen, pushes past just enough so she can peek around the corner -- and yes, there it is -- confirmation as to whose voice she just heard -- and is that a mace? She pulls back, one hand reaching up to yank unceremoniously at the closest piece of Gen she can grab -- though she lets go right away to avoid a potential swat. She knows how prickly types work, okay.]


    -- You want me to spell out the obvious, or do you wanna run?

    [she's already moving down the hall, aiming to turn another corner]

    Now would be a good time to tell me if you can do weird magic shit!

    [she's been surprised one too many times already in this maze of mirrors, and gen absolutely looks like the type of bristling edgy teenager who can shoot fireballs from his hands or something,]
    cutlery: (an unexpected error has occurred)

    [personal profile] cutlery 2023-01-26 12:40 am (UTC)(link)
    [ He gives a little nod as Crona takes the jar, and with that, starts to look at the jars and other assorted goodies again. He’s doing what may as well be calculus with taking stock, since he’s definitely going to unfreeze as little as possible but maximize what he can make with it. It’s the sort of thing that would take intense, non-conversational concentration for anyone else, but, well. What kind of butler would he be if he couldn’t do this? (A normal one._ ]

    Oh, it is a bit overwhelming, yes. There is a lot more to every dish than you may think, especially if you are truly making it from scratch… I found learning to cook to be more trial and error than I would have liked, honestly. Though once you have the basics down, it is not so bad.

    [ Sebastian takes another look at Crona and it’s definitely a searching, somewhat intense gaze. It’s probably a little intimidating, but it’s not actually intentional. This is just a look of concentration for trying to figure out how old Crona is… Telling humans ages was terribly difficult for him in the first place, and Crona's rather ambiguous appearance isn't helping. ]

    If it is not rude to ask… How old are you?
    cutlery: (but do you have internet?)

    [personal profile] cutlery 2023-01-26 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Sebastian nods in quiet agreement at Zhongli’s laments, but says nothing further about the tragedy of it. It’s objectively that, yes. But his real feelings amount to nothing more than curiosity. It’s at least something easily moved past as a question follows. ]

    Ah, yes. She was in the living quarters— [ And Sebastian will explain where in quite good detail! It’s generally a wing of the castle largely devoted to bedrooms and the like. ] I did notice the affliction in a few other places, but nothing terribly consistent to suggest a core of it. Or at least, not yet. I suppose if it is truly a disease, it may not work exactly that way, but I thought perhaps it may be concentrated in particular spots.
    settingup: (i see another mountain to climb)

    [personal profile] settingup 2023-01-26 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Whatever tricks Joonghyuk has up his sleeves, Atsumu's too busy staring at the large woman in the not far enough distance to really notice what he's doing with his Sand. His right hand falls to rest against the sword settled unassumingly at his hip. He's had some minor amounts of training with it since his last disastrous attempt to trek out into monster infested woodlands showed him just how sorely he needed to learn how to properly swing it, but it's not going to be enough to help much here.

    He's a tenacious student and a quick study, but he's not that quick.
    ]

    Yeah, I got one.

    [ Though there's an edge to his voice that suggests he'd really rather not be the one to have to use it.

    And maybe, just maybe he won't have to...
    ]

    Hey, what kinda fighter are you? Like how they talk about 'em in video games. Are you the sort to focus on speed, or strength, or what?
    glowup: (26)

    [personal profile] glowup 2023-01-26 04:00 am (UTC)(link)
    [Anders is both relieved and not so relieved to see an unfamiliar face coming looking for healing. Relieved because that means the usual suspects might have calmed down for a few hours, and yet— the man is just further proof that the situation out there hasn't improved. He gestures for Dimitri to come and have a seat, turning to grab a roll of shredded bedsheets he's been using for bandages since the actual bandages ran out.]

    I'm the healer. You've got a funny way of asking for help.

    ["May have need"... homie, you are bleeding. He doesn't say it with any earnest ire, at least, dipping a corner of bandage in a shallow bowl of water first so Dimitri has a minute to settle himself.]

    It's not getting any calmer out there, is it?
    glowup: (20)

    [personal profile] glowup 2023-01-26 04:00 am (UTC)(link)
    [Wild that he is growing accustomed to this dynamic already... wild and pitiable, please, grant him mercy. But yes: the chest, possibly even a sex chest, which would be not as useful, considering.

    Anders stoops to scoop up the linens immediately, uncovering a second, smaller chest concealed beneath them. Aha.]


    That, perhaps? Chuck it at the wall this time if you want to open it, it's not like I'm magic.

    [Ha ha, little joke. No, he doesn't want to freeze his poor fingers off so quickly, that's all. He's earnestly more interested in stepping back to inspect these linens, so.....]
    glowup: (20)

    [personal profile] glowup 2023-01-26 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
    Literally?

