⏳ 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

[redsoil]

[ okay now it's time to start this bc their weird sex thread communion hangout is wrapping up ]

Finally, I've the time to spend on you.

[ In the same way that Set's voice wraps around Sebastian, so too does his body. Dressed warmly, smartly prepared against the chill of the Scorching Isles, he resembles a completely different person. If not for the braided fall of his bright hair from below the hat and lined hood, and the scarlet embroidery of his coat, he might be indistinguishable from the next Shard-Bearer upon the field. The statement is coy, perhaps humorous in tone, considering the nature of their work here upon the Isles and the task laid before them. Set brims with Sand, taken by trade or force, and spent very, very precisely throughout the week. He is not a rich man, but there is a sense that the existence of the Sand plays along the lines of his domains -- god of the red desert, god of boundless sands. ]

We danced together last time. We spoke in our Communion. I feel I am coming to know you intimately, Sebastian Michaelis.

[ As intimately as he is allowed to. ]

Strength of arm, intellect, will and influence -- there are so many ways we can compete with one another. Why not luck this time? Shall we wager and gamble? And not for Sand, of course.

[ KAKEGURUI THEME BLASTING IN THE BG ]

[cutlery]

[ They’re charged statements, but of the sort that Sebastian welcomes with an easy and sly smile. It’s another similarity they share, where particular turns of phrase and choices of words are undoubtedly sensual. So, how amusing it is to be on the receiving end for once. ]

So indeed. Our relationship developed quite quickly to go from exchanging pleasantries through combat to then intermingle so. I admit, the latter is something I tend to avoid, Communion being as it is… Yet ours was pleasant indeed.

[ He’s very tempted to coyly tease at further intimacy, but decides against it. The intimate Communion was something he had indulged in because of curiosity, and it’s the same as a wager comes up. It may as well be bait for the sort of demon he is, but it’s why he smiles with open, mischievous delight. ]

Ah, a bet with a devil? You know, there are many tales that warn against such things. [ It’s teasing rather than an actual warning, though. ] I am intrigued, of course. If not Sand, then what do you propose we offer?

[redsoil]

We must be agreeable to one another, then.

[ A neutral term. 'Agreeable', can mean so many things; after all, Set finds that many individuals in Kenos, on either side, are 'agreeable' to him. Hayame's drive and will are agreeable, Tyki and Liem and Paul's devotion to their individual gods is agreeable, Rudbeckia's cringing obedience and even Silco's virulent conviction are agreeable. With that in mind, Sebastian's otherworldly sense of self counts, too. These things resonate well within him, and drive him to pursue them all in turn. In this, his appetites are vast and multifaceted, impartial and indiscriminate as he will one day be known.

Sebastian, he meets inside of the castle, within a room devoted to vast windows that turn to the passage of the sun. ]

It depends on how far ahead you wish to think our relationship might extend, and I care not for money, nor tangible items. 'A favor' or 'a service' is generally a fine offer, though naturally we would wish to include caveats and limitations. 'A secret' is always a delightful thing to win, but requires the willingness of both competitors to actually cough up something of value. Enki and I once wagered on 'training', where he won and demanded I instruct his elite warriors in a combat style of my choosing.

[ It's clear he's excited by the prospect. ]

I have issued the challenge and it's, why don't you pick the offering? Is that of equal value in your eyes?

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian’s smile only grows. It’s wry in one part to being agreeable since indeed, he’s all too happy to be agreeable. He’s acquiescent to a fault, as it’s the strategy he’s chosen to deal with mortals. He wasn’t so arrogant as to think it would work on someone divine… But he would certainly be pleased if it did. The old myths that came along before the kind of god with a capital ‘G’ were a bit more like the mortals they looked after. For the other, it’s just the matter of the stakes. It’s fun to have it be his decision, and it was nothing more than that. ]

Well, to the first, I imagine it will extend as long as we amuse or interest each other. I imagine there are lines that could turn things sour, but I will not seek those out so long as the courtesy is returned.

