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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by A Lowly Wretch
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A Lowly Wretch The Listless Loiterer

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The more things change, the more they remain the same.

She had hoped to get in more words to follow up on their answer to her question but she was spoken over as the discussion quickly turned towards thinly veiled attempts at seduction. Props to her colleagues for their flexibility but it was neither the time nor the place for that. The only real other merit was from her brief mentions of machines utilizing electric brains. This got her mind racing as to what possibilities such a thing implies. There was so much to learn from this place and yet she was naught but a proverbial child standing before the window of a sweets shop, tantalizing lures set within yet stuck unable to do anymore than watch before they are drug along by the arm off far from their heart's desire.

And thus she continued along after their meal, off to where they'd be staying for what qualified as 'night' in this subterranean locale. A single room with a single bed. How... Communal. While others might have more a more inter-personal/social dilemma regarding this her biggest issue was simply the lack of back support. Trypano honestly preferred to sleep while sitting or reclined, having spent many a night doing so while studying late into the evenings. Rather than join the others she slept with her back up against the metal wall, off the central platform where the rest had chosen to sleep.

_
Though it seemed their sleep was to be interrupted. Nine certainly hadn't been fully truthful with them, that much was obvious. For a species that claimed to detest death it seemed like they were quite familiar with it as they were marched as they seemed to conclude their plan and march on out to the armory. Seems this sort of conclusion is inevitable if people actually bother listening to Benedetto at any given point. How annoying.

Clad in snake armor which only seemed to loosely fit them, at least as far as their upper torso's were concerned. Even the weapons while designed for hands of a similar make to theirs were differently spaced based on the length of Sirrahi claws versus their own human fingers. Given these factors she decided to pick the weapon with the lowest skill curve out of everything presented. She didn't need to be overly familiar with either firearms or blades to lean on this tool's proposed 'highest fire rate' to compensate.

Once they exited the aura of effect these devices they used to cancel their magic it felt like feeling was returning to an intangible limb. At last she could start to feel the world as it had always felt to her, like it was meant to feel. Being a blood child she leaned a great deal more than most on her ability to understand the world through drawing. Already she was taking samples of the rock around them to better understand it's composition, to allow her to manipulate it like clay in the vast, multi-present hands that is her area of influence.

_
Already the snakes were lining them up as troops to assault the keep of their enemies, something so utterly human in circumstance it was as funny as it was pathetic. Still, Penny needed to be counted among those of theirs who return lest she be forced to admit her failure in keeping two members of their team alive, let alone the one.

"Nines, seeing we are already assisting in the extrajudicial assault on your opposing faction's facility, using weapons we're far less familiar with than our opponents, then even if you're required not to tell us how these emitters cancel out our mana functions could you at least tell us what the emitters look like so we're able to distinguish them? Perhaps even let us know what barriers limit their spread? Do walls even stop them or do they cover a designated radius?"

She levied her pointed questions to their reptilian host while simultaneously shaping the rock below up, using binding to reshape it into a waist high barrier for her to mount her gun upon. It was rather short for her, forcing her to kneel behind it in order to brace her gun properly, but her chest height was head height or possibly taller for the majority of her own colleagues and she intended for this barrier to serve others use as well, not just herself.

Waiting on their answer she waited to see what came from their facility, what targets might approach as well as what armaments they'll be returning fire with. With eyes narrowed but ever the still weary not with physical fatigue but a fatigue of patience for this mission she watched for a target to test this new weapon on.

Because Sirrahi surely detest violence right?

What a joke.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by jasbraq
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jasbraq The Youngest Elder

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Dorothea Hohnstein
von Albesatz-Danzau




Looking around the halls, only to see a bunch of fallen bodies laying around. Some look dead, others look fine enough. She really wanted to close in and help some of them to recover but Eun-Ji wished for her help and if she can save the ship she might be able to save most of the lives she put in danger. Thoughts about it being all her fault pass through her mind as the corridor now presents an even larger density of bodies. Her resolve to help turned rather dangerous as she thought to herself:

I must right my wrongs even if it may cost me my life.

Finally noticing her fellow student after a while, she steeled herself to not show any weakness in her expression. “Whatever I can do to help, I will do it.” She looked away for a little while before facing the other again. “I may not be great at magic but I do know a little Arcane magic, yes.”

She looked worried about the fact she might be of little use but however small her worth may be she needs to help. If only Karl was here… She always knew what to do… To think she has been separated from them for quite a while now. However, they’re not here so she might as well try and think about what she might do.

She spilled no words and simply nodded as the Feskan and Eun-Ji rushed through the rest of the entertainment deck, finding Leon and an unknown person. He looked to be okay enough to not really need her help, quickly making it past him to the outdoors. I would most likely make the situation worst anyway...

As they ran for the outdoors thoughts began to hit her again. Would Manfred hate me after what I've done?... He usually doesn't like stupid people.. and I am the dumbest of all... Did Carmillia really abandon me or was I just wrong with that?... Am I even worthy to be in Ersand'Enise? I haven't been able to master of the more advanced techniques... Maybe Feska would be better off without the legacy of the Hohnsteins dragging it down.. Her eyes began to show signs of sadness as even her own thoughts were beating her down. No time for that! I need to keep going.. I need to. She smacked her cheeks, making her determined face return once more.

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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Force and Fury
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Force and Fury Actually kind of mellow

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Manfred______ __ __ _ _

Manfred searched. It was all he could do, but such was the chaos and its energy that picking out two mages not actively engaged in using the Gift was a mountain of a task. In truth, the blind man beside him saw more. "You focus," the Kerreman assured him. "I'll keep guard."

More than once, people tried to interfere, often through panic and ignorance instead of malice, but there were a couple who'd meant intentional violence. One ate the but of Manfred's rifle. A second had an arm broken, courtesy of a Kastang hold. The third was put down by the powergazer, whose name his uneasy ally had already forgotten.

Then, out of nowhere, welcome words: "I have them: near the galley, rummaging through a hidden storeroom."

"Excellent," replied the youth, "then we should make haste."

The shorter man caught him by the arm and Manfred's gaze shot towards the offending hand. He belayed the instinct to strike out immediately. "They are not alone," the powergazer warned. "There is... something very large down there with them. I fear..."

Ice took over Manfred's stomach, for he knew that, in these environs, it could be only one thing: "That beast is known as the Schluckodil, and it is a maneater." He shook his head. "We will be hard-pressed to take it down, only us two. Its skin is like armour, and een its eyes. It has a protective membrane. It has something of mana as well, though only so that it cannot be attacked internally."

"So what do you propose?"

"There are a couple, perhaps three of my teammates who may be of assistance. We might stop it with enough power, tempt it outside, or else, we can bait it into opening its mouth and then my rifle may be of use, with the help of the Gift."

The blind man did not look at him, but rather through him. "This isn't some ploy to have me outnumbered?" he half-asked, half-accused.

"There are easier ways," Manfred replied, "were that my goal."

