⏳ THE SCORCHING ISLE: Oracle Event One ⏳

[beleos]

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

Comments

tyki mikk | stargazer | zenith

[joyd]

[As Yima had said, the Oracle takes precedence above all else. They do this for themselves. Tyki does this for the Noah, and the Earl, and the Earl's new world — even wondering why such significance has been left only to him as a solitary progenitor. There is no real choice, in the end. Committing to Zenith is effortlessly easy. Going through the Cornerstone is no different than traveling the Ark.

And then, in light of what they soon learn from that little otter, the objective seems simple: They're now entered the game.]

I. CASTLE (PAST)

[When Tyki comes to, he finds himself at the foot of a spiraling staircase, slick and blue with ice. Cold is the first sensation, followed swiftly at its heels by fatigue — the latter a cloying, uneasy, pervasive sort of drain that has little to do with the environment's temperature. He reaches for the bannister, weary to be upright, and begins to gather his composure. The Noah is a tireless presence that fills him to overflowing like a wineglass. There is nothing to soothe it but onward.

He can be found by other Shard-Bearers first in the bedroom chambers belonging to the imperiled Atirat, one of whom stands frozen not far from the door, untouched by Tyki in his trespassing. If witnessed, he'll be seen sorting through the tall, crystal-colored armoires for warm clothes, or rooting through drawers for jewelry and gems to fill his pockets. Resources, they'd said. Isn't this the most obvious choice?

At the sound of someone else entering the room, Tyki will sigh and step back, gloved hands raised.]

Careful. The floor is rather slippery in here. [A raised pool of water near one of the grand windows appears to be overfull, ice floating atop its surface causing the spill across glossy tiles.] Wouldn't do to hurt yourself. Now, I think that you should probably leave — unless there's something you want?

II. LIBRARY (SAFEZONE)

[A much needed break.

A. Other Bearers currently located in the Library will find Tyki in two primary locations. The first, a corner nestled at the back of the first floor among towering bookcases where it is quiet and dark. He's constructed himself a small fire tucked into an alcove, fugitive warmth gratefully possible due to his recent Harmonization. What is he using for tinder? Well, it is a library...

Here, he's also pulled together a row of chairs and will be found lounging across their cushions, asleep. He's using his own coat as a blanket, face half-covered, arms and legs sprawled inelegantly akimbo. He's also snoring. Good luck concentrating with that noise.

Is he in the way of the books you want to read? Did he destroy those books for his fire? In either case, if someone comes close enough he'll automatically try to swat them away with a grumpy noise of protest.

B. The second location is central, closer to one of the hallways leading to those more treacherous areas — Tyki has commandeered a glittering study table for his own uses. Spread across it appear to be playing cards. To anyone passing by, or any lingering glances, he'll say:]

Interested in a quick game? Before we go back to the fight and all. Trust me, a little breather will help.

III. HALL OF MIRRORS (PRESENT)

[No other way, it seems.

For days now, Tyki has felt off — that there is something missing within him, even if he cannot place what it may be. This sensation only becomes more pronounced when he enters that quiet place down below, where frosted mirrors suspend his dark reflection endlessly in every direction. It is partway through this maze that Tyki's awareness of this feeling magnifies to an unbearable degree. He moves, and there in the corner, his shadow moves with him. No more than an illusory flicker.

The shadow is smiling, wide and loose, too wide, full of too many teeth. A fragmented smile reflected ad infinitum.

He knows it. Somehow it hunts him, and Tyki feels himself divided by the Noah in a way he hasn't experienced in years, in those first burning moments of existence when he woke as something no longer human. It hunts him down like a dog. His heart beats with effort, sluggish, weak enough that the next turn around a corner has him colliding into someone else — Tyki is gasping, pushing the stranger away from him while the shadow jeers,]

I am going to eat you. I am going to consume you until there is nothing left. Until there is no 'you', only 'me', and you will cease to exist. Don't run. You can't run.

Get away from me. [Darkly spat to whoever he's encountered.] For your own sake, if not mine.