[ It’s said playfully, but there is a touch of seriousness there. He doesn’t plan to explain what those lines are, but he doesn’t expect Set to either. They’ll simply know if things got close enough to that line. ]

But for an offering… I enjoy offering favors, but that does seem a bit cliché. So, instead… [ He draws it out with a melodic hum, but from his expression, it’s clear he already has something in mind. ] I confess, I do not know what equivalent may delight you in turn, so consider this a negotiation. But what interests me most would be to taste you.

[ He’s being intentionally provocative with his words, naturally. He can’t help it because considering what he actually means, the play of words is too amusing to pass up. But a he elaborates, his tone shifts from lightly salacious back to playful. ]

Your soul, at least. I have never taken a taste of the divine before, and as a gourmand, I am extraordinarily curious what it is like.

[redsoil]

Is that not the value of all relations.

[ Interest. Amusement. Set asks a rhetorical question, for he finds it near-impossible to connect with others; his wife had guided his attentions for so long, her gentle hand pointing out where he ought to be giving, and where he ought to be courteous instead of insolent. Even now, most of his relationships are built on some sort of factor that leads to his own entertainment and fulfillment, largely one-sided ventures as he earmarks warriors and tacticians. Watches them, learns of their motives and might, so that in the end he may deal with them.

He finds it inevitable, that he and Sebastian will cross a line with one another one day. Set would find that agreeable, too. ]

A taste, you ask for. Not a bite, or an entire meal of it?

[ He has a thousand questions, immediately. Does Sebastian wish for a taste as-is? Will he demand it 'prepared' in some fashion? What does it mean for kkw to taste divine? What he settles upon is: ] If you become an addict, I will not be responsible. The same stands, if you do not enjoy the taste. As for me, I will accept the same from you, when I am victorious. Few things delight me more than new experiences and ways of being.

[ Souls. It all returns to them, in the end. The myriad if accursed, seething innocents that manifest in the curse seared into his own existence; the dead of Kenos that he continues to serve penitently; his own steadily-darkening core, corrupted by an imposition of another's will and worsened by his own hatefulness and agony -- Sebastian wishes to have a taste of an evil god.

Set has known men who made offerings of bone, blood, flesh and spirit to him. They pervert the bodies of their own kindred in his glory, and he feels his spirit dragged deeper into the fell obscenities they partake in -- unwilling, yet fated for corruption and depravity. ]

[cutlery]

[ He says nothing to relationships’ value (even for someone as perhaps similar to him as Set, his true feelings on such a thing are better left unsaid), but the questioning does get him to breathe out a little laugh. ]

A fair question. [ He brings a hand to his chest lightly as a gesture of sincerity, but it’s truly carried in his phrasing. It’s specific and direct, and that is what makes a demon’s promise. ] I swear to you, I only wish for a sample. Besides the fact that I would find it unprincipled to drink more deeply of something generously offered, it is only curiosity that drives me, not hunger.

[ He has his meal at work, after all. Even if Set’s soul was a unique delicacy, Sebastian wouldn’t pursue it at the very least until his agreement with Silco had been met. He was a predator, but as he says, he’s one with principles. Though, as such, he’s also a little surprised that Set would ask the same. There’s something about it that feels incorrect, that something divine would be interested in a hunger that would be perceived as monstrous… It’s also why any reservations he may have had are easily set aside. ]

So, I accept, with the same conditions. [ He laughs lightly, even playfully, before he adds: ] Though, I would caution that I can only imagine my soul in particular as a foul thing. My apologies in advance if does not sit well upon your tongue.

[redsoil]

Don't apologize. You've only had a glimpse at the full breadth of my appetites, anyways.

[ Lofty bastard.

The thing is, Sebastian may be a self-described 'demon', but the manner in which he functions and the way he provides sincerity is similar to Set's experience; gods promise and vow and curse, and are held to the word they give by the very fabric of reality. Maat exists in many different forms, and simply because Egypt's land no longer exists, does not mean that the composition of Set's being is not vibrantly held to the standards of order. Or, in his case, the lurid, thin line between order and chaos.