His response seemed to have satisfied his partner, and he announced that he had found at least two of them. The unlikely pair jogged once again through he chaos, though it seemed to be lessening. Still, with a forty foot beast like that thrashing about inside the Lorentine Queen, how long could things truly remain calm? How long until some less-responsible mob tried to kill it and punched a hole in the ship's side if the animal itself did not? They made all possible haste until they had reached the others. "There you are!" Manfred explained, panting and doubling partway over, hands momentarily on his knees. "We have a schluckodil in the boat. It's cornering our two Arcane mages." He shook his head. "It needs killing and it needs more than two people, or else maybe we can trick it. I do not know. I am out of ideas."
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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Medili
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Medili Connoisseur of Fine Pineapples

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Zarra analyzes the situation, while he could attempt to use his powers to shift away, he knows it’d be futile, he’s already strained himself using it and it’s failed him in situations like this before. As he considers his option, he decides the best thing to do is throw the rioters off their game with a good old fashion taunt. He charges his manas as he talks, using what time he can bide as much as possible.

“False crusaders, you don’t care if I’m a noble or not, you just beat people up. Traveler protects everyone from people like you.”

His tone of voice is condescending and inconvenienced, designed in such a way as to sound as deeply self-righteous as possible. He then turns his back on the possible assailant, smug smile still glued to his face as he knows just enraged them all with a single sentence. While they process what he said, Zarra uses the charged energy to fling a nearly hammer into the leader’s face, even if it doesn’t do any damage, it’ll definitely wound his pride. As soon as he does this, he does the only thing an exhausted skinny mage would ever do against 3 grown men; run away. He heads towards the nearest flight of stairs, intending to go to the higher parts of the ship and lose them there.

“What did you say??” Perhaps as expected, the man who was mocking and threatening Zarra earlier, who seems to be the leader, takes the condescension with anger. He is about to rush forward at Zarra, fist raised and with clear violent intent, when the hammer flung onto his face, making him flinch and hold his face from the pain. “Shit, boss, you okay??” one of the others says while the third who was stalking towards Zarra stops in his tracks.

It is then that Zarra takes advantage of the lull in their concentration and runs away. “Hey, get back here!” the first man says. “After that scum!”

The third man is the first to take action as he runs after Zarra, following him to the flight of stairs that would lead to the 1st Upper Deck. The two other men follow behind the third, while the fourth takes his time to pocket some kind of objects before trailing behind the rest. The chase is on.

At the top of the flight of stairs, Zarra continues to take full luxury of the messes the other rioters have created. He picks up a guitar and throws it down the fight of stairs, fully intending to throw the chasers off balance. While his understanding in magics outside of his specialties are limited, he does know a basic level of arcane magic, and uses it to freeze the top of the stairs, still soaked from the various leaks from the ship.

He’s breathing hard as he’s running, he looks around for a place to hide at this point, and hilariously, he chooses a women's bathroom. He can feel himself starting to get nauseous again and he has to hog the stall walls to keep his balance. He gets to a mirror, where he looks much more exhausted than he realized. Somehow, it’s mostly undamaged here, but he changes that by quietly using binding to leave cracks in the mirrors, a sinister strategy in mind. After this he goes into one the stalls and locks it then stands on the toilet holding the wall to brace himself on it. Now all he has to do is wait it out, at least that’s the best possible scenario in his mind.

The third man, who is frontmost, is hit by the guitar that Zarra throws down the stairs, though it doesn’t stop him for long as he just flinches a bit before resuming to chase after Zarra. Still, the brief moment gave Zarra enough time to freeze the top of the stairs without the man realizing it, causing him to slip on it. The man’s back hits the others that are also chasing after Zarra, and almost comically causing them all except for the fourth and backmost man to lose balance.

By the time the men manage to reorient themselves and resume the chase, Zarra is already hiding in the women’s bathroom. “Where did that blasted monkey go?? Nevermind, spread out and find him. Nobody hits me with a hammer and gets away with it!” The leader shouts, loud enough that Zarra can hear his voice though not necessarily comprehend the words, that sound muffled due to where he is hiding.

Soon enough though, Zarra can hear the door of the bathroom open followed by rather heavy footsteps coming in and getting closer to where he is…

Still believing he has the enemy fooled, he remains perfectly silent, however, he build his energy, intending to strike if the buffoon tries anything stupid. The mirror strategy is only a last ditch effort if all of them try to corner him, he can handle a single dude, even when taxed. Thinking on his feet a little, Zarra subtly binds the lock mechanism into itself, making it nigh impossible to open without shattering it, and by the time they do that he’ll already be very ready.

Only one man entered the women’s bathroom. Though Zarra couldn’t see which one, it probably doesn’t matter. The man looks around the bathroom before then mumbling to himself. “Man, what am I doing here…” Seemingly having second thoughts about searching the women’s bathroom while being a man himself, he sighs, and then starts to walk away. The sounds of his heavy footsteps are heading for the exit when it suddenly stops.

“Oh whatever. I’m already here anyway. Besides, who cares in this situation? Ha.” Then his footsteps move closer and closer again until it unmistakably stops in front of the stall that Zarra is hiding in. Almost immediately after that, the door seems to be pulled from outside, though it doesn’t budge due to the little bit of binding magic that Zarra had applied to it. The man stops pulling, and then says simply. “Hey, who’s in there? Come on out!”

Zarra nods incredulously, does he actually think that was gonna work? Being that you can’t see the Gift user’s feet from outside the stall, he’s not just gonna give himself away now. Though he’ll have to be ready for when the guy inevitably tries to view the inside of the stall.

Seeing as how whoever is inside refuses to answer his call, the man concludes that it must be the person he and his pals are looking for, which is Zarra. “Aha! Got you, you rat! Come on out now! You know you got nowhere to go! Heheh!” He starts banging on the door of the stall and pulling with all his might. The door shakes and rattles, but refuses to give away, causing the man to click his tongue in annoyance. “What the hell, what’s with this door?? Bah! Well, let’s see how it will like some hammer banging on it, ey?”

After saying that, the man starts to leave, his footsteps moving across the bathroom towards the exit.

Zarra, genuinely thinking this is a good idea, gets down from the toilet and crawls over to the other stall on the right. He then stands on the toilet of that one instead, reasoning that they’re going to get very annoyed and leave right away when they find out that guy totally cried wolf on his friends. He refuses to budge, thinking about the possibility that the guy is waiting for him outside the door. But, Zarra is a trained mage with the gift, that guy is drunk and itching to fight, it’s pretty clear cut in his mind who can wait out the other.

For a while, nothing seems to happen. After about five minutes however, the door to the bathroom opens again. In come multiple footsteps now, followed by the voice of the same man from before. “Yeah, the rat is hiding in here, boss! Did something to the door of the stall though, it wouldn’t budge!” Another voice, that of the leader that Zarra threw a hammer at earlier, replies with a snort. “Yeah? Well, let’s see what a door’s gonna do against this. Hey, gimme the axe!”

There are some chuckles from the men followed by the sound of footsteps stopping in front of the stall that Zarra previously hid in. It seems clear what is about to happen next.

Zarra actually struggles to not laugh, of all things. Regardless, he prepares his magic as while he thinks he has them fooled, he's taking no chances and prepared to turn this whole bathroom into a glass bombing.

