[center] [h1][b][u][color=yellow]Karamir[/color][/u][/b][/h1] & [h1][b][u][color=wheat]Chopstick Eyes[/color][/u][/b][/h1] [/center] [i]Before the construction of the city.[/i] [hr] Before departing the Kick, Karamir had decided to pay his respects to an old friend… And so he found himself flying into the mists of the Feasting Forest. Although he was above the treeline, the fog made navigation difficult, and he soon realized this was an utterly stupid idea. He had no reliable way of finding the destination he sought, so he had instead resolved to carry on. Eventually he would fly all the way through the Forest, and out the other end. Besides, he could always find some other way to contact… A large shape came into view, mostly obscured by the fog, and just barely visible. His eyes widened, and he willed the ship to a sudden halt. [color=yellow]“Shit…”[/color] he gasped, his hands shaking somewhat as he pulled them from the wheel. It was the Official Pagoda, he had realized. And the bow of his ship had been mere inches away from colliding with it. A startled- presumably- Lanternhead on the balcony made what might have been eye contact, then ‘back up’ motions with its hands. Awkwardly, he placed his hands back on the wheel, and slowly began to reverse the large metal vessel. Backpedaling awkwardly through the cloud bank seemed to shove a clear gash into the fog, revealing gardens that were still familiar after their endless remodelling. Something like a swarm of fruit flies was clustering around the winged ship’s hull, carrying dots of light, sounding like a metallic beehive. Chopstick Eyes stood on a motionless kite, her fingertips on her temples, her eyes wide enough to provide for an entire sushi festival. Karamir released his grip on the wheel, looked toward her, and then slowly waved. [color=yellow]“Hello?”[/color] he greeted her in a tentative voice, before his gaze briefly snapped to the building he had almost collided with. [color=yellow]“Um… sorry about that. The fog makes it hard to see.”[/color] The goddess exhaled a very large breath. Her fingers made pinched gestures. [colour=wheat] “Have you considered...”[/colour] Then pointed up. [colour=wheat]“Flying [i]above[/i] the cloud?”[/colour] [color=yellow]“That would probably be safer,”[/color] Karamir acknowledged, and then bowed his head slightly. [color=yellow]“Again, I am sorry.”[/color] [colour=wheat]“It’s fine. You could’ve made a real dent in… whatever that thing is. Big metal bird? So long as you don’t come around from the other side, that’s where the generator kites...”[/colour] She shrugged a big ‘oh well’, and all was forgiven. [colour=wheat]“Meet you on the top floor! You can have the proper view.”[/colour] Again Karamir gripped the wheel, and again the ship moved, although this time instead of going forward or backward, it rose. Once the fog was cleared, the staggering height of the Abacadarium made itself known. It was as if all the landmarks that should have occupied this region had been conglomerated into one, leaving the forest barren of navigational aid elsewhere, and comically well-marked in this one spot. It was busier than Karamir remembered, with swarms of incoming and outgoing Spitfires dancing around, and a whole new array of big kites somewhere to the left. After a few seconds, Chopstick clambered up onto the viewing gallery, huffing. [colour=wheat]“...Stairs. Damn, Karamir! You’re doing well for yourself! Look at this thing!”[/colour] She made big gestures to the vehicle. [colour=wheat]“That thing’s a- Hatchling transistor? How do you say it. A chick magnet!”[/colour] Karamir had no idea what a magnet was, so he simply shrugged in response. [color=yellow]“I think it’s called a ship,”[/color] he said. [color=yellow]“I haven’t given it an actual name yet. I didn’t build it alone, though - Abanoc helped me.”[/color] Choppy started to bubble some speech and stalled halfway. [colour=wheat]“...[i]Abanoc[/i] helped you? Not Shengshi? Abanoc?”[/colour] Her sticks focused. [colour=wheat]“It is less fancy than Shengshi’s. More sporty. Abanoc, huh… East of here?”[/colour] Karamir nodded. [color=yellow]“There’s a platform with a book on top of it. That leads to his sphere.”[/color] Chopstick tapped her scarred lips with a finger. [colour=wheat]“That… checks out. I hadn’t been… Hm.”[/colour] She waved a dangly arm and a pumpkin-headed robe turned to her. [colour=wheat]“Gourdface, compile everything we have about that one place that sees the stars. As for you-”[/colour] She waved her other arms. [colour=wheat]“This thing is, very clearly, the Humungus Karamirific Aero-Megambulator.”