So, Sebastian swears that he only wishes for a sampling -- this time -- and Set finds that acceptable. He is sincere, and he is not hiding his intentions among the foliage of his speech and actions. Set curls a hand around his chin, pressing his knuckles into the space just below the swell of his bottom lip, considering; then, he nods. Acceptable. Agreeable.

Honestly, the fact that Sebastian even has a soul is a curious thing to the god of war. He must have one, if he functions as a Shard-Bearer in Kenos. What, then, he wonders, is the true structure of a soul, and will a win for him mean he can examine the soul of kkw in closer detail. The ones who teem and fester within him may benefit from his learning, and he is -- infinitely curious, undeniable in his single-mindedness at times. ]

We'll play a simple game, using these. [ And he reaches into his pocket, drawing out a small, worn deck of what appear to be Tarot cards. ]

I have played this a few times at the Last Dance, and found it entertaining each time. We will draw the major arcana, one by one, and lay it between us until all cards are removed from the deck. Each card has an associated number which represents its point value -- zero to 21. However, these cards are used in upright and reversed positions as well. Drawing a card in its reversed position subtracts that many points from our score. The one with the most points at the end wins.

[ It's simple and direct, like him. There is an element of randomization to it, and a risk of rising and falling at the whim of the draw. The only skill, therefore, is found in their ability to lure 'fate'. ( Or maybe in deceit, should either of them find a method of doing that. Set does not explicitly ask for a fair game, and perhaps he does not expect one. Not ever. From anyone. ) ]

Would you like a single game, or the best two out of three?

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian’s expression lightens with interest as Set pulls out the cards, then further still when he recognizes them as tarot. Naturally, Sebastian delights in divinations and superstition of all sorts, so he’s immediately intrigued by the game. The rules are familiar to him as Set explains, and he nods along. ]

A delightful game of chance. Even more so with fate behind it… If you find the mystique of tarot appealing, that is.

[ From Sebastian’s easy smile, he clearly does. It feels fitting, and so with the stakes being a curiosity rather than anything dire, he’s willing to truly put it in fate’s hands. ]

So, a single game, of course. I think with either outcome, we will both be satisfied in part, after all.

[redsoil]

[ Card games are fairly new to him, but he has seen plenty of them played in the Last Dance. Set enjoys the way the cards flow together, the snap of their bodies against one another or the table below; the ones he has with him are of particular delight, with their meanings and faceted uses. His fingers are pale, free of the gloves he's worn in this cold place, as he cuts and shuffles - stepping closer to Sebastian.

There is a nice, sleek patch of ice for them to play upon. ] Satisfied, or left more curious than ever!

[ He cuts the deck once, twice, and then sets it between the two of them, settling down upon his knees. I'll begin, he proposes, and pulls the top card of the deck: IV (4), The Emperor. Reversed. How telling! ]

I begin at a deficit.

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian takes his seat comfortably as well, if prim. He thinks about conjuring a table or something for them to sit more luxuriously but decides against it. It feels showy, for one, but he’s a bit more aware of using his abilities so casually here. With the pressure of the fatigue he’s pointedly ignoring, it seems unwise.

He draws his own card, and I fucking shit you not THIS IS WHAT I GOT, HELP. It immediately makes Sebastian’s eyes light up in nothing short of delight as he laughs and places it down delicately in what will become his own pile. ]

Well, well. My favorite card to start. If nothing else, I shall call that good fortune.

[ He gives Set a little nod to draw, but since the cards came much later, he’s curious. ]

Have you learned anything about divination with the deck? Cartomancy has been a staple of humanity, really, but I do believe tarot is my favorite.