And so the axe falls. Again, and again, and again, all the while the men cheer on their leader. “Time to give up and ask for mercy now, boy!” one of the men says, imagining that Zarra must be behind the door of the stall, petrified with fear. But then, as the axe finally breaks enough of the door for the men to look inside, they find nothing but an empty stall. ”What the- Erik, you said he’s in here!” The leader looks at the man who looked for Zarra in the bathroom by himself earlier. “I swear, he was!... Wait, maybe he’s hiding in this one instead!” the man replies while pointing at the door of the next stall. “Lemme take a look, alright?” Only now he realizes that he can just look under to make sure, and thus he goes to do just that…

"Smash" is the sound of porcelain being thrown into a man's head. While ready to once again expend magic, Zarra did not appreciate the man's attempts to snoop and throw the lid of the toilet directly at his exposed skull. Before the other 3 process the attack, Zarra steals the axe from his hands, officially arming himself since this all started, it's surprisingly heavy. He speaks right away. "I just gave him a concussion. I can keep him from long-term brain damage, *if* you let me free. This was your idea after all. Don't cry victim for defending myself".

“By Oraff! Erik!” The other men react by pulling Erik, now nearly unconscious from having his head hit by significant blunt force, away. “This kid is crazy boss!” says one of the men. Another nods frantically while putting one of Erik’s arms around his back to carry him. “He just bashed Erik’s head like it meant nothing! He’s crazy alright!”

With each passing second, the men grow more and more frantic. The leader eventually decides that the boy that they thought was a helpless kid simply isn’t worth the trouble. “Look, this is all a big misunderstanding, yeah?” he says while gesturing for his men to leave the room. “We’ll leave you alone now. Just don’t do anything rash…” Then he himself bolts as the men all retreat from the room, carrying their wounded friend with them. Zarra had managed to keep himself from being lynched by this particular mob of rioters.

Zarra finally allows himself to breathe and he leaves the stall. He actually takes off the shirt because at this point it's more trouble than streaking half naked. Being his size, one can clearly see his ribcage and other likely unappealing parts of torso anatomy. He checks the corner of the bathroom, making for sure the coast is clear.

The earlier goons are nowhere in sight. While of course the general chaos remains as the riot continues throughout many parts of the ship, it doesn’t seem like there’s any obvious threat that is targeting him around. Of course, that might change for whatever reason considering the general disorderly situation, but for now the coast is looking clear indeed for Zarra to proceed.

The scrawny character exits the bathroom and proceeds to steal the clothing of the nearest person of similar size to him. As Zarra takes the shirt from the bloodied guy, he can’t help notice a giant axe wound in his leg, “Unfortunate” is all Zarra can really muster aloud as he wonders how sloppy of an axe user you have to be to hit someone’s lower body.

The shirt he took has an obvious bloodstain on it, but he doesn’t really care and puts it on anyway, replacing the staff uniform he had asked Hugo for previously, he wouldn’t have needed to if a certain 2 people had actually done their jobs quelling the riot, not considering the fact he had basically bullcrapped to their faces that he’d help with that. Regardless of the state of the ship now, Zarra leaves the axe in the bathroom, thinking it'll be more suspicious to just ominously carry it around. Eun-Ji and Manfred probably already ended the meeting, seeing as he was gone for easily several minutes. Still, it doesn’t hurt to try, maybe he’ll run into one of the other students and join in whatever task they were assigned.

Zarra goes back to the hallway he had ran through, ready to track down the other- Woops. Someone forgot they had frozen the top of the stairs. Zarra had put his full weight into the step, causing his whole leg to slip off and collide with the next step. What happens next isn’t pretty. Zarra goes down face first, having failed to brace his fall with his realigned ankle. It stuns Zarra for a second, and he starts rolling down the stairs. Rather than using some sort of complex levels of logic, as one tends not to do when falling down a flight of stairs, he puts all mental energy into becoming intangible a final time, his last thought being that at least he’ll be safe. Not really understanding the repercussions of this, Zarra manages to defy all exhaustion and become incomporial, and now falling downwards from momentum and into the lower floor of the ship. Zarra goes unconscious from the sudden jolt to the head and mana depletion, still falling.

While Zarra had been out cold for several minutes, He wakes up with a splitting headache. Despite the deeply complex nature of the human brain, Zarra had taken the time to learn how to replace synapses and undo concussions, as he relies on his own intelligence so much that healing the brain always interested him more in classes, well, the ones he wasn't kicked from anyway.

As one could guess from his antics in this mission, Zarra is a problem child. His grades are incredible, but it came at the cost he was always the center of some crazy scenario he created. For example, Zarra incidentally caused a school fire after sarcastically telling a less bright student to "Put sodium in the pool" or when had shifted into the basement of another school without permission and found less than savory things they kept under there.

After relieving himself of the headache, Zarra tries to see where he is… Only, he can't. It's nearly pitch black and he can't do a single bit of ship movement. He ultimately decides to just go back to reality. This was a mistake. Zarra had found himself at the bottom of the river, water pressure and lack of oxygen striking him like a truck. He panics, but remembers a life saving technique taught in elementary binding and chemical class. By turning 2(H2O) into O2 4H+, aka stealing the oxygen from the water and turning it into a breathable bubble around you, you can extend your breathing time for as long as your RAS can allow.

This has the unforeseen side effect that the water above him literally starts boiling as hydrogen gas is released from underneath. Now Zarra just needs to get back on the boat while in croc infested waters. Riveting.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Ti
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Ti Memento mori.

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Jocasta @Force and Fury, Yalen @pantothenic, Ysilla @Pirouette, Zarina @YummyYummy, various NPCs.
Event: Hugo's task | Location:Tethered Refuge, Torragonese High Desert.




Dreams. Dreams have the power to affect the world around us. They reflect the unconscious thoughts, the realities we experience. They may be bizarre, they may be scary, they may be joyous. For this lion club, it happened to be all three.

Her close friend Ysilla had to return to the academy, whilst she didn’t speak much, her silence did lift the room. Her presence was heartwarming, that smile she gave when she saw you looking towards her always made Ayla bemused. She wasn’t able to say goodbye, with Ysilla reported to be in some medical emergency, but she hoped that wasn’t the last she could see of her. A letter was left behind, but that seemed to be not enough. The rhythmic Tick Tock from the dream being the final words shared between them.

Did dreams predict the future? Does the mind's eye reach a temporospatial plane or do dreams simply reflect the patterns our unconscious mind informs us about.

Ayla looks out towards the yellow sea, dreaming of home as she plays upon her flute. One step in front of another as she gracefully walks along the walk balancing. With a hurried step she moves to a hop and prance, the sweet melody fills the air. The music flowing like the tide of the sea, the ebb and flow cast upon the refúgio. The sound being her stage as she performs.

Her steps were as light as air, as they danced upon the music, the notes ringing out as she danced over the sand dunes, her mind lost in her thoughts. She contemplates how she had to constantly be positive for the others despite the fears and dread she experienced herself. To be cast aside to the far flung deserts, far from her home, to be met with the wild dangers within the last 48 hours that far exceed her fear of the spider in the bath-tub. Her mind turns to the friends she has made along the way. Seeing Jocasta, the blonde girl who smiled for the first time sincerely for the longest time. Confidence grows in Kaspar as he starts feeling like he belongs somewhere. Zaz being as sassy as ever, but showing that kindness and openness underneath. Yalen developing from a meek boy and showed bravery for the first time.