[/colour] [color=yellow]“The Megambulator… that works,”[/color] Karamir said with a smile. He stepped away from the wheel, and flew over to the balcony on which Chopstick Eyes stood, landing next to her, or maybe crashing into her. It was hard to tell given how soon he was hugged. [colour=wheat]“Karamir! Long time. You smell… Bigger. You have a big smell.” [i]And like Abanoc.[/i][/colour] She filed that scent away in her messy dorm room floor of a brain, and didn’t try to categorise the others. Rain, sea, wet dog, the unnamable sensation of being whole but for one thing… the usual travel smells. Karamir lightly hugged her back. [color=yellow]“Well… I did recently become a demi-god...”[/color] he revealed. Chopstick stared, cocked her head slightly. [colour=wheat]“Is that like a demi-glace?”[/colour] Karamir blinked in confusion. [color=yellow]“Uh… I don’t think so? It means… that I’m a lesser god, basically. I can create things, but I’m not as powerful as the original ones. I need to claim Kalmar’s sphere if I am to become a full god.”[/color] [colour=wheat]“Ah, an heir. Got it. That sounds like some magical, heavenly bullspit.”[/colour] She tapped the side of her head and thought herself awfully clever for making the connection. [colour=wheat]“Can’t much help ya, but if anyone tries to tax the bequest, leave them to me. I’m sure I can find some loopholes on the estate.”[/colour] [color=yellow]“Well… thank you for offering,”[/color] Karamir said, unsure of how anyone could tax anything in this context. [color=yellow]“So um… you are aware that Kalmar is dead?”[/color] A shrug. [colour=wheat]“I am now, I guess. I dunno, I never met the guy. The clone told me a bit about him.”[/colour] She softened. [colour=wheat]“I hope it wasn’t bad, or anything. He sounded like a really nice dude.”[/colour] Karamir nodded solemnly. [color=yellow]“It was bad,”[/color] he said grimly. [color=yellow]“But it was also what he chose. Do you remember that incident not too long ago? Where all those meteors began to fall from the sky? Kalmar put a stop to that. He fought the creature responsible for it, and it wounded him. In the end, he decided to let himself die so he could pass his godhood onto me.”[/color] Chopstick held a knuckle under her chin for a fair while. [colour=wheat]“...I think I owe you. As his heir. The shit that came here, the rot… It’s hard to see through the clouds, but there’s still a meteor on yon hill that I had to bat off, and the lamps are still hunting monsters in the south. It was fun, but I guess I didn’t take the worst of it. Haha...”[/colour] she trailed off. [color=yellow]“A lot of people suffered,”[/color] Karamir said. [color=yellow]“I can tell you the full story, if you have time.”[/color] [colour=wheat]“I love stories! Let’s sit somewhere nice, I want to see your metal bird. Gourdy! Bring pillows and send for Streetbulb.”[/colour] Chopstick clapped her hands, and the gourd-faced lanternhead, who had only just finished making it up the stairs, paused for a second, then slowly turned and went back down. [hr] The ‘Megambulator’ was unfurnished, so Karamir more or less chose a room at random, where they sat on the large, glossy silk pillow lugged out with some difficulty by ‘Gourdy.’ Streetbulb, a frail-looking thing with a shaded glass orb for a head, stood in the corner with an easel. Karamir looked somewhat uncomfortable as he began to retell the familiar story. He began with the story of Orvus, and how the God of Desolation had created two daughters: Arya and Laurien. Laurien had fallen in love with a woman named Silver, but Silver was a fragment of the Goddess Li’Kalla, and Orvus had needed to kill her in order to see Li’Kalla restored. In retaliation, Laurien tried to kill Orvus. But her actions awoke a creature within Orvus, named Abraxus, who took Orvus prisoner. Instead of warning anyone about this new threat, and afraid that she would be discovered, Laurien took half her people and fled to the Dragon’s Foot, abandoning Arya and all the rest. Choppy perked up at the name, putting threads between threads in the ever half-finished tapestry of her memory. Laurien settled in the desert, and somehow, they built a city. [colour=wheat][i]A city named Laurienna,[/i][/colour] thought Chopstick, [colour=wheat][i]with more starry people, and burning hair.[/i][/colour] [color=yellow]“Ten years later, I came across that city - it was shortly after I left you, actually. Laurien welcomed me in, but there were signs that not everything was right; I was just too naive to see them. Eventually I learned that there was some sort of power struggle there: the people were oppressed, and they kept rising up in an attempt to overthrow their leaders. People died on both sides every time they tried.”