IV. WILDCARD

[ooc: If there's something you're interested in that doesn't quite fit into the above prompts, feel free to wildcard me a starter here! Or let me know and I can write the starter. My plotting comment is here for reference. You can also contact me through PM, discord, or plurk (magisterium).]

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

[zauneyete]

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

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

This looks harder for you than it does for me. Which might be saying something.

[joyd]

[He's beginning to wonder if a return to the library might be necessary — even still, he's not confident he can make it in this state. Slumped against a wall across from the railing, Tyki looks worse for wear, suit disheveled and hat missing, lost somewhere in his previous trespassing around the Castle. His hair is messy, no longer slicked back but bedraggled, sticking in places with sweat from the effort of moving around on his own and using Dark Matter.

It's not pleasant, to be here out in the open where just anyone could finish him off. The look he turns on Silco is mild, assessing. They'd met before; he remembers that Silco is affiliated with Zenith.

... Well. That doesn't imply trust.]

I know. Something's affecting me here, and I don't think it's the same for the rest. [How unfair. Tyki reaches up to comb his hair back with fingers; he'd lost his gloves somewhere too. His skin is ice cold against his scalp, not a good sign.] Give me a minute. Just need to rest.

[Yet his tone is drawling, tired. He knows if he falls asleep he may not wake back up. This isn't good.]

[zauneyete]

[ It's obvious, that he's not going to make it. A minute will turn to five, to a half hour, to hours. It's useless if the rest of Zenith are all done in by whatever malady affects the lot of them. Silco isn't sure of what, but he's been creeping invisibly, so he knows that there's something going on.

He's just immune to what it is, but he wonders... there had been times in Horos when things felt more... electric, alive. And others where it had felt worse. Was it possible that it was similar? Individually drawn across them through the merit of personality? Or perhaps their aspects? ]

I think rest would be best served in the library, where you will not be stabbed in the back.

[ He said, simply. On the stairs? Like this? He was easy prey.

His smile was... well. It was the smile of a man who knew what he had, and what he could offer. How did one find new people to dole out his power to? Why -- moments like this? When they were weak, and needed power. ]

Do you remember, what I said during our recent communion?

[ He said it idly like it was only an errant thought. ]

iii, same as jill lmk if any adjustments are needed/preferred 👍

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian had only stepped into the maze a few minutes ago, but his progress would be markedly slower than some. Ever logical, he’s just looking to solve the maze, and the little visions in the mirrors are irrelevant to him. His opinion will change when something steps out, but for now, it’s the sort of trickery he understands. Visions of this shade would be a trial for most, wasn’t it?

With his right hand on the mirrored wall, Sebastian years Tyki coming a few moments before, but doesn’t expect them to collide. He takes a little step back and withdraws his hand from the wall, an apology already on his lips, but the shadow and Tyki both speak. Sebastian’s attention is drawn towards the shadow, naturally. ]

A demon?

[ He questions that immediately, because its taunt is… not unfamiliar. And indeed, in a mirror behind Sebastian, it flickers with shadow of its own, large, formless, and tossing bodies like they’re dolls until it finds what it’s looking for. Sebastian takes a step back away from Tyki as he’s pushed, as if he’s following the request, but it’s more obscure the picture painted in the glass. ]

i love that icon...

[joyd]

[He comes to a stop, winded, brow furrowed as if the question has struck him by surprise. Behind him, the shadow of Joyd slips away again, vanishing into the mirrored maze with nothing but long, black, eerie limbs stretched across countless surfaces of ice-glass. Gone for now. Tyki isn't disillusioned; it will be back. That anticipation is like nails on the skin, a sensation long past comfort and one he ought to know well by now.

Sweat has gathered on his skin in a sheen, and it is the first time he's truly felt stressed in a while. Not since discovering the Earl with Nea. No — before that. The memory of pain is like an echo, and his scars continue to burn.]

Not exactly. [Sebastian. He knows this one, the fellow Zenith Stargazer.] I'm human, but that part of me... It's more. It may cause me to attack you.