[redsoil]

[ i cannot believe their game is Metaphorically telling already, bc i am rnging these things

As Sebastian speaks, Set is dutifully interested in drawing his next card: VII (8), Strength in the Upright position. He clearly doesn't understand their meanings, viewing them as a tool with which to play the game; he observes the names of the cards, Death, Emperor, Strength, and feels that perhaps in Isis's hands they would have so much meaning. His sister would make stories of them, as the humans would one day. It is why he lifts his head, the fall of his hair obscuring one eye, while his mouth curls into an indulgent little smile. ]

I have not, actually. I enjoyed the way they played at the Last Dance, and the jokes they would tell: I got a full house, and everyone died!, so very charming. I had heard they had meanings, but do not know them. I'm eager to learn, though. You'll teach me as we play!

[ The count? Set +4, Sebastian +13.

Emperor, Death, and Strength have been played. ]

[cutlery]

I would be happy to. The symbols and what meanings are ascribed to them are very interesting, after all.

[ For the three drawn so far, he points to each as he explains. ]

The Emperor, reversed: domination, excessive control, lack of discipline, inflexibility. Strength: strength, of course, courage, persuasion, influence, compassion. Death: endings, change, transformation, transition.

[ They’re all said simply as Sebastian recounts their meanings neutrally. There’s no need to ascribe any meaning as it’s a game of chance and numbers… But also because three is the better draw for a reading. He takes his card and flips it. ]

The Hierophant, reversed. Personal beliefs, freedom, challenging the status quo.

[ Sebastian sets it in his pile with a pleased smile, then gestures to Set. ]

There are many kinds of ways to read the cards, and it is usually at three where it begins. Shall I tell your fortune with the third, just for fun? I shall do the same with mine, naturally.

[ Set: 4, Sebastian: 8 ]

[redsoil]

[ Uaa, senpai....... ]

You're so knowledgeable, Sebastian.

[ Is it praise or hunger that puts the lovely lilt in his voice? Like Sebastian, he thinks of this as a game, a fun one with interesting stakes -- and win or lose, he feels he will learn something new from it. That he might give 'something' away is acceptable to him, provided he learns 'something' in exchange. For a moment, he touches the borders of the cards that have been revealed so far. So, they have names and meanings ascribed to them; truly, they are tools to divine with. He wonders if Isis would like them, and concludes that the god of magic and miracles might have as much fun with them as Ma'at and Thoth would. ]

-- I want to learn. [ Said, without a tremor in his voice at all.

He flips his third card, and I shit you not, it is XV (15), The Devil. Reversed.

Immediately, he bursts into laughter. Raucous and raw, his delight is palpable as he rests the card alongside the two he's already drawn. There is no need to concern himself with the idea that he may win or lose, even back at a deficit, there are more cards to be drawn. The game goes on. He's more interested in how Sebastian will read this spread for him, what meaning a demon will glean from them, using the methods created by the human mind.

( -11. ) ]

[cutlery]

[ Praise or hunger satisfy Sebastian equally. He bows his head to accept the compliment graciously, though with it, he’s thinking much the same as Set. It’s a delightful little distraction and (in his opinion) a great deal more fun than simply stealing Sand. If this Island offered bloodsport, perhaps his opinion would differ, but. In that, they’re also similar.

Fitting, then that “his” card would come up, and Sebastian joins in the laughter. ]

Dear me! I am so very glad you cut the deck, lest you accuse me of being a cheat!

[ He teases, naturally. Cheating might have been something he was considering… But now, no, he’s sure he won’t. The natural flow of the cards is too good to sully with deception. ]

And so, the Devil himself. When reversed, it speaks of releasing limiting beliefs, exploring dark thoughts, and detachment. So, all together…

[ Sebastian hums out a thoughtful, melodic note as he considers them in tandem, then looks up to Set as he explains. An interesting combination indeed for the god of war, and with how Sebastian fits the pieces together, a beautifully ironic reading from a devil’s mouth. ]

Why, the three speak to power and your relationship to it. The Emperor and Devil reversed give question. What is your power, the Emperor asks, and the Devil asks what you will do to keep hold of it. [ And even saying it, despite himself, Sebastian feels a pang of hunger that almost aches in his teeth. His promise will be kept, but with the cards posing a question like that… He does wonder. He wants to feel the taste of such determination. ] Free yourself from the chains that bind you and seize the power which you are owed, for no longer do you need to give yours away. Ah, but how?