[/color] Streetbulb’s soft, distant scratchings at his easel paused, and he turned a new page. [color=yellow]“I thought this was unnecessary, so I asked if there was another way to stop it. Laurien insisted there was no other way, but I doubted that. I suggested going to Abanoc - he sees everything, so he might know something that she didn’t, and that might have a solution. But Laurien was afraid that in going to him, I would discover what had happened with Orvus and Abraxus… so she tried to have me killed.”[/color] He lifted his shirt to reveal the scar where he had been stabbed. [color=yellow]“They almost succeeded. But when I refused to die, Laurien instead chose to decay my soul.”[/color] [colour=wheat]“Oh jeez,”[/colour] Chopstick knew what kind of thing left god-scars by now, or special-mortal-scars. [colour=wheat]“That got kind of intense fast.”[/colour] [color=yellow]”I managed to escape, and my cloak carried me to safety… to the Eye of Desolation, where Arya lived, and where Kalmar’s Avatar - the one who made the cloak - had been visiting.”[/color] Chopstick wondered if Penelope was still there. It didn’t sound like a nice place for her. [color=yellow]“While I was unconscious, the meteors began to fall. Abraxus was trying to destroy the world. Kalmar went to stop it. He fought Abraxus off, then freed Orvus and put a stop to it, only for Abraxus to return and catch him off guard. Arae and Ashalla intervened, but it was too late - he was already wounded. Orvus gave up his divinity to weaken Abraxus, and Ashalla killed it.”[/color] [color=yellow]“Meanwhile, I had awoken from my injuries - Shengshi had healed me, at some point. But I had lost much of my memory, and my personality was… different. Arya was trying to help me remember things, but we were interrupted. A creature named Vrog came to the island, and he brought an army of monsters. He threatened Arya to get information, fought her, cursed her, and nearly killed her.”[/color] Both Gourdface and Streetbulb turned their heads very slightly to Chopstick, who did not return their looks, nor move any other muscle that mattered. Her cheek twitched. [color=yellow]“But Abanoc intervened, and convinced Vrog to leave - but he still left his beasts behind, who went on to kill many of Arya’s people. Abanoc then fixed my soul and left. Not too long after, Kalmar was brought to me… wounded and dying. Instead of finding some way to save himself, he decided to allow himself to die, by passing his godhood onto me.”[/color] Karamir shrugged wearily. [color=yellow]“And that’s how it happened,”[/color] he concluded. Chopstick’s fingertips had gone to her forehead, and she was resting her oversized head against them, feeling heavy in the pillow. She pulled out one of her sticks and threw it at Streetbulb. It pinned itself to his robe, and she could still see a little from it, looking at sketches on his easel. The scenes of Karamir’s story were preserved as he had told them, last touches still falling onto paper like leaves in the autumn. Karamir strode through the world in a string of his familiar poses, patient and strong and ever watching a world he did not fully know, falling and thrown into strange cities and distant islands. They were cities drawn by a creature who had never seen cities, and people drawn by a being who had known a very different people. Everything was somehow lantern-ish, from the loosely candle-like visage of Arya and Laurien to the muted rays of the sun, and the texture of skin and god-might and lines of motion and sound was drawn like folds of fabric flying about in the wind. Laurienna resembled a collection of very small Abacadariums. The gods all looked rather much like Karamir or Chopstick or both, except for Vrog, who was depicted perfectly. Karamir’s eyes narrowed. Chopstick still did not look up. [colour=wheat]“...Is Arya still… in the Eye of Desolation? Do you think she’ll be alright?”[/colour] The mention of Arya brought his attention back. [color=yellow]“She is,”[/color] he nodded. [color=yellow]“But I’m sure she’ll contact me if anything goes wrong, and we have a way to recognize each other if Laurien tries to impersonate either of us again. Though… I do admit I am still worried.”[/color] Chopstick tapped her foot on the floor. [colour=wheat]“...Yeah. Arya’s sister, she’s hard to tell apart from people? How do you do it?”[/colour] Another question bubbled. [colour=wheat]“How do you think she can reach you? I’d… like to know.”[/colour] [color=yellow]“Well, the knife you gave Kalmar - he passed it on to me. If I decide to teleport it to Arya, and it doesn’t show up in her hand, then I know the one I’m talking to is an imposter,”[/color] Karamir explained. [color=yellow]“I can contact the real one through prayer, since we’re both demi-gods. It’s… not ideal, but I have a plan that might bring us both together.”