[No point lying. Sebastian will see the black crown of crosses across his brow, scorched into dark skin, unhidden. And if they are allies in this war — it will be an inevitable discovery. Tyki isn't keen on hiding the Noah in him these days.]

We'll have to figure a way out of here. [Amber eyes catch on something over Sebastian's shoulder, but too quickly is it gone. He doesn't know what he saw. He remembers Sebastian had said via Communion that he was a demon, but... this conflicts with his own concept of what those, exactly, are. At least it should mean Sebastian will take the news of Joyd smoothly.] Any ideas?

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian watches as the shadow slips away with a somewhat sharp gaze. It’s a curiosity, and considering the immediate association he had made, it’s also one he’ll take a touch more seriously. Though as Tyki denies that guess, Sebastian’s attention turns back to him. He sees the strain written in Tyki’s features and hums out a thoughtful note that’s lighter than it should be, considering the warning. ]

I see. Well, for what it is worth, I shall not take it personally if you do. In fact, I am likely one of the better people to have run into if that is the situation.

[ He reaches to the inside of his jacket to pull out a handkerchief, of all things. He may not be wearing the sort of jacket with a pocket square, but of course he would still have one on hand, if only to fit the aesthetic he likes. He offers it to Tyki with a little shrug, though the gesture is clearly in response to the question. ]

Of a sort. I have been making my way through by simply following a wall since that will solve any maze. It is not quick, though.

wildcard for sand hunting

[regression]

[ not me trying to figure out how to make yjh look like easy prey

Somewhere in these cold halls, there is a trickle of red blood. Familiar to the eyes for many—who hasn't seen their share of it—and yet... strange. It's difficult to pinpoint with the first small drips, but as the puddles grow in size when closing in on the source the oddity is clear. The crimson color forms letters, words, strung together to be read in disjointed sentences.

Life, death, life, death. The gist of the bloody parable is this cycle.

And at the end of this trail is Joonghyuk in the middle of dressing a wound or two, inconvenienced by all means. The injuries are not fatal, but signs of fatigue show on his disgruntled expression. Upon his neck his hourglass shows that he still owns a considerably amount of sand.

It's only the sound of incoming footsteps that draw his attention away. Yeah, he isn't going to greet. He's going to stare, much like a feral cat. ]

strokes yjh's face

[joyd]

[Easy prey is a thought that comes to mind at the trailing of blood, but Tyki Mikk is cautious, however the creature within him roils upon sight and scent of it. So he tracks it, desiring to sate his own curiosity about what — who — might lie on the other end.

When blood becomes a scrawled series of words, his brow arches. He's careful on the placement of each footstep forward, heels of dress shoes remaining unsoiled, not because he minds the mess but for how it would skew the message. Life, death, life... he thinks the Earl would probably enjoy something as macabre as this. Though the same is true for himself, too.

Tyki's smile is loose and easy once he finds the wounded prize, undeterred by that expression. If anything it's encouragement, reminding him of one Exorcist in particular, whose expressions could be just as terse and baleful in their silence. Joonghyuk = Kanda I guess.]

You shouldn't really be alone right now, by the look of it. [Deftly, Tyki kneels a short distance away, arms draped over knees and head cocked.] Something about you feels familiar... What's your name?

[regression]

[ not the kanda association... Carefully, he watches Tyki adjust his posture with sharpened vigilance. He doesn't need to regard how he dresses his injuries. It comes to him naturally to tighten, wrap, and compress wounds with ample care. Despite that, it's near impossible to hide the bloody letters that fall in the process. S... U... R... V.... I—the rest blots the rags, jumbled and unreadable.

The loose smile doesn't coax him to slacken. The perpetual frown stays and it may deepen when he hears Tyki speak. His features stay leveled in his attempts to snuff any signs of recognition. In his thoughts, he's thinking Tyki is that one Jehovah's witness hitting people up via communion earlier in the month.

