⏳ 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

[settingup]

[ There's a number of horrible ways that a person could kick the bucket, but going out by freezing to death and/or suffocating in a shitty water tunnel seems like it should be near the top of any list. Atsumu absolutely hates it the moment he jumps in the water after Amos, and hates it the entire swim through that short tunnel.

But he hates it even more once he finally emerges from the water, and his teeth immediately start chattering. It's funny, but right now he kind of wishes he was a worse swimmer than he was, because it would mean a few seconds longer before having to deal with this.

Shit fuck shit!!

As he speaks his voice stutters and shakes in a way that his player refuses to type out on top of his already existing accent. ]

Let's grab whatever's in this room, and figure out if it's any good after we get back to some dry clothin'.

[ He's scrambling through the blessedly mid-sized chamber, trying to find things that he doesn't have to use Sand to unfreeze. ]

[baltimores]

[ The freezing air feels like it's sticking onto his skin, like the beads of water still on him are about to freeze into ice crystals and just stay there, clumping all over him. Amos grits his teeth and shivers; this sucks so bad. ]

Don't gotta tell me twice.

[ Satisfied that they're both as alright as they're gonna be, Amos turns to the opposite side of the chamber from Atsumu and starts digging around there.

He's got a decent pile of jewels forming off to his side — they've gotta be worth something eventually, right? Not here where everything is survival mode, but maybe after — when Amos comes across a thick, soft blanket. It feels like heaven against his fingertips; within seconds he's got it draped over his frame. Sure, it's getting a little damp now, but at least he's a lot more comfortable. And besides... ]

These bags're waterpoof, right? 'cause otherwise I feel like this thing is gonna take days to dry out, if ever.

[ Called over his shoulder, and completely unabashed about the fact that he's managed to find some source of warmth. Shit, he knows he shouldn't, but he could really just curl up in this thing right about now. ]

[settingup]

[ For a typical treasure hunter jewels are kind of the ideal, aren't they? That or the fancy looking silver decorations that Atsumu is roughly yanking free of where they're sitting, probably breaking some things in the process.

But that blanket that Amos just found? That's worth its weight in literal gold right now. Atsumu has a slightly busted looking candlestick in his hand right now (more interested in the candle that comes with it if he's being honest), and almost drops it when he turns around to see Amos bundled up all warm looking.

He feels like he's dying here, and the big guy managed to find himself a cozy blanket stash?! ]

Where'd you get that?

[ He's quickly moving to the side of the chamber that Amos is on, seeing if there are more linens or blankets lying around, and dropping his candle on the jewel pile. ]

And yeah, just seal 'em up tight enough.

[baltimores]

[ Amos simply tilts his head in the direction of the pile of shit he'd been rummaging through, now with a sizeable gap in its centre thanks to his liberation of the blanket. Like, he got it from there, dude. ]

Arright. [ He can't help but pull the blanket a little tighter around himself, trying to soak up every bit of warmth he can get here, but the fact that Atsumu has abandoned his side of the room and is scrambling his way over to him...

Amos opens up one side of the blanket, letting the cold air blast his damp skin again, but also creating an opening for Atsumu if he wants in. Kid looks like he could use it. (Shit, if Amos needs it, then so does anyone else with him.) ]

Gonna have to roll this thing up real fucking tight to squeeze it in, but should be able to manage. [ A beat. ] After we're done going through everything else here first.

[ Look, when they're packing up it'll be one of the first things he does to make sure they'll still have room for all of the other stuff, but until then... ]

[settingup]

[ Atsumu looks about ready to start rummaging through that pile on the off chance of a second blanket, and while it's something he will still do before they end up leaving this particular chamber, Amos' offer brings him up short for a moment.

Just for a very, very brief moment, before he's quickly crowding Amos' space and pressing in close. Look he's tried to cuddle up to worse people (Silco), so this really isn't so bad in comparison.

It is going to kind of get in the way of the treasure hunting, but it's nice to escape some of the immediate intense chill on his skin for a few seconds. He'll at least lift his head, and scrutinize what Amos was digging through to see if he can spot anything else that seems useful. ]

Just use something else in here to make a shitty bag for the stuff we can get wet.

[baltimores]

[ In the back of his mind, it's the trust that gets him.

Of course Atsumu should feel comfortable enough trusting him. For one thing, he offered a source of warmth directly to him. For another, they're on the same side. But there's a little buzz in the back of Amos' mind — this is good, and right, and it gives him that little bit more subconscious boost of confidence.

He looks back at his own pile of shit he'd been digging through before stepping out from under the blanket, leaving the whole thing to Atsumu. ]

Yeah, alright.