[ He taps the Strength card. ]

Here. Strength. But despite its name, it does not mean your physical strength, for that is the Chariot, in fact. This card tells you to look within for what you need. Not blood and war, but your softer powers of influence and persuasion. Your will itself will be the sharpest tool you possess.

[ Sebastian draws back, not yet drawing his next card, as he has a feeling Set might have a reaction to that reading. It’s also one that he’s personally interested in. ]

An amusing thing, is it not?

[redsoil]

[ The cards themselves are amusing in their names, the titles they bear. Set has yet to reach into the boundless, ever-filling pool that is the shape of his existence and time and find the measure of his consciousness that would know of their meanings, and even if he was able to, he would not. It is far more fun to be exposed to the stories they tell via the mouth of another. Sebastian will tell one story, and he will demand the patrons of the Last Dance tell him another, too.

As the reading unfolds before him, however, he feels the pang of paranoia creep into him; it is a broad assumption of things, but so very precisely tailored that for a moment he feels the urge to run away, to escape the crawling, dreadful sense of eyes upon him. Osiris cannot find him here, in Kenos. He cannot play his games, cannot toy with sentiment and metaphor to drive Set to despair -- and Sebastian is a different type of creature altogether. One capable of his own games, his own machinations and wisdoms.

So, Set remains still. The flow of his hair as it fans out in the wind the only motion from him while his brow creases, expression stern and single-mindedly fixated upon the three cards laid out before him. ( 'You betrayed the humans who trusted in you'. / 'I am only doing what you taught me!' ) Power. Hunger for it. What he will do to keep it. ]

What curious things. [ He touches the edge of the 'Strength' card, all at once present and far away, in some dark place where he is the sole inhabitant. A lonely, independent thing, cast in the shape of an eternal evil. ] It's as if they possess minds of their own, bent to ma'at to confide this sentiment before our eyes. If it were not so fun, I would feel the need to ruin the atmosphere by demanding to know how much you know about me. What you may have seen in your time that I have yet to experience of my history, and how it may have influenced your words.

[ Still stern, brow heavy, he wrangles a wry smile across his face. ]

Power and I are old bedfellows, Sebastian. Perhaps this is a premonition that in time, we will be again.

[ Whatever could he mean, phrasing it that way. oh wow anyways

Oracles, divination and prophecies are part of his existence; they are real, true things that are often riddles and mysteries, spoken in circles and given as hints. These cards, he treats the same way as he would treat the word of Thoth, god of wisdom; they will be true, eventually. Sebastian will easily see it in the hungry, red shine of Set's eyes -- the addict's craving for might, for authority, for the ability to shape and deny.

And finally, he gestures, inviting the demon to draw. ]

[cutlery]

[ The stillness is telling, though what it’s telling… Sebastian couldn’t guess, really. He knows the story of the god enough to know that such a fortune likely would resonate (and perhaps that’s why he had phrased it as he had), but there’s more there. Something soft and tender. It’s like red meat to a predator, and maybe Sebastian’s pupils have dilated just a little to reflect that despite himself.

But, when Set speaks and explains slightly, Sebastian’s breathes out a little laugh, and that little bit of coiled up tension is gone. He gestures to the spread with his gloved hand, and with it his eyes drop back to the cards. ]

Well, should you be curious, I do not mind sharing what stories I have heard of you or your kin. Though still, I hold no secret knowledge. All I have heard came from humans, so in that, I am sure there are inaccuracies. It is an amusing problem I run into with my own kind, after all.