As she looked back towards the refúgio, thinking upon the memories that were made, she was surprised at how small it looked. The moment of realisation came as she fell, Sound Platforms. The puff of powdered sand cast up in the air as she lands, unscathed.


Montage



Sound. Sound is vibration. Sound is the movement of air, liquid, and solids. It is perceived by the ear. It can reach soundless pitches. This is something she will learn to master.

Ayla raises her hands up as the sand around her starts to vibrate. At first, this was very minor, the sand seeming to shift lightly as she started to increase the amplitude, which increased the loudness and strength of the sound waves as the sand started to bounce upon the floor. She moves her hands as she alters the direction, causing the sound to concentrate upon certain areas, creating patterns upon the ground below her. She increases the speed of the sound, showing how the affected areas grow and shrink in their size. Her hands push and pull together as she changes the wavelength of the sound, changing the pitch of the ‘music’ around her. She increases the frequency as the changes blend together, creating more sound. Ayla concentrates the sound, increasing its intensity in the area, the grains clump together in a sphere-like pattern, the sand spitting up into the air moving in a liquid manner similar to that of a lava lamp.

The sound pressure increases as she feels the world become heavy around her, her body starting to feel significantly heavier causing her to release the magic, and thus the sound, causing an eruption which sends her flying backwards across the soft sand.

Ayla lays back upon the sands as she stares up into the sky. The theory session has completed, she has gotten a grip of the variables she needs to control and how they feel through her manas. This is something she has been doing for years, but breaking down the components was new, visualising and controlling the variations directly rather than instinctively, turning them into building blocks of her very own brand of sonic magic.

Starting small, she concentrates sound together. This is likely to be the most difficult part as she tries to find shapes that work. Flat shapes worked best, compared to bumpy, though parabolic shape concentrates sound, and conic shapes for projecting sound. As she is trying to concentrate it together, forming it into a ball of sound, perhaps a Sonic-Sphere is the best shape for sound consistency as the waves are re-concentrated into the centre. Another concept was the formation of sheets made of held-air which trap sound between them, akin to double glazing, called Sonic-Sheets did appear to offer promising results as well..

Time to experiment with these. Using the balls of sound, she casts these with her hands towards the sand in a linear line. Each flick of her wrist causes the sand to erupt from the ground as if she was firing bullets into it. She mentally writes down the basis of this as Sonic-Shots.

With the sheets, these seem better for static uses. After putting one up and throwing her shoe at it, she watches as the shoe appears to bounce off as the musical note rings out, though breaking upon contact. With the reflection, she draws parallels with a shield, dubbing this one Sonic-Shield. Implementing this concept upon the ground, she steps upon it, causing her to be pushed upwards and end up falling backwards. As she lays there, she recalls when she was unintentionally doing it earlier, using soft light steps and dancing along the platforms as they gave her a lift. She makes a mental note for Sonic-Steps to be the other concept to expand upon.

After the training out in the Desert, she makes her way back. Time to get to work.


Refúgio


The hours and meal times pass as she begins her various duties around the refúgio. She has now met the new students, each of them peculiar characters, and the less said about the yasoi girl, the better. Between helping the tethered children with their magic practising, supporting with the chores, and the late night practising of her own magic, things have been busy.

As Laëlle brought news of the Duque’s arrival, Ayla uses the opportunity to find her friend and begin to discuss the plan for when he arrives. There are going to be some difficult conversations ahead.





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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by jdh97
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jdh97 Hopeful

Member Seen 1 yr ago

Vieri

Vieri hated crows. When a crow came with a letter one day, Vieri actually had reason to. (See collab with Pirouette and Tackytaff)

The heat was not the most oppressive thing in the refuge. That came forth in the quiet spaces, when you could hear the ghosts.

Jo seemed in control, old beyond her years. Vieri was seen to their room. It only took half an hour to make everything as it should be. Getting the angle of the bed right was hardest, as always, but as a final groaning nudge aligned it, the room became a place Vieri could relax.

So of course the mealtime bell called them away.
A Blank Canvas
A collab with @Ti featuring Ayla and Vieri
In which there are misunderstandings, the past is spoken of, a good excuse is found to paint, and Ayla is tempted by a Dockhand at the end


Quiet Reading
A collab with @YummyYummy featuring Zarina and Vieri
In which all debts are pardoned, limits are exceeded, the Royal Sand Worm's demise is made certain, a Chupacabra is slain in the library by children


Tortured Artists
A collab with @Wolfieh featuring Kaspar and Vieri
In which lessons are learned, lessons are offered, an assumption does not have its toes trodden on, and home is missed



It was worse at night. It was always worse at night.

An oil lamp made an island in the clotted shadows: a bed, Vieri, kneeling on bunched sheets.

Before Vieri, a book and a knife, sharp enough to cut like submerging your head in icy water. If they had noticed that on the knife was a rust-brown fleck they would have cleaned it off, oiled the knife with a rag, made it shine until even the memory of the filth was scrubbed clean, and that ritual might have replaced the one that happened instead.

Eyes shut, hands clasped together so that the fingertips went white, Vieri mouthed their prayers.

Have I been good enough? Was I right to make friends with a heretic? Am I really helping, or just hiding?

And the question they always prayed.

They knew the answers to all but the last, and when they finally lay down to sleep, they felt like they had submerged their head in icy water.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Pirouette
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Pirouette Ghoul

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Deserted 1.1: Fixin’ to do things Right this Time
Four Days Prior to 1.5





The Arboretum was the usual haunting ground for one of the only handful of Yasoi attending Ersand’Enise. Casii’fyret’alan had taken a big step in her life by becoming a student at the human academy. It was all alien to her. The stone grounds, brick buildings, and bustle of people, humans, everywhere had placed her out of her element. This wasn’t the thick woods of Mycormi that she knew and loved. This was the Yaniis' new world order if the folks back home were right and if they were, the world would be covered in stone and brick in a few hundred years. Maybe in her lifetime.

The, albeit weak, landscaping in the Arboretum was the only place Casii felt any comfort. Everything here had a real stink of being artificially made and it made her skin crawl. Even her dorm was uninviting and instead, she often slept out in the Arboretum. She even grew a cloister of native trees and plants, densely packing her own corner of the park to create her own room.

It wasn’t exactly sanctioned but Casii wasn’t going to budge. Any authority that challenged her had apparently given up after a while, maybe giving her a pass as one of the few Yasoi students. She wasn’t sure what the deal was. Regardless, she would have her peace after barking at any of the Yaniis who waddled over to her enclave like they were gawking at an exotic pet.

It made her right sick, same as the Yanii buildings. Thankfully they got the message she wanted to be left alone and they all stopped trying after a while. For a time she hardly braved a trip outside of her enclave but that was leading her down a path that wasn’t very fulfilling. Her grand na had told her to see the Yanii world and filled her with remarkable stories of what she could be experiencing. She wanted that and lately, she has been taking some big steps. None larger than this previous one: An invite to assist a group of students with their task elsewhere in the world.