[ He's gritting his teeth against the cold again, but, fuck, the kid needs it more than he does. With a shiver he stoops low, goes back to rummaging through what he can — some more jewels, silverware??, what looks like an inexplicably still-dry book of matches, and keeps adding them to the pile he's deemed "useful" stuff just off to the side. ]

Gotta be something else in here. Some of this shit'd probably make a pretty penny back home.

[ He's freezing, yes, but short-term pain for potential future profits... He can put up with it. ]

[settingup]

[ In Atsumu's mind, Amos is an absolute fool for stepping out of the warmth of the blanket. Though more than anything he's regretting the immediate loss of extra heat being pressed up against a warm body provides. Still, he's got a blanket, so he won't complain as he wraps the thing tighter around himself, and shuffles forward towards that pile.

For his own part, he squats down next to where Amos is digging, further scrutinizing the pile being made into "useful in the immediate" like that box of matches, and "expensive junk to sell later". The one pile really does have potential future use, but as he grabs one of the bags he's prioritizing shoving the dry box of matches inside instead.

Hard to think that far into the future when you constantly feel on the verge of freezing to death in the present. ]

For all the fancy stuff they own, they sure didn't leave it lookin' nice.

[baltimores]

[ The longer he's out from under the blanket, the stupider he kinda feels, but it'll go faster with his body free... even though he is noticeably shivering again.

Fuck, this sucks. It'll be worth it later. Just gotta keep telling himself that.

(That, and Atsumu's probably a lot more comfortable now... and that part's really important, too.) ]

Nope, they sure didn't. I dunno if they just had so much of the stuff they didn't care — [ some sense of bewilderment in his voice at the idea because he grew up poor; having this much good shit is still unfathomable to him on a certain level — ] or if they had time to panic before everyone got frozen or what.

[ It's just idle musing as he digs through the pile, still more bothered by the cold affecting him than the fates of what's probably countless lives here. Some smaller gems, some coins, pearls... another book of matches, which he holds out directly towards Atsumu to put with the other one. ]

[settingup]

[ An idle thought of his own crosses Atsumu's mind wondering if it's just that they're not the first group of some sort or another to pass through here, and that earlier group were the ones to leave the mess. Sure, they might be the first Shard-bearers and all that, but there's gotta be something beyond all that creepy, gray mist... right?

He shivers at the thought, despite having that blanket wrapped around him, and shuffles a step closer to Amos, and grabs those matches to add to their collection. ]

Anything in that mess that looks like something we could melt down? 'Cause that'd probably be useful at some point, right?

[ Metals. Raw materials with actual use, which as pretty as the gems and pearls are, the coins are probably more handy. That's the direction Silco pointed him in before encouraging Atsumu to trek out here on these supply gathering excursions at any rate. ]

[baltimores]

[ All of Amos' shivering is due to the cold, everything beyond the here and now and what he can get out of it inconsequential to him. If a threat wants to make itself known, he'll deal with it then. (Will have a responsibility to the kid then too, in all likelihood.)

Though Atsumu's question does make him pause in his sorting through items, sit up that little much straighter. Makes him feel a little less cold, in its own way, getting him to focus on something else. ]

Hey, yeah. Good thinking. [ He reaches for a pouch of something, peers inside, and... more coins. Awesome. ] Some of this stuff should be real conductive once it's melted down. Probably gonna have to strain out any impurities, but we might be able to do a lot with some of this crap.

[ Some of it'll be for resale, some of it he can take back to his place. His spirit is that much brighter just thinking about it as he places the pouch in the useful pile. ]

Anything silver, copper, or gold you see, prioritize that. Still think we can haul the rest of this back with us, even if it takes a couple of trips, but that stuff's what we'll want to keep for ourselves.

[settingup]

[ Having a game plan helps, and even though Silco had instructed him to scavenge the grounds rather than opt for theft, it still seems so much easier to Atsumu to just take what's actually in the building. If it's useful metal all the better. He'll even reluctantly poke an arm out of the blanket so he can start digging through the pile himself. ]

You know how to do that? Strain out impurities from metal?

[ This is like medieval blacksmith sounding stuff to Atsumu, rather than spaceman stuff, because he's not thinking about the fact that spacemen need to use metal for all those spaceships, and might need to know about it in order to make repairs.

He finds something metallic and shiny, and pauses as he holds what looks like some sort of decorative fitting. Something is suddenly hitting him. ]

How the hell am I supposed to know what kinda metal this all is?

[ Truly the most useless member of Zenith. ]

[baltimores]

[ ... Right. When Amos was around Atsumu's age he would've already been a couple of years into an apprenticeship, but considering how he knows for a fact he and Atsumu are from very different worlds... ]

Guess. If it looks like it's something we want then act like it is. I can sort it all out after.