[ He plays off the more serious atmosphere with lightness and other little promises because he imagines it’s wiser to not push this. To keep it closer to his chest for when, perhaps, he knows more. Set is an enemy, after all, albeit a delightful one. Who knows when this little flicker could be a place where his claws would find purchase? ]

And, to be fair, let us see what the cards tell me—

[ The sun, upright. Sebastian again looks at the spread and nods as he pieces together a story from them, though he imagines it will be very boring compared to Set’s. ]

And the Sun, finally. Positivity, fun, warmth, success, and vitality. All and all, a rather happy, if dull reading for me. With Death, it is not the end, but the beginning of something new. It is transformation and change that is sharp and sudden, but my own inner wisdom will guide me through it. I’ve the skill I need to go forward, though it may require some creativity to move and perhaps change the structures that exist to do so. The Sun says it is the right thing to do; I shall be happier for it and good fortune shall come my way.

[ just vibe baby you’re doing great!

It puts his score at 27… But with only a few more cards he draws the Fool Upright to win and end the game, so. Cheating asshole that somehow didn’t cheat at all. Don’t play cards with demons is the lesson here. ]

[redsoil]

[ Sebastian's reading is, 'whelming. And to it, Set's response is a wry: ]

Incredibly dull. What is existence without a challenge?

[ To him, it sounds as though fate has little desire to enrich Sebastian's habitat at all. Though, that isn't to say that something or someone aside from fate might provide such opposition. He does consider the offering of stories, though his eyes narrow and roll slightly when he hears that they are from the mouths of humans; fallible things, whose histories are a bit like a game of 'pass it along', inevitably straying from the truth of things. As if they could grasp the truth of things, with finite minds and finite existences. They lived and died, and their consciousness was honed for such experiences; while Set, and Sebastian, were old and immortal -- and thus, they were built differently.

After a few more rounds, drawing his way through Lovers and Hanged Man with a hissing 'tch' and a few other cards, he holds his hand out to stop Sebastian from drawing any further cards the moment that he lays down the Fool, Upright. ]

That's your win. The rules of the Last Dance's game state that the Fool has the potential to grant victory or defeat, as even a 'zero' can upset the balance of all things, no matter the score as it stands.

[ He's not upset by the loss. Really, what he's upset by is how maat has lain out some precognitive story about his relationship with power, about how his will will be his weapon. He's not stupid, he is suspicious and clever in his own way. A trickster by design, growing steadily into such a role over time. ]

-- much more fun than fighting for Sand, isn't it?

[ Coyly asked. ]

[cutlery]

So indeed! It is the sort of fortune that I am hardly worthy of, hm?

[ Sebastian responds to the wry response with a playful one of his own since he hardly disagrees. It’s also apt in its way, but it’s also not a truth he’s inclined to share. He would consider his change to be the transition of one Covenant to another, and he would indeed say that his new partnership is going swimmingly. And in that… It’s not dull at all.

But the game continues, and as Sebastian draws the Fool, he’s also surprised when that’s the win. He laughs a little in his surprise, then bows his head in gracious acceptance of the win. ]

My, my! Luck is indeed on my side today, I suppose.

[ With such a pleasant fortune and now a win at the game overall? He wouldn’t be surprised if Set did accuse him of being a cheat, but he at least has a feeling that Set knows him well enough at this point to know it’s not his first inclination. It’s not off the table entirely, of course. But for a casual game with equally casual stakes, there’s no need at all. ]

And indeed, this has been much more rewarding than Sand, at least in a sense. I am sure I will enjoy that bit of play as well, but… [ The coy question gets a coy smile in turn ] With you? This is certainly more fun.

[redsoil]

[ There may be other circumstances where Set feels the need to accuse someone of being a cheat, but this is not one of them. Like Sebastian, he is as inclined towards trickery and guile as any other; he prefers to obfuscate and mislead, disobey and defy convention. Cheating at a casual, dare I say, friendly game would be poor form.

They'll inevitably cross one another's paths when the game is of higher stakes. This is a distraction from the ebb and flow of Sand, which strikes him as precisely the sort of thing he ought to be doing. He is, after all, the god of the desert. Sand is intimately familiar to him, even in a more metaphorical sense. ( He's not very stimulated in this battle, is what it is, and has taken to operating outside of given parameters. Attacking his own team is the same as taking the time to strike playful deals with the enemy. ) ]

I agree. Had we played for Sand, I feel we would have been more inclined to a traditional competition. Something we had more sway over, with our respective skillsets. This was simply, dare I say it, for us and us alone.