Casii reclined in thought, sliding deeper into the great oak’s trunk as her continued to swing idly in the air. She ain’t ever seen a desert before and now she was going to experience it.
”Better be watchin’, grand na.” She muttered in quiet prayer to her passed mentor.

A nearby crow squawked in response and, for a moment, Casii mused if she was hearing her grand na, but she was attuned to nature well. Something about that bird was off. She turned her gaze towards the sound, catching a glimpse of the black feathered bird. Her eyes squinted to slits, studying the thing.

It wasn’t a bird.

There wasn’t life or warmth pumping through that tiny body but magic. Casii clenched her left hand into a fist, drawing magic but directing it towards the tree that the crow was perched on giving it life to and chemical direction to grow a sudden branch to impale the intruder. The bird made a distressed sound but it wasn’t the sound of flesh being impaled but wood being shattered. A soft voice projected itself just loud enough for Casii to hear coming from beyond her enclave.

”My, my. Perchance you could extend me an invite to enter your domain, then? We need to speak.”


Deserted 1.2: Deserted Lands
Interactions: Jocasta @Force and Fury
Two days prior to 1.5

Casii arrives to the Refuge and is greeted by Jocasta. She is shown the Great Path. Casii decides to make it her home for the next few days.


Deserted 1.3: A Lion and a Deer meet
Interactions: Ayla @Ti
Evening of 1.2

Casii is about to fall asleep and Ayla was practicing her dancing. Casii thinks the little Yanii is silly but Ayla is very sensitive.


Deserted 1.4: Tangling with the Yaniis
Interactions: Zarina @YummyYummy
One day prior to 1.5

Casii ambushed Zarina outside of her room in the morning. They suck on breakfast melons together. They clash over spitting versus swallowing and sasuage.


Deserted 1.5: Call to Action
Interactions: The Deserted Group
Present




Casii felt the world around her rush into view as she awoke. The Great Bath was still cloaked in the veil of night but she had a feeling that dusk would be arriving soon.The yasoi stirred to life, uncurling herself from her nest up in the Gran Nan orange tree. She threw off the blanket she had helped herself to the previous night. As it turns out, the desert gets cold at night but nobody ever talks about that.

Rising to her feet, Casii stretched her long body out and moved to get herself awake and to check to see how the rest of the Refuge was doing. She navigated the branches to face more into the Great Bath’s alcove, making sure to give each of her newly planted orange trees a once over. Several new orange trees were introduced as noninvasive as she could help it. They made the Great Bath feel closed off with the new additions acting as a perimeter wall. These trees weren’t as impressive but they did bear fruit and Casii would use them instead of Gran Nan if she required the mass.

It helped to have another greengrowth and teaching Luisa the intricacies of managing her family’s gift had afforded Casii the ability to go wild. Looking beyond her new trees, the Refuge seemed to be stirring to life this early in the morning. A night’s watchman ran past, his lantern weakly flickering from lack of care to add more fuel.

Casii squinted, crouching low as she considered the sight. They should be sluggish at this hour, not that energetic. She mulled it over in her head and decided to slip away from her commandeered nature reserve to further investigate.

She moved, light on her feet, to furthest branch reaching just enough to packed wall of orange trees. Leaping onto one of those tree’s branches, she moved from tree to tree until eventually reaching the staff’s patio. From there she climbed up to the roof of one of the buildings and ran across towards the front of the Refuge.

It wasn’t hard to notice in the great distance of nothing but sand, a few lights on this still dark morning. A collection of Yanii soldiers marched, lanterns held by some lighting their way. They were making no secret about their arrival, likely messengers arriving. A prelude to the soldiers she had been briefed about.

Quietly, the yasoi exhaled coming to a stop and turned around. She reached into her bag and pulled out a roll of smokeleaf sticking one end into her mouth while she climbed back down to the staff patio. A lantern had been graciously provided and present for her to take the smokeleaf joint, light it using the flames of the lantern. She took a great puff, smoke exhaled through her mouth as she climbed to the patio railing. She sat on the edge, looking out at the Great Bath that had pretty much been her home this past day, admiring the bits of overgrowth she and Luisa had done. It felt a bit like home and this felt like one last admiration.

It was going to be a long day.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Tackytaff
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Tackytaff

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Deserted I

Ersand'Enise / Tethered Refuge
Seen & Mentioned: Casii, Vieri, Kaspar, Zarina, Ayla, Yalen


For the first week of his enrollment, Silas had made a point to avoid his literacy studies. The language course professor along with other teachers constantly preaching of 'supplemental learning' through reading had done their best, but he remained unconvinced. He wanted to learn magic, not waste time learning a skill he would only ever be middling with. It had all changed rather quickly when he received a package in the mail for the first time in his life.

"For you Rieger, from Mudville." Were all the words it came with. They'd been enough. The square envelope hadn't left his pocket since. Unopened, but already creased and folded from his hands retracing the invisible, indecipherable letters that made up his name.

So he returned to the library for the first time since his enrollment, for the first time as a student rather than fugitive, and studied. Papers had been specially prepared, the Avincian alphabet and basic phrases written out in metallic ink. With a magnet placed behind the page, the letters sparked with energy and became tangible to Silas' senses. From this he would memorize the shape before trying to hastily copy it himself. The remains of a half dozen attempts were scattered across the table. It was a frustrating process, the ink dried too quickly and the shapes never stayed in mind long enough. Worse still, he had no way of knowing if he was making any progress. He'd been gifted no with special ink to write with, and had to make do with a singular candle centered on the desk. Supposedly the ink should've activated under a gentle light or heat, but Silas had so far succeeded only in burning through two sheets.

He lifted a third to the flame, resting his head in his spare hand as he watched the energy engulf and consume his work. Just as it began to reach his fingers, he drew from the heat. The sparks traveled up his arm and into his blood until all that remained outside was a thin line of heat he knew to be smoke coming from the extinguished wick. Oblivious that the upper floors of the grand library, containing the academy's oldest and dustiest tomes might not have been the best place to practice arcane magic, he focused on the candle willing it to light




It was Silas' first time outside of Ersand'Enise. The journey had been largely underwhelming; standing in Hugo's office one moment and the Refuge the next had a minimizing effect on the amount of distance they'd traveled. The heat served as an immediate reminder. Arcane energy permeating the air, paired with the ever shifting sands underfoot wreaked havoc on Silas's energy senses. The Refuge was a place of chaos, he'd decided, even before learning the details of the approaching army and sand wyrm.

There wasn't much time for questions or more than the briefest introductions before the new arrivals were put to work helping with the preparations. Lacking training of any level, Silas was grouped with the other children of the refuge; given menial chores and attending the 'classes' put on by his fellow students to help hone his minimal skills. It didn't take long to realize how woefully undermanned, under-powered, and unprepared they were. Whenever he wasn't working, Silas spent his first twenty-four hours at the refuge ascertaining the personalities of his classmates.









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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Wolfieh
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Wolfieh eternally terrified / he/they

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LOCATION: Kaspar’s Room
INTERACTIONS: Casii @Pirouette, Felix @Force and Fury


The immediate aftermath of the revolution passed in a blur for Kaspar. By the time things had slowed down enough for the boy to fully process, he was preparing for an evening bath, finally having the chance to wash now-dried blood from his skin.