[ Amos shivers, sweeping his eyes over the dwindling pile before reaching out to grab... more silverware. Yeah, it'll do. ]

And yeah, I know how. Well... maybe. [ A sigh, a dip of his head in temporary defeat. ] Things're a lot lower tech than I'm used to here. I'm sure I can figure out something with what we've got here, but I gotta actually get the stuff first. I can figure it out after.

[ When they're back home; when they've got time and aren't living in shitty survivalist conditions. Amos looks back up, blinking over at Atsumu. ]

I'm thinking of setting something up for myself. Some kind of shop or place I can work or... something. [ It's the beginning of an idea; give him a month or so. ] You could always stop by, if you wanted.

[ You know. If Atsumu wants to learn more or whatever. ]

[settingup]

[ Right so... any metal is what Atsumu is getting at. He can grab things that are metal at least, he has the ability to tell that much.

As reluctant as he is to reach an arm out into the cold, he does start pawing through the pile to look for anything with a remotely shiny gleam to it, figuring that's going to be the stuff he wants for now. He's half focused on the task at hand, half listening to Amos, though he does pause to look up at Amos for that suggestion, brow furrowing in confusion. ]

What to sell you metal I find, or something?

[ Apprenticing himself for mechanical work not occurring to him, despite him having a short lived apprenticeship with a wizard before the man up and disappeared on him. ]

[baltimores]

[ The pile is getting smaller, at least. That's good. Then they can go back to the other side of the room, hopefully make quick work of that, and get the fuck back to the library.

He keeps going even as Atsumu stops, sorting through everything he can here. Some loose coins. More gems. They'll all have their place eventually, when they start loading everything up proper. ]

If you want. [ He doesn't look back up, answer casual enough. ] Or if you ever want to learn what metal's what or how to build shit. I had an apprentice once before; no reason I can't have one again, if mechanics is something you're interested in.

[ Just tossing it out there like it's the most natural thing in the world to him. Sure, why not? Atsumu's a younger Zenite; it's his job to look out for him. ]

[settingup]

[ The thoughtful frown on his face deepens as he starts back with shifting through the shrinking pile. It's still more impressive than he'd like for it to be, given their currently shivering state, but it's not like they're going to be any warmer no matter where they go in this castle. Atsumu isn't exactly looking forward to hopping back into the water either. ]

Not really.

[ His reply is a touch too honest and casual, given this is Amos' field of work. He never did learn to be tactful though. ]

Knowing types of metals could probably be useful though...

[ So maybe he could at least learn that much. ]

[baltimores]

[ That's where Amos' mind is at — he's fucking freezing, but bitching about it won't do anything, so might as well just keep pressing forward. That, and it's more important that Atsumu be comfortable. So. He can put up with it.

The haul back is going to be its own thing, but they can cross that particular bridge... hopefully soon, actually. ]

That's cool. [ There's no offence in Amos' tone; Atsumu really can take whatever path he wants. This isn't space where you need to have people around who know how to fix a ship or everyone dies. This is just life, and as long as Atsumu can make his own choices, then Amos is good. ] I can show you some of that stuff later, yeah. However much you want. It's your call.

[ He sifts through the pile a little more, but... yeah, a lot of what's left after they've combed through so much of it is garbage, huh. With a sigh Amos hauls himself back up, looking over at the other side of the room.

And, without missing a beat, ] There anything good over there you think we should still go through?

[ He can tough it out a little longer. Maybe. Probably. ]

[settingup]

[ Maybe, probably, but as selfish as Atsumu is, and he is selfish enough to let Amos endure the cold while he stays huddled in the blanket, he's not oblivious. Amos is doing a good job of acting chill, pun kind of intended, about this whole thing, but the telltale signs are all still there.

Plus the two of them had to get wet in order to get to his room in the first place. It's going to be a huge pain in the ass for everyone if the big guy is dealing with hypothermia, and Atsumu has to figure out a way to drag him and all their pilfered goodies back through the water.

So using his little walnut brain for once, Atsumu shakes his head despite not actually having done a particularly thorough investigation. ]

Nothing that worth diggin' around for. Besides, this is probably about all we're gonna be able to haul anyway.

[ So might as well call it quits, and get back to somewhere with a smidgen more warmth. ]

[baltimores]

[ Amos doesn't even realize he's shivering as Atsumu answers him, just nods in affirmation.

Fuck, though, he really is cold. There's a part of him that's relieved to hear his words, one crucial step closer to getting out of here, hauling ass back to the library and getting some goddamn clothes back on. ]

Alright. [ His voice is... well... chill, but there's an undertone of thank you to the word. ] You're gonna have to take that off, though. [ The blanket. ] Sorry. Let's get it rolled up. Sooner we've got everything packed up, sooner we're done with this shit.