[ He takes to putting away the cards, folding them together one by one into their carrying box before storing it away in his things; that he even brought a game to play to a battlefield that would serve to grant one of their sides an Oracle is -- telling of his nature. ]

Now. I owe you what you've asked for, don't I? To the victor, the spoils.

[cutlery]

Indeed. I am sure we will indulge in more traditional competition later and likely at the next island that an Oracle is found at. This one offers more peaceable solutions in the sense that bloodshed is not necessary to “win”, but...

[ Sebastian shrugs lazily as he gives a little sloping shrug. This isn’t something he’d admit to most, but he feels that Set will understand it. ]

It is also a bit of a shame for that, is it not?

[ A god of war and blood must, he imagines. Offering peaceful solutions was fine and perhaps even a good way to ease into the conflict ahead, but he’d still delight in a conflict more traditional. Though their very non-traditional one had indeed been fun! As such, Sebastian holds out his hands and cups them together in a gesture of showing that he will be careful. ]

I will be careful with your Shard, naturally. As promised, but a taste, for there is part of this that is a simpler curiosity about Shards as well. [ He snickers, then adds: ] …Or you may leave it in place, if you prefer. Though that may be a touch more intimate.

[redsoil]

It does nothing for anyone, to rely only on arguments and verbal bargains. To crush one another into submission is the only guaranteed way to assert a victory.

[ Sebastian is correct, to assume that Set understands. Peace and diplomacy are the domains of his wife, who seeks mutual understanding and even-keel bargaining with her ability to soothe and harmonize with even the most ruffled, upset individuals. Like him. He, instead, was quite insistent on announcing his desire to fight anyone and everyone who crossed his path in the mass Communion — the same one where he and Sebastian had, well. Entangled.

He does regard those cupped hands, debating briefly on the semantics of the thing.

Slyly, he tests: ] Oh? Right here and now, is that what we agreed upon?

[ It'd be a cheap way to temporarily slip free of those hands, and perhaps he only says it because he wants to see how Sebastian will react.

Wholeheartedly, he waits, with his mouth curled and eyes narrowed — as though he means it, and then he sighs a laugh through his teeth and begins to draw open his coat. To tug aside clothes underneath until his fingers hold open the barriers and leave the long fissure over his heart, red as a fresh wound, exposed. He will not take it out, as though further daring the demon to come and take. ]

[cutlery]

My, my. Clever enough pull at the little threads, are we?

[ From anyone else, it might be an expression of annoyance, but from Sebastian, it’s nothing short of pleased. He’s gotten a bit looser with his words in Kenos just as result of his word not being quite so binding, but to have it pointed out… He’s no less pleased. It’s clear in how his eyes retain their smile as his expression shifts to be slyer in return. ]

Well, I do not need to insist on now, true… But I would say in its stead, I may demand my debt be paid at a later date. I leave that choice up to you.

[ In that, it’s also clearly his response to Set’s dare. He can take now or he can take later. It’s coy and dangerous all at once. He also expects that Set will enjoy that. ]

[redsoil]

[ Had Sebastian's tone been anything but pleased, Set might have been insulted by it. He prides himself more on his intelligence and trickery than anything else, despite his loud claims of being the mightiest and strongest of the Ennead; battles are won by brains, after all. And it's fun to continue to duel, even after a winner has been decided between them. ]

You seem diminished on these isles, compared to others. Are you sure you want to wait? You might enjoy a little pick-me-up, if you like the taste. If you don't and get sick, well. Poor thing.

[ He doesn't move, holding his shirt open with an arched brow. Why! Must he lower a hand to pat his knee, as if summoning the demon to take his taste? If anything, the god is fearless. No, he is hungry in his own way. For knowledge, for experience. ]

I'd rather pay my debt to you now, as it frees us for another game later.

this feels nsfw so i'm marking it nsfw

[cutlery]

[ The lighthearted game of terms and conditions is one that Sebastian is happy to play. Like Set, he deeply enjoys being able to be clever and have a battle of wits where every word and tone is made with intention. It’s fun, and that’s all there is to it, at least in this case.