Much of what followed his and Felix’s encounter with Don Quintana had been met with the boy’s typical stoicism. He’d cleared his face of the tears shed when the two boys learned the truth of their mutual life, and maintained that calm as they learned more truths.

Warden Ortega was dead.

Kaspar had not said anything when they’d first been told, but he knew this turn of events was troubling. It would be harder to get the Duke to trust the Refuge and agree that the tethered deserved freedom—something the Helbahnese noble still believed strongly to be true. The path forward was difficult, but one he thought was worth walking.

Then there was the matter of Felix—the true Kaspar Elstrøm von Wentoft, the boy who a child named Alaric had once replaced. The boy who supposedly died eight years ago, alive and clueless to his past in a Tethered Refuge countries away from the parents who wanted to be rid of him.

Idly, slipping into the waters of his bath, he recalled the conversation he had with Ayla about who he wanted to be. The answer was, perhaps, cloudier than before. He did not know yet what Felix wanted—and even if he did not want his life and identity back, could Kaspar continue to be Kaspar?

He had to make a choice he could live with, but he did not know yet which one that was. But there were others who he would talk to; Felix, because the Afortunado deserved the conversations he might want—and Willa. She had trained him, never quite understanding the idiosyncrasies of the boy he was and the one he became. But she knew him and cared for him as the person he was—and not the person she wanted to be, as he worried might be the case with the Elstrøms.

For now, though, as he scrubbed flaking blood from his chest, there were more pressing concerns than his choices for his future. Rather, dealing with Dukes and Wyrms and ensuring that he, as well as the others here, would have a future at all.


LOCATION: The Naranja Tree


The Naranja tree provided some shade from the afternoon sun, and Kaspar was grateful for any moment to escape the tree. He sat among the roots, looking at the detail in the bark and committing it to memory for later drawing. It was nice to have some time away from the bustle of their business here, though the last time he had been at the tree had been less than pleasant.

Hot. This whole place was hot and dry. With no shade from any trees, she couldn’t get cool unless she retreated inside one of the Yanii buildings. All that horrible artificial confinement wasn’t quite the welcomed refuge. There was really only one place that had natural shade and she quickly decided that would be her sanctuary here. After a day of being here, Casii looked forward to having a tree she saw during the tour all to herself.

As she rounded the bend to see the view, she found one of the students having the same idea as her. At least it seemed so. Yaniis often didn’t have an appreciation for the natural so she had her doubts seeing her classmate there. It didn’t deter her from approaching and without invitation, she continued right past him sitting on the other side of the tree without a word.

Plopping down, she sighed, nestling herself up against the bark. She thought about making another tree for herself but there was something beautiful about the defiant tree growing in this place. ”Somethin’ ain’t it?” She broke whatever silence the pair of them had maintained up until now. She couldn’t see him but knew he was still there. ”One tree in the whole lot of this place, growin’ like it ain’t nothin’.” She didn’t have her Jamb’ysp in her mouth but the temptation to pop one in her mouth was growing.

Kaspar glanced up curiously as someone else approached, red eyes briefly following Casii as she made her way towards the tree. Once he was sure she wasn’t looking for him, his gaze returned to the roots as he traced their shape mentally. He barely noticed the silence between them, nearly startling when her voice broke it. The noble had to agree with her point, though. “It is. The desert is hot and hostile, but this tree is a welcome sight. I’m hoping I remember enough to draw it, when we return,” he replied.

This Yanii wanted to draw a tree? She didn’t think they cared enough. In fact, why did he want to remember it? This had her curiosity enough to press this. ”Yer into drawing trees? I ain’t think Yaniis like that sort of thin’. I only ever hear of the cities you build and the land you crush underneath. You ain’t much like other Yaniis.”

Kaspar’s eyebrows lifted a little at her comment, but he couldn’t argue against it. “I started drawing when I was young, and plants were always my favorite. We don’t have this kind of tree where I’m from, so I hope if I draw it, I might remember enough to study it later,” he replied, glancing up at the spreading branches.

Casii slumped, finding it possible for the first time since she arrived here to relax entirely under the shade of this tree, shared with a Yanii of all people. ”Never thought I’d see the day.” She muttered, more to herself but loud enough for Kaspar to hear. She had spent so long hearing about Yaniis and their cities, certainly not in the most positive terms, and here was one of the first she’d ever talked to actually admit he favored plants. Man after her own heart.

Casii reached into her bag, withdrawing a small white seed. She ran it through her fingers in quiet contemplation for moment before finally deciding. She tossed it behind her, letting it land to Kaspar’s side. It didn’t sit for long as Casii reached out to the white seed and channeled her mana to influence the seed. It sprouted, roots found and dug into the ground while a lush green stem rose lifting a bulb. The bulb continued to grow, tips whitening before a touch of crimson crept in and then in the next second it the blow broke apart, expanding into a bell-shaped flower, dangling from a sturdy stem.

”I’m a Greengrowth so I can do that. You wanna have a tree of yer own?” She quietly offered and not lightly considering her tone. She just never quite expected this.

Kaspar’s eyes turned to the seed as it landing near him, head tilting in curiosity. When it began to grow, his eyes widened and he watched raptly. He knew it was certainly more than possible to grow plants so rapidly, but the boy had never encountered it personally. He watched it grow, wishing he had charcoal and a notebook on hand. At Casii’s offer, he straightened, and for a moment to accept readily. After a few seconds of thought, the boy replied, “I would be very grateful, but… I’m not sure I have anywhere to… ‘keep’ a tree of my own. Though I think the campus could benefit from one, if the climate were a better match.”

The Yanii raised a good point and oh boy, did he sound hooked. He couldn’t hide the slight elation her large ears picked up. ”Yer quittin’ too soon, Yanii.” She mused. ”Back home me’n mine were… are famous for growin’ all sorts of plants we found from all over. Each one could be stubborn but we figured ‘em out. My grand na tells me that at one time, you’d find every known plant growin’ at home.” She drifted off for a moment, trying to picture just what her grand na saw back then.

”So how about it? One for you’n one for me?”

He had to admit, her home sounded fantastic. The boy could get lost in a garden like that, and quite happily so. Trying by nature not to sound too over-eager but likely failing, he responded, “Ersand’Enise could certainly use a few Naranja trees. You seem like you’re more than capable of making it happen,” he agreed, mind already drifting to chances he might have to sit a sketch one from reference in the Arboretum.

”Okay.” Casii nodded as her hands reached into her bag to shuffle through the seeds in there mindlessly. ”But I ain’t doin’ all the work. You gotta chip in.” She withdrew one of her hands and gave a root a tap. The tree groaned and made noised, leaves rustled but the whole tree was renewed with fresh life as the leaves grew freshly green, the trunk seemed to thicken and the roots seemed to wiggle in delight. The distinctly colored fruit grew on the branches, fresh and ripe. Seeds safely stored inside.

”Help yerself. I’m closin’ my eyes for a bit.” She offered, ending with a satisfied exhale through her nose, shuffling in her spot and cuddling up in the shade for a nice nap. Slight smile cracked on her lips.