    [A tinge of amusement; everyone seems to want to squeeze that little guy 'til his eyes pop out, and Anders is not necessarily among them, but he also probably wouldn't try too hard to say no. Making a game out of whatever happened here doesn't sit well with him much at all; maybe the otter needs to get squeezed.]

    I don't understand the point of putting a time limit on this. But I hardly think anyone is interested in debating the ethics of it right now, even me.

    I haven't found any who speak. We would have to get very lucky, I'm afraid, and we're running out of time.
    glowup: (26)

    [personal profile] glowup 2023-01-26 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
    I— hmm. Maybe.

    [He's not, like, a Fade Expert, and his resident Fade Expert kind of fusion danced into the rest of him unevenly, but that sounds like it makes comparable sense, almost.]

    Still, what does that mean for these people? They wanted the thing we do with such little effort, we can harass each other with sex and violence the same as in the tavern?

    [shoutout to the homie who communion-yelled about virility, real cool bud....]

    If we've the thing they wanted, we ought to leave sooner rather than later. Who knows what still sleeps here.
    glowup: (20)

    [personal profile] glowup 2023-01-26 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
    Something like that. I had a clinic in the city.

    [He fiddles with the corner of his page, shrugging lightly. He hasn't been back to his clinic in the city in a while, so--]

    It was in the slums; by all reasonable assumptions, it's long gone, if only out of spite. But I did what I could while I was able.
    glowup: (26)

    [personal profile] glowup 2023-01-26 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
    No.

    [Immediate, and he supposes therein lies his answer to the "common goal" question. He makes a face, wryly amused at some private joke, before he says:]

    I have a problem with authority figures. I was born with it, actually. My great and terrible curse.

    [But more seriously,] If they've been blindly taken in to such an extent, I can only offer pity. Changing minds one at a time is harder.
    glowup: (20)

    [personal profile] glowup 2023-01-26 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
    [Anders scoffs, shrugging, but still a little pettily satisfied with that take; yeah, he hopes people who are anti-magic are having a hard time, it would serve them right. The smallest, pettiest comeuppance, and it doesn't ultimately make him feel better about his own lot, but - for a fleeting few seconds, it's kind of funny.

    He's never been bitter in his life, luckily. Never ever.]


    It doesn't, does it? I hope they find something more productive to occupy themselves with than prejudice.

    [He'll start penning a new manifesto at once, but not really, because he's tired. Maybe eventually, though.]

    Your world is different?
    glowup: (141)

    [personal profile] glowup 2023-01-26 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
    [damn, he thought fellow mage reigen was trustworthy......

    Just kidding, he could feel the "going to get in trouble" coming off Reigen in waves. He's honestly a little surprised it took this long for Reigen to come by, after his communion episode? Truly, this was inevitable.

    But, Maker, alright. He gestures for Reigen to come sit in one of his luxurious wooden library chairs and turns on automatic to get a makeshift bandage (they are bedsheet strips, sorry) to soak in a bowl of water he's got set on a table. That they are on allegedly opposite sides in this seems to not matter at all, if only because Anders knows Reigen to be—not out for blood. And a friend, but that's like, embarrassing to say outside of dramatic moments.

    So. Buddy.]
    I am looking at it, and you look terrible. Who hit you?

    [He knows what a punch in the face looks like, please. He offers Reigen the wet strip, to wipe off his crusty face.]
    kenosevents: (Default)

    [personal profile] kenosevents 2023-01-26 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
    Queen Rherien. She and I didn't see eye to eye - and I'm not just talking height.

    [ He frowns and then quickly changes the subject. No thanks don't want to talk about that. ]

    I'm not sure about that one - the orders. They didn't tell me about everything that goes on, you know.
    glowup: (10)

    [personal profile] glowup 2023-01-26 04:16 am (UTC)(link)
    [It's too much conjecture, is the main problem he's having; there's no way any of these books have a full and precise account of everything that happened here, and how, and why. It simply just doesn't make sense with the timeline - and even as they speak about time magic, why would someone fuck up this badly and then not fix it, but instead leave an account? Ridiculous.

    So it's all very twisty and full of guesswork, and that has never been his favorite thing. He shakes his head.]


    None at all. Even if I did, I have my doubts about how helpful it would be in a place of this size...

    [He is only one guy, after all. But,] I couldn't locate any mages among the frozen. Either they're dead or they've left. It doesn't leave us in the most ideal position to learn anything.
    comelately: (of all convention)

    [personal profile] comelately 2023-01-26 04:23 am (UTC)(link)
    [ is he getting away with it? he thinks he's getting away with it. Nice. No harm, no foul. It's normal behavior to jokingly bully one's pets, and Johnny assumes that's all Gu Yun is doing here. ]

    We're already collecting magic sand in a frozen mermaid castle. Talking to animals wouldn't be that weird. [ a beat. ] Besides, it's not like we really know what this Oracle is. For all we know, it could be that stupid otter.