[/color] Chopstick pushed a very difficult smile through closed lips. [colour=wheat]“Mmm! Very not ideal. Mm.”[/colour] Could gods pray? Maybe she could recognise Arya by smell. Maybe she needed to go travelling east as soon as possible. [colour=wheat]“Is the plan a secret plan?”[/colour] He shook his head. [color=yellow]“Not particularly. I did some thinking, and I realized there was a pretty big problem with this world: all the people, they’re spread too far apart. They have all these different ideas and concepts. If I get them in one place, they can share those ideas with each other, and they can work to protect each other. So, I’m going to build a city. Not like Laurienna, or that place Li’Kalla’s followers built - I’m not going to make the same mistakes they did. I’ll do better, and then I’ll bring people to live there.”[/color] This was an excellent idea! Chopstick forgot the bulk of her concerns immediately. [colour=wheat]“Oh wow! Do you think you have a location for them yet? Make it big! Then we get you and Arya and V- and all the other cool interesting people all in one place and have a party. And I can finally meet all these interesting people!”[/colour] It would do her clone some good to sit still here and mind the office for once, too. Karamir seemed like a responsible guy, he could probably pull it off, like he did the moving sky house. [colour=wheat]“Does Arya know?”[/colour] [color=yellow]“She knows,”[/color] Karamir said, before his expression became troubled. [color=yellow]“Although… she doesn’t know if she wants to go, yet. She’s worried some of her people won’t want to leave the Eye, and if she leaves them behind they won’t have any protection. I can only hope that I can convince all of them… or that she decides to go anyway, though…”[/color] his voice trailed off. Chopstick waved a hand. [colour=wheat]“She’s not their babysitter, is she? If a few of ‘em don’t wanna come, they can handle themselves. And if they can’t handle themselves, I can put them on a private security contract. Arya sounds like she’s doing pretty well for herself, she can afford it.”[/colour] Shrug shrug. [colour=wheat]“She should at least visit, give the place a look once you’ve done it up, make up her mind better. Phase one, huh?”[/colour] He nodded slowly. [color=yellow]“I’m sure she’ll visit, at least. I hope. You’re welcome to come by too, after it’s been built.”[/color] A nod. [colour=wheat]“I will, if I can… get the paperwork. You’ll have to tell me where unless you want to take me blindfolded, though.”[/colour] [color=yellow]“On the plains of Kalgrun, where the largest river spills into the sea,”[/color] Karamir answered, and Choppy thought, [i]Shengshi![/i]. [color=yellow]“I’ll let you know if I change my mind.”[/color] [colour=wheat]“Or don’t, I’ll puzzle it out,”[/colour] said Chopstick, poking her tongue out. [colour=wheat]“Does this place have a kitchen? The boat.”[/colour] He shook his head. [color=yellow]“It doesn’t even have furniture,”[/color] he admitted. [colour=wheat]“I’ll fix that. You’ll be transporting mortals soon, they’ll need to eat,”[/colour] said Chopstick, putting on the chef’s hat that emerged from her pocket, its puffy white peak scraping the ceiling. And she did. [hider=Traffic cones required] Karamir takes his airship across the Kick and decides to pay another visit to Choppy’s headquarters on the way. Navigating the foggy Feasting Forest is difficult even airborne, and he finds his way to the Abacadarium by nearly bouncing his boat off it. Alpha Choppy greets him warmly, noticing but not recognising the scent of other gods on him, and his demi-godhood, which he explains. They discuss the airship, which is nicknamed the Megambulator, but the origin and nature of Karamir’s divinity bears more explaining. They sit down on board to go through the recent history of Kalmar’s death, Abraxus and his role in the meteors and chaos of recent memory, Karamir’s adventures in Laurienna, his later injuries and interactions with Arya, Vrog and Abanoc. Some Lanternheads record the story. Karamir shares how he plans to discern between Arya and her sister and Chopstick is uneasy with the idea of impersonations. He also shares his plans for a great city on the coast of Kalgrun. Chopstick is thrilled by the idea and wants Arya to join in, her people on the Eye of Desolation be damned, but can’t herself visit unless someone else is taking care of the office. Choppy spends [b]1 Might[/b] outfitting the Megambulator for an infinite buffet for a potential human crew and passengers. [/hider]