Kaspar watched the tree, mesmerized by the way it moved and rejuvenated. As Casii prepared herself for a nap, he quietly stood, reaching a hand out and delicately plucking one of the newly grown fruits. He sat back down, working on the peel, and bit into one of the ripe, juicy pieces. Each seed he encountered was tucked carefully into a pocket for safe keeping—plenty more than they would need, but never more than they could use.


LOCATION: The Courtyard


Kaspar glanced at the tethered watching him, pushing down the nervousness creeping up his throat. He was offering lessons today, teaching the basics of using Binding Magic casting for protection, and converting other forms of energy as he knew how long learning to draw properly could take—and how dangerous untrained drawing could be.

All who were attending were older and more experienced, though relatively speaking many of them were still fairly green.

"The nature of Binding Magic makes it different from all others," he began. As he explained, many of them nodded and seemed to understand—and he could only hope this was earnest, and not simply students feigning understanding in embarrassment.

"One of the most practical uses for Binding Magic as low levels is for creating structures and barriers. I find it helps to visualize what you want to make, and how the energy in your manas will become it." He paused, drawing in energy—focusing on Arcane and Kinetic energies rather than material, and converting it inside his blood.
He turned, pointing his wand at an empty space in the courtyard, and channeled the potential energy. A wall of sandstone blocks appeared, constructing itself by atoms more slowly than usual, to allow for observation.

One student, Mira, raised a hand as Kaspar finished, and he turned, raising an eyebrow but inviting her to speak. She was one of the youngest in the group, at his guess no older than thirteen. She shifted, looking suddenly unsure, but the girl beside her—a few years older—put a hand on her arm and nodded softly.

"Does it have to be sandstone? C-could it be something else? Like… l-like bread?" Her voice squeaked on the last note, and the girl buried her face in embarrassment, clearly having panicked and suggested the first material that came to mind.

But Kaspar walked softly over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Any material you can think of," he answered, adding, "A wall of bread is a fantastic way to feed your loved ones." Mira glanced up, eyes lighting up as she saw the small lump of bread forming in Kaspar’s outstretched palm. With a nod from him, Mira grasped the bread, nibbling on it as Kaspar stepped back, now addressing all the students.

"Binding Magic can create things of any shape and any material," he explained, gesturing to the bread Mira was now breaking into pieces and passing around the group. "Some things are more difficult than others and take more practice, but for today—We try to make anything at all."

The bloodchild spent the next several hours coaching his students in creating barriers with Binding Magic—many of them seemed to grasp the basics, though things like size and efficiency would require much more practice.

But this was a solid start, and just one of many things the Tethered would be learning in the coming days.


LOCATION: The Outer Walls


Kaspar was well and truly sick of sand. Staring out from the Refuge walls, it was all the boy could see—and it just went on and on for miles. Part of him wondered how the occupants didn’t get tired of it, but the rest knew that they had far worse things to contend with.

He wasn’t even meant to be on watch—his range, like many of his classmates, was no match for any of the Tethered. But his doppelganger was on lookout, and the immediate aftermath of a revolution had kept them both busy. The noble adoptee had meant what he’d said, though; any questions Felix had, he would be willing to answer—and he was more than willing to be like a brother to the child he’d unwittingly replaced.

He was still getting used to seeing a face that looked so like his own, but Kaspar met his eyes briefly and flashed an awkward greeting smile—more in line with awkwardness at conversations generally than at the particular individual he was approaching. Clearing his throat, the red-eyed boy murmured, “You mind having some company?”

“Already do,” Felix joked, leaning slightly over the edge and gesturing with his chin the direction of a pair of scorpions fighting in the shadow of the wall. “Little buggers have been at it for hours.” He sniffed a bit and rolled his neck. “Wouldn’t say no to something a bit more interactive, though.” His eyes flicked over to Kaspar and, along with them, a slight grin. “You are more interactive than a scorpion, right?”

Kaspar’s eyes followed Felix’s gesture, head tilting as he observed the pair of scorpions. Fauna was not his specialty, but it was nevertheless something he probably wouldn’t see often in his life. At Felix’s question, he leaned forward and rested his arms against the wall, well away from the scorpions. [color=#B8041A][b]“...That might depend on who you ask,”[/color] he answered after a moment, sounding almost amused. [color=#B8041A]“Most people don’t find me to be very… talkative.”[/b][/color]

Felix snorted. “How’d mom and dad explain that one?” he asked. “Only reason people think I’m not a motormouth is ‘cause of Luisa. Bless her heart, that chick can talk a mile a minute, and she’ll hold your attention for it too.”

A small smile crossed Kaspar’s face, hearing about the friendships (and more) that Felix had made. “They… never really had to. I wasn’t allowed to see many people. Mostly my tutors, and they were hired after,” he admitted, voice soft as he mentioned the isolation.

“Sounds peachy,” the tethered remarked, “by which I mean ‘fucked up’.” He shook his head, letting himself down onto the chair he’d had brought up. He set his crutches aside. “They kept us sheltered from the outside world here too,” he admitted, “though once I became part of the Afortunado, I started to learn a bit.” He furrowed his brow momentarily. “Kinda got the impression kids were mostly just tools to noble families, or accessories. They serve a purpose or they bring you shame.”

Kaspar didn’t show much emotion, but the small smile on his face seemed to drift away completely as Felix talked. “They did what they had to, to raise me,” he said quietly. “I used to think they were different, and wouldn’t just get rid of a kid who they didn’t want to help,” he murmured, glancing up at the tethered. [color=#B8041A[b]]“But I was wrong. I guess I’m a bad judge of character, huh?”[/b][/color] He snorted, only really half-amused.

“Shit,” snorted Felix, glancing up at the guy he’d decided to call ‘brother’. “Guess that means I am a total asshole, then.” He smiled faintly, reaching into his pocket for some chicle and popping it into his mouth. “Want some, by the way? Swear I’m not trying to get you addicted. Just considered polite around here.”

Kaspar reached a hand out to accept the chicle, giving his brother a side-eye. “If other people think you’re alright too, you’re probably good,” he joked. “But, you do keep trying to hook me on this stuff. Gonna have to make sure I’m stocked up before long, or I’ll have to keep taking yours.” A smirk pulled at his mouth as he teased Felix, putting his own piece into his mouth to chew.

Felix made sounds of appreciation and then they settled into an easy silence, sweeping the desert with their senses. The rain clouds had faded and the dunes and crags fairly hummed with life as flora and fauna alike took advantage of this rare opportunity. Eventually, it was the tethered who broke the silence. “Truth is, bro,” he began, “I got questions, just like most normal people would, but they’re just so many and they’re so… pointless.” He shook his head, chewing the last bit of flavour from his gum. He twisted to look Kaspar in the eyes for a moment. “I don’t remember them, I don’t really care for them, and I’m not that interested in ever seeing them.” He spat, and the wad of chicle sailed over the stout wall and out into the desert night. “Not even bitterness or anything. They’re just not relevant to me.” He shrugged. “I have Luisa, who I spend every day with. I have some friends.” He let out a long, easy breath, or at least it seemed so. “And now I picked you up too.” He managed a slight, crooked smile.