Ugh. ]

It's rude not to introduce yourself first. [ Says the infinitely rude one, but he gives himself a permit for everything. ] What do you want?

[ This question is more important than knowing someone's name. In a faction clash over resources, whether it be sand or rations, he is less keen on unfamiliar encounters. ]

i

[hurricaneofblood]

Well, well...

[ He did purposely step into the water that he was told to avoid. It's a second later that he realizes how stupid that was -- it soaks into the bottom of his pants and leaves his ankle feeling quite cold.

Flamebringer stares down at his foot and lets out a sigh. Sometimes, his disagreeable nature can cause him problems. He pulls his foot free and steps closer to the man. His head tilts slightly as he looks at him. ]

I suppose I'm now looking for the same thing you are. [ With confidence that he should not have, he says: ] Some warmer clothes.

[joyd]

[Didn't listen, did he? Tyki flashes the other man a vague smile, as if amused by his plight. He doesn't back away when he's approached, stature overall seeming relaxed and careless.]

Easy enough. I think we can both get what we want.

[Gold eyes briefly lower, searching for the hourglass full of sand that must be somewhere on his person. There's no antagonism in the look – whether they are allies or enemies is yet to be determined. Or they could be neither. Neutrality isn't something he'll count out.]

What's your style? Looks like we're about the same height. [He lifts a coat of silken blue color, as if stitched out of scales, with some white fur around the neck.] Hm. Not really your color.

Library - A

[lachtara]

[ Emet-Selch had quietly made a place for himself in the Library. He'd found a nice chair, planted himself there, and read book after book with the sound of a crackling fire somewhere nearby. Outside of the threat of whatever obstacle that waterbourne pest presented the atmosphere inside the Library was...peaceful.

Until a small sound cuts through the quiet. It begins to get louder and louder as the moments pass until he could bear it no more - Snoring. Ugh.

He looks up from his book and in the direction of the noise. ]

This is a Library. Would you keep it down.

[joyd]

[Emet-Selch will, unfortunately, not be met with compliance, as the offender is still deep in slumber on account of the effects all Stargazers are suffering here in the Scorching Isle.

The snore is interrupted only briefly by a disgruntled, half-awake growl:] Be quiet, you two.

[It's pretty clear he does not mean Emet-Selch and some mysterious second 'other'.

A momentary silence is followed by continued snoring. Louder, now.]

library a!

[lifespanned]

[ Misa happens upon him when he's stretched out asleep on a row of chairs — at first, she hardly notices him, having just beelined to the cute little fire he's got going. Imagine her surprise when she's suddenly getting swatted at out of nowhere. His hand will be met by her ice cold, wet skin, as she's just taken a dip in one of the numerous frigid pools nearby in search of something useful for Team Zenith™. And the other thing his hand will be met with? A slap back. ]

Hey, what gives? I just wanna w-warm up for a second.

[ Her teeth are chattering, but she makes a point to sound firm regardless, plopping down and hugging her knees near his fire despite the protests. In her mind, he'll have to physically move her if he really wants her to leave - that's how stubborn she feels in the moment. At least she had the foresight to take off her coat before she went swimming in there, which she's hurriedly shrugging around her shoulders now that she's found some warmth. ]

[joyd]

[The slap is one surefire way to wake him up. Tyki startles, withdrawing his hand to sit partially upright on an elbow, jacket sliding off his face to reveal squinting, dark-circled eyes, messy hair, and a lopsided mouth. He sees a girl he's certainly never encountered prior to this moment, so the gears are turning in his head. Why had she slapped him? His wrist still stings a bit. (Unaware, in his sleeping state, that he'd instigated the conflict.)]

... Eh? Who are you?

[With a sigh, he passes one gloved hand through his hair in an effort to smooth it down.]

You know, I wouldn't normally want to share this warmth; it's a small fire and it took ages just to get it started, but... [Gold eyes survey the girl more thoroughly.] You're soaking wet. What happened to you?

wildcard, sand hunting, lmk if this needs any fixes!