    [ maybe he's getting away with it, but he's going to defend his bird-shooting behavior nonetheless. ]
    settingup: (keep screwing that bitch)

    [personal profile] settingup 2023-01-26 04:31 am (UTC)(link)
    [ There's a moment where Atsumu's brow furrows, and he opens his mouth with the look of someone about to argue.

    But for once in his life, he decides to take the path of least resistance, and snaps his mouth shut before he says something he'll regret. It's entirely possible it could help the Meridian to have one less Zenith around, especially if he decides to be a thorn in someone's side later, but it doesn't help him now to point that out.

    He's cold, and if Dimitri is willing to sacrifice his own stranger for a guy he barely knows? So be it for Atsumu to stop him.
    ]

    You got some kinda weird need to be noble because of the king deal, huh?
    subsist: (pic#15628732)

    [personal profile] subsist 2023-01-26 04:36 am (UTC)(link)
    Fódlan? Then, you must know of Dimitri—

    [ Any further attempts to learn about that are cut short when his doppelganger chooses this very moment to come back into the picture. A flurry of icicle spikes comes flying from the right side of the hall, aimed straight for Kaeya, but in no way targeting any vital spots. ] —watch out! [ It's the only warning he manages to get before he dodges out of the way too.

    The spectre makes its presence known by finally revealing itself, an amused smile ghosting its lips. ]


    Attempting to make a friend? That's a surprise, considering how long those connections last with you.

    [ Kaeya ignores what it says before summoning a sword made out of ice, choosing to address Byleth. ]

    ... I believe this one came from one of the mirrors. At least, that's my hunch.

    [ Why else would they be surrounded by so many of them? ]
    settingup: (that i'm a big fat whore)

    1/2

    [personal profile] settingup 2023-01-26 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
    [ This is an excellent question the scythe is asking Atsumu right now. They're in a bit of a pickle, because while he should, in theory, be able to tell which is the real Gray in an instant, it's not like he can tell at this point which is the one that was using him as a shield against the other.

    He's also making a big assumption that the real deal wouldn't use him as a shield, and honestly he's not sure he knows her well enough to say that's a complete impossibility. He has been kind of a shit to her in the past, even if she's seemed to meekly accept most of it. Still, in the past he assumed she was this weak little thing, and wouldn't imagine her swinging around a weapon like this.

    This weapon who is kindly explaining the situation to him, and asking him a question he should answer.

    Which he will.

    By screaming loudly, and almost dropping the scythe, before deciding he'd rather keep the creepy talking weapon in his own hand, rather than dropping it and letting someone use it against him. So instead, he just fumbles it awkwardly for a second, before regaining a proper hold on it, and yelling at it too--
    ]

    Don't say another word! There's enough bullshit goin' on right now without you chimin' in, and makin' it worse!
    settingup: (with my biological clock)

    [personal profile] settingup 2023-01-26 04:53 am (UTC)(link)
    [ God it feels like his heart is about to leap out of his chest. Fuck.

    But alright, really messed up weapon aside he still has to deal with the problem of the double Grays, and...

    ........


    .............................
    ]

    Alright, you can say one more thing, and at least tell me which one of 'em is the imposter.
    lockedon: <user name=cocodar site=twitter.com> (093)

    [personal profile] lockedon 2023-01-26 04:57 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Eustace already shares his aspect with Dokja, King Depresso, so what's a little more depression to add to the mix?? But no, thanks Matsui for not unloading on him while there's plenty of other things to worry about, Eustace Will Remember This. (He won't, because he doesn't know it's actually happening.)

    It's an expected question and he shakes his head once in reply, almost automatically given how often he's had to answer this question. ]


    No.

    [ But his reasons aren't Complicated™, he's just a suspicious little binch. ]

    I don't have anything I need to regain, and I don't trust what either of the two sides are saying without more concrete proof.

    [ So instead of picking any side, he will continue to sit in the unharmonized chicken coop for as long as possible. At least he has another buddy now. He doesn't seem bothered by his neutral status, words offered up freely and without difficulty, though his brow does crease a little as he suddenly remembers a line several others have said to him in passing. ]

    Though I've been told I should consider moving forward [ ie. picking a side ] instead of staying in place.
    lockedon: pid 4667155 (053)

    [personal profile] lockedon 2023-01-26 04:58 am (UTC)(link)
    [ I don't even know where this cheese came from when these people live next to and under water. Seacows, I guess.

    Not that he really cares, the origins of the people in this castle far back in his mind and pushed even further back by that eerie sensation of being watched not only physically but mentally? Wow, this sucks. It's not like people don't stare at him normally, but at least they have the decency not to creep on his mind while doing so. The extra attention makes him even more tense.shoulders hiking up a little higher.

    But he stays civil, gaze meeting Joonghyuk's own. ]


    I haven't decided.

    [ And while the question is one he's been on the receiving end plenty of times, the abruptness with which it's asked, along with the specificity (Meridian, rather than just any side in particular) makes him even more wary. ]

    Why?