It’s why Set’s words surprise him. There’s a look of sharp surprise that’s very briefly closer to bristling than anything else. Sebastian enjoys his games of words, but his strength and his power were also very, very dear to him. He’s wanted to keep that weakness quiet and been able to put on more of a show of normalcy than most other Stargazers could manage. There’s no worse insult than being called weak.

That sudden surprise softens into a smile, but it’s razor sharp. Set’s teasing found its mark in this much more deftly. As Sebastian steps closer, it would surely make a human’s hair stand on end. An instinctual fear of an animal facing down a predator. He doesn’t expect that from Set, though. ]

Dear Nb Set…

[ His voice is all dulcet, dark honey as he steps into Set’s personal space, and a hand is set delicately on Set’s chest as if to steady himself. He dips down with languid slowness, but his eyes remain on Set’s. It’s dangerous and provocative all at once. And if Set weren’t very fun to play with… It would surely be a different conclusion. ]

I shall consider those words a debt as well. But that shall be paid when we truly trade blows. Because indeed, I would like to play with you as long as possible.

[ It’s a warning, and a far gentler one than he would give most, if only because he knows Set is actually capable of setting the slight aside and letting it be currency later. For now, their game is this, so Sebastian breaks the eye contact to instead take a good look at Set’s Shard. Like all of them, there’s something lovely and grotesque about it all at once. There’s something wrong about such an ethereal meal made physical, but… It does allow him this.

There’s not a hint of hesitation or shame as Sebastian opens his mouth. He draws his tongue across Set’s Shard with as much greedy, lascivious slowness as Set will allow. He does mean it when he says he only wants a taste of the god’s soul… But that doesn’t mean he won’t indulge in drawing out that flavor all the same. ]

im so glad we all were expected to know what our characters' souls tastes like

[redsoil]

[ Certainly, his heart leaps. To have found a sensitive little place among all of Sebastian's enviable composure is akin to striking a satisfying wound on a rival, a playmate. To nudge wickedly against it is to toy with his own experience in being on the receiving end of 'weakness', skirting around the edges of it deftly without looking twice into the dark basis that held every insult and injury he'd ever received. He utters a delighted little oh! at the sharpness that comes to Sebastian's gaze, the edge of his smile.

For a moment, he expects a blow and it would be proudly received, at that. It's like scoring a point in the game he hopes could be endless between them. He's not had anyone like this in his life, clever and shrewd in ways that truly keep him teetering on the edge — caught somewhere between feeling so very wise and so very inexperienced. ]

I'm as keen on the decadence as I am the blood on the floor, Sebastian. I look forward to it.

[ He knows what he says, as the demon takes stock of the thing embedded within his body. The evocative image of a tattered hole over his heart, as though nothing were left to it at all but the wound; the soul and the heart, the mind and the personality — all existed as elements of the soul, and he hasn't stopped to wax philosophical on his own shard, nor the nature of them. Not yet, he hasn't had the time or the desire, after all. How does a god's soul become so compact, when it is as vast as existence itself? Their conversation about the lacking fullness of their beings lingers in the back of his mind.

For a small thing, there is a lot to it. Like dipping a curious finger into a dark pool of water and immediately knowing it goes on forever; there is a faint bitterness to it, the edges of something once full-bodied and rich gone to tatters from rough treatment. The pressure building in the ears as a thunderstorm builds heavy and low in the distance, the silken slide of fine grains of sands being carded through sensitive fingers. A single burst of wrath like a ripe fruit, the hint of that dark coil of Set's divinity kept so far from him; the potential of his evil. Wrath, bleeding spite, irascible resentment and oh, there is something possibly lovely in the tarnish, too —

It's the last thing Sebastian might taste, since he's taking his sweet freaking time. But it's only a taste. There's so much more in there, undoubtedly. A god is the soul, too. ]