[ The light at the end of the tunnel is in sight. A few more moments of suffering, and then maybe the next time they meaningfully meet up, they can be comfortably warm. ]

[settingup]

[ Augh, that's the part of this that sucks. Atsumu's face screws up in agitation at the thought of relinquishing the small bit of warmth he has, but there's nothing to it, is there?

With a deep breath he drops the blanket off of his shoulders, immediately tensing up as the cold comes seeping back into his skin at full force. ]

I'm gonna be so glad to get the hell outta this place.

[ Not just the chamber they're in, but this whole frozen palace.

Atsumu is speed rolling the blanket now, his hands shaking slightly as he goes. ]

[baltimores]

Don't gotta tell me twice.

[ Amos has already got their best, most waterproof bag open for him, ready to stuff that blanket in and draw it tight. Everything else can probably fit in their other bags, and most of it it doesn't even matter if it gets wet. And it's a short swim. They're well on their way.

Just a little... bit... more. He isn't even sure what it is that compels him to say, ] We got this, [ it just slipping out.

Maybe it really is the light at the end of the tunnel. Or just knowing that there's an after, making plans for it when they're all back home.

Maybe they do got this. ]

[settingup]

[ Blanket secured and in the waterproof bag, Atsumu is just as quickly trying to shovel their ill-gotten goods into their other bags with that same speed. The problem is the longer he's out in the cold, the more his hands shake, and the slower he does everything.

He never wants to be this cold again in his life. ]

Yeah, yeah. I hear you.

[ It's a nice pep talk and all, though Atsumu's not sure how much he believes it right now. Still, better some bullheaded optimism than needless pessimism. He'd probably toss something at Amos if he had to hear all the complaining he wants to do right how as he full body shivers.

It's a relief by the time he's tying up the last bag, struggling to get it closed around what they've found for themselves.

Though as he stands up and looks at the ice cold water, he grimaces in disgust. Only so much of a relief. ]

We really gotta jump back in that, huh?

[baltimores]

[ His fingers falter more than once as he tries to tie up and seal off their bags as best he can, and it's not like blowing on his fingers to try to warm them up does anything meaningful. But they get there, freezing and hopefully in time to avoid frostbite.

Amos shivers as he looks from the pool before them, then up at Atsumu. ]

Yup.

[ Back to the pool, and then he's jumping in — as many bags as he can feasibly swim with gripped in his hands, willing himself and his momentum to carry him through as fast as possible.

The relief he feels when he bursts his head out the other side is palpable before he slings the bags back onto the icy floor, scrambling to haul himself out and get the big one with the blanket back open, wrapped around him again.

Zero stars. This place sucks. It can stay frozen forever, as long as he never has to come back. ]

[settingup]

[ The blunt answer to the mostly rhetorical question gets a small, humorless laugh out of Atsumu. Yeah, they do, but the idea absolutely blows. Next time he wants to go treasure hunting in this castle, he's finding a room that doesn't involve an underwater tunnel to access it.

Of course, those rooms have probably already been picked through, because anyone with any sense doesn't want to do this shit.

With a deep breath, Atsumu hoists the remaining bags up, and follows Amos in that plunge, jumping into the icy water and kicking like his life depends on it. It was hard enough the first time, but having all of the metal weighing him down definitely makes the drag worse.

If he dies from hypothermia, he's going to be so pissed off. It feels like a real possibility by the time he surfaces, cursing loudly as he flings the bags out of the water, before scrambling over the edge of the pool of water himself.

Can they leave negative ratings actually? Because Atsumu would like to. ]

[baltimores]

[ Amos is there when Atsumu reemerges, blanket open and ready to absorb him into it as well. They can take a minute or two to get some feeling back into themselves, surely. Dry off a little before redressing and making their way back to the library, maybe take the rest of the day off while they're at it.

They did well here. Atsumu never should've been in a situation like this, but fuck it, they did well and it's over. Soon this is just going to be nothing more than a shitty memory...

That and the loot they managed to grab should make it better. Maybe not now, but once they're warmed back up? It'll be good. ]

aaand that's a wrap

[settingup]

[ It'll be helpful to Zenith at some point at least. That's the most Atsumu can really do right now, take some baby steps forward into proving his use, because unlike most of the others who got spared from their dying worlds, Atsumu didn't come in with useful skills already in hand.

But baby steps to getting better, and baby steps to learning to actually trust his fellow Zenites too. Amos has definitely raised himself up in Atsumu's eyes after suffering with him through this.

The necessarily physical proximity for the body heat doesn't hurt either. Hard to not feel closer to a guy after literally cuddling up to him in an attempt to avoid literally freezing to death. ]