[epiprocta]

[ How many days has it been since they've been brough here, now? It's hard keeping track when every day is basically the same, and the only thing that makes the passage of time clear to him is the increasing difficulty of procuring supplies. God, and here he'd never thought he'd miss the afternoons of running grueling, shitty courier jobs in Springstar to earn enough to get himself a proper meal. At least back there, he'd at least been guaranteed a way to live as long as he put in the work. No such guarantee here. He keeps having to venture further and further into the palace in search of a room that hasn't already been picked clean, and even then, it seems to be a gamble as to whether he'll find anything useful or not.

It's during one of those excusions of his that he maybe catches the attention of another passerby.

The sounds of movement and objects clanging around echoes from the depths of an isolated suite, the noise amplified by the narrow walls of the hallway and the knee-deep pool of water keeping it half-flooded. And if one were to investigate, they'd eventually come upon a series of storage rooms. One carries cooking supplies, another one only silverware, but a third ... well, this one holds some promise.

Gen's dropped his guard as he rifles around this room, careless of the noise as he digs through a shelf full of jars in search of one that looks like it might contain something edible and not-too-gross. Even those pointed canine ears of his he'd acquired last month don't help him much in staying aware of his surroundings, and it's not until approaching footsteps are right at the room's entrance that he finally whips around to face his 'guest.' ]

-- fuck off.

[ Immediately, aggression. How delightful! Gen doesn't hesitate a second in bristling at whoever the newcomer is; the mounting exhaustion is clear in the pallor of his face and in the slight sway to his balance as he shifts to a more defensive stance. ]

I got here first, find your own.

looks good!

[joyd]

[The week wears on them all. He can't remember the last time he was committed to such a long excursion, or mission, even at the Earl's beckoning — back home at least he had the freedom to come and go as he pleased most of the time. He could hunt Exorcists at his own leisure to his own schedule, so long as the deed was done. In this place, on this frozen island, it feels like they're all prisoners waiting for the game to end. Tyki isn't excluded from that category. Fatigue was worn him to shreds alongside the cold, and as he walks the halls now searching nooks and crannies for signs of life, it isn't because he much cares for whatever supplies may still sit unclaimed.

He's in a bad mood, and he knows it. Perhaps his endurance wouldn't have been so challenged if not for the drain of simply existing here, but there's only so long he can spend in the Library before motivation pushes him onward. Motivation, and the weight of his own spirit, intertwined with something more than human. Something ravenous for satiation after too many close-calls without success.

The noise is a racket, loud enough to draw Tyki's attention immediately as if it's asking to be found. So he walks in, expression stony, tall and lean in formalwear, surveying the boy in front of him. (Are those... dog ears? Well, he's seen stranger.)]

Don't worry, I'm not looking for supplies. All yours.

[Gold eyes lower to the hourglass hanging around the boy's throat.]

I'll just be taking a bit of your Sand. It'll be quick; I have a delicate touch.

iia

[salvageable]

[ With the amount of people snooping through the library, it really shouldn't come as a surprise for the corners to be as occupied as they are. Even so, Dokja tries to find a quiet place for himself so he can settle into his reading, though he's practically already settled with his nose in a book as he walks, another tucked under his arm for safekeeping. So engrossed is he in the material that he's not entirely paying attention to where he's going or who might be in the way, which is how he finds himself running into a stray leg.

And then his other foot ends up getting caught behind the first, and a surprised squawk is quickly followed up by a pained grunt as Dokja lands forward on his knees. Fortunately, he manages to catch himself with his hands to stop from landing face first on the ground. As for his books, they go tumbling away.

Dumbfounded, it takes a moment for him to pick himself back up, and then when he does, he's immediately rounding on the owner of that offending leg. ]

What are you doing there?

[joyd]

[The noise disrupts his sleep more than the collision, as Tyki rouses with a groan and sits up, propped on one elbow. His jacket falls off his face to reveal squinting eyes, messy hair, and a scowl — more than a little miffed to have his slumber unceremoniously interrupted. He has to look up from his makeshift bed, though, to find the cause.]

What sort of question is that? Sleeping. [Stated like the most obvious, factual thing in the world.] I'm not about to find my bed in a frigid room somewhere else in the Castle. Why are you here?

[Give him a few minutes for the crankiness to wear away. It would be better if he had some coffee or tea to assuage it... but that may be asking too much from this place.]

Looks like you dropped some books. You should be more careful with your things. Or make them actually useful as tinder for the fire.

ii b

[pyojeol]

[Hm, is this the same guy who was snoring earlier? Sooyoung approaches, gaze drifting from his shoes (they look familiar, so probably) to the playing cards on the table, then to Tyki himself, eyebrows raised in thought. It's not an expression of disbelief or condemnation -- breaks are vital and it's not like there's anything else to do in the castle besides look at frozen people and glare menacingly at mr. tibbs.

which is why Sooyoung slides into the chair opposite, arms crossed on top of the table.]

You drool in your sleep.

[this is a lie, or maybe it isn't?]

[joyd]

[His brow lifts in response, mirroring her expression with the curve of a smile, more of a question than anything. One that's answered when she takes the chair in front of him. It's the first anyone has accepted the offer for a game, so he's pleased, ignoring a deeper part of him that feels a little like a puppet mimicking a script. He used to play all the time for fun; it shouldn't be different now.]

Oh, do I? That's how you know the sleep was good.

[Shuffling the cards with a practice that betrays experience, he leans back in his chair, one long leg crossed over the other.]

So what are you interested in betting? Since we can't really play the traditional way.

ii-b.

[ragou]

[ Passing by, presumably to one of the more treacherous areas, when he's spoken toー Douman swivels his languid focus from the patterns of darkness leading to more mercurial halls, and settles it on the splay of cards sitting primly on the polished desk.

He tips his head, curious. Cards, not for divination but for recreation: he knows of them, but he can't say he's ever partaken. ]

Mm, mm... I suppose this is where I should ask something along the lines of... [ Tapping his chin in idle contemplation, ] ...ah, "what's the catch"?

[ good work grandpa ]

[joyd]

[A tall fellow, carrying such a demeanor that it makes Tyki almost nostalgic, for a moment, of his own kind. The sentiment surprises him. All he shows for it is a loose, close-mouthed smile and a gesture to the open chair, already pulled back from the table in welcome to his guest.]

That depends on what you're willing to bet. No catch, though, otherwise.

[Poker is a simple game, in Tyki's mind. What makes it complex are the odds, and whether his opponent is willing to cheat. As he himself intends to do.]

Have you ever played?

ish but wildcard, make it the same room but later in the week!!

[redsoil]

[ Though he exists in a state of intensity, bright and red as could be, his steps are silent as he draws near Tyki's figure in the field. The Stargazers, he's come to find, are not at their best in this place - they are lethargic and slowed, and they do not make for satisfying prey. He is not against unfair advantages, used to trickery and maneuvering to ensure he comes out on top, but there is something about diving upon those he's wanted to meet upon the field when they are unable to have a proper conversation.

That is, after all, his goal in this Oracle war. At least in the beginning, he wants to come to know who is who and what they are capable of, to better know how to crush them when the time comes at the end. Tyki, and his self-Noah, Joyd, are among those he'd meant to located, and never could find himself crossing paths with him. Woe. Now, it is near the week's end, and Set has finally sniffed him out. Like a sleek, hunting beast that knows the sleek, smiling darkness and how to track it.

He finds him where a battle could break out without the need for justification; the library is the agreed-upon zone of neutrality, and Set has not rested in it save to catch up with his fellow Meridian. Instead, he stays in the Castle. Inviting and awaiting. Except with Tyki, whom he finds now -- Stargazer-sickly and winsome as ever. ]

Tyki.

[ And Joyd, he calls through their Communion link. Never one to deny the man's Noah its proper attention either. ]

You should have found me sooner. How am I to be satisfied if you are not at your best?