Kaspar was good with silence, though he could’ve done fine without looking out at more fucking sand. As Felix began to speak, he turned with rapt attention. As the boy went on, something almost… peaceful, seemed to curl in Kaspar’s chest. That Felix seemed genuinely happy at this moment, despite all he’d been through. An involuntary smile broke his face at the last sentence, and he looked away sheepishly. “I understand. I have many questions, too, but… They’re not ones you can answer,” he replied, looking back before continuing, “But, if you ever do want to ask any questions—about anything, it doesn’t have to be them… I’ll be willing to answer.”

Felix flicked an appreciative smile Kaspar’s way. “Thanks, brother. Now,” he continued, taking in another breath of the for-once not parched air, “What do you say’s the over-under on that big ugly worm coming by tonight so we can take its ass out?”

Kaspar furrowed his brow in thought. “That would be convenient. Has anyone sensed it yet? It might take some time to find us, even once it’s gotten closer.” He thought for a moment more, then grinned and added, “But if we start a betting pool… There’s one good way to get the fucker to show up on time.”

“Hah!” Felix let out a bark of laughter. It faded easily. “But you’re right. It might wander for days still.” He popped another wad of chicle into his mouth and offered his brother one perfunctorily. “Really, that’s when we should take it out: while we can hit it and it can’t hit us.” He began to chew. “I think that’s the plan, actually. All your fancy magic school training might not even get put to use,” he chuckled.

Kaspar sighed wistfully, taking another piece of chicle. “My fancy magic school hasn’t trained me to fight a sand wyrm, yet. You’re more than welcome to kill it before I even get a look at the thing,” he retorted. “If we’re lucky, Jocasta might get sick of waiting one night and take it out while we’re asleep. Not sure how I’d manage to thank her for that one, but I’m willing to figure it out.”

“Heh,” Felix managed. “Yeah, that one. She’s… something else.” He shook his head slowly. “I only knew her for a year, but she was a teen and a ‘nado, and I was just some kid. She scared me… still does,” he laughed. “Truth is,” he admitted, “Ii was kind of hoping to go there - me and Luisa - if it’d be possible.” He half-scowled. “It's just a pipe dream, and now I’m starting to wonder, just from how I’m hearing people talk, if it’s really worth it, if the world out there - and I haven’t seen much outside a mission and a half - is actually as bad as magpies always said it was.”

“I didn’t really meet her before the day we were sent here,” Kaspar added. “She scares me, too. What we felt in the desert… I’d go the other way, if someone asked me to fight her.” He listened to Felix talk about the outer world, and held back a discontented sigh. “...You could come back with us to Ersand’Enise, if you wanted. Use it as a jumping point, if you want, but I know someone who could give you a place to stay, if you and Luisa needed one,” he offered, turning to look at the boy. After a second, he added almost too hastily, “If it was something you wanted. The world isn’t… It’s not the greatest, sometimes. But at least now you have the choice.”

“Yeah,” agreed Felix, his face turning thoughtful as he gazed out across the active solitude of the desert - his home, now, in truth. “I guess we do. Thanks.”


LOCATION: The Staff Patio


Kaspar was quick to get ready when the news reached him via Laëlle pounding on the door and shouting through the wood. He splashed his face with water, affixing his hair into something presentable and putting on a light tunic, tucking the loose hem into his pants.

As he approached the Staff Patio, well ahead of the time Laëlle had given, Kaspar looked the picture of stoic nobleness. He had not spent much time dealing with politics, but the boy knew one key lesson: show no weakness.

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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by dragonpiece
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dragonpiece

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Location: Underground Base

Interactions: Benedetto @Force and Fury




As much as Trypano's and Desmond's questions were frankly a better use of time, Ingrid decided that she wanted to indulge in some more light-hearted questions about their culture. Romance had always captured Ingrid's Imagination with how much it changed from place to place. Some seemed familiar, some seemed alien but in the end, it was a culture she wanted to learn about. Somehow that ended up with Ingrid hitting on Nine and Nine wanting to take a hand at teasing her. Ingrid would back off normally but this seems like a perfect distraction from all those thoughts trying to creep into her mind. The kiss happened, it was Ingrid's first. Well, that was nice. I think? It was kind of fun, crossed Ingrid's mind before the other Sirrahi seemed to have a mental explosion watching that. She knew they fed off of each other's energy but Ingrid couldn't help but chuckle to herself as they so boldly announced who they wanted to kiss.

Those bursts of energy throughout the night had finally come to an end and they had guided us to a bed chamber. It was interesting, to say the least. 1 large bed fit for the entire family line from Ingrid's point of view. She knew sharing a bed was common for the lower class but with how insanely advanced they are, Ingrid had to take its construction as a product of their culture. Ingrid thought for a moment about how she would feel sleeping with her whole family. Maybe they would have been closer. Maybe they would have actually cared about each other more than a single connection. Maybe. Ingrid lightly shook her head as she laid down, relegating those questions as wishful thinking. She made herself a target of her cousins and siblings with her RAS and let her guard down and became the 'slacker' of the family.

As the group settled down, Ingrid's mind was hostage to her thoughts like most nights except instead of beautiful theorems and visualizations there was only the death she caused. She knew she needed sleep but her essence was restless, it begged for some relief from the guilt she held. The wasted time, the cluelessness, the failure, the death sat on her chest paralyzing her thought. For what felt like hours she laid there just reliving the last day until her mind went still. I never thought I would have to kill someone like this. I knew one day I might have to defend my land or protect someone but I killed because I decided to come on this mission. I let myself get involved in killing. I didn't need to do this. My studies are going well and although my research for my family feels slow it wasn't something that felt unobtainable. So why? Ingrid felt anger well up in her chest as she berated herself. Why did you join this mission? Why did you think you could do this? Because I wanted to selfishly gain favor like a fool. I'm a fucking idiot for thinking that killing was worth whatever reward this will have. Those thoughts stung as Ingrid realized there was no promised reward. Nothing had been promised to her and even more so if this was a test then she would not be the first to receive any kind of reward.

Desmond found the Princess and acted as the general orchestrator of the mission. Penny went off on her own, gaining valuable information, and somehow stole the lantern and captured 2 ships! Benedetto saved the Princess after we failed to stop that damn atomic mage, put out the fire and made Ingrid realize that the rubble needed to be cleaned, and then saved us again after I failed to guide the shot into the Maria Nera after he literally stated he wouldn't help us again. God damn it! All I was able to do was distract the damn atomic mage and almost die twice to be saved by the person we were supposed to rescue! Just Fuck! Normally when this utterly frustrated she would get up and walk around but she didn't want to wake people up. She just had to lie there, getting more heated. She needed to put this away. She took a few deeper breaths to calm herself. Little by little she put herself in check.

Okay, Ingrid thought as she started to review her performance. Something that was drilled into her since childhood, all narrated in the voice of her disappointed father. You killed people. It was not how you imagined it to be but you chose this and you knew what was the mission. You can claim no innocence here. You were blinded by your greed for knowledge that you didn't even weigh the lives of others. You failed to live to your ideals and didn't hold yourself to the standards you set for yourself. Many were injured and 2 children died directly from your negligence. No matter the circumstances you should have been more cautious. You should have reached out to feel their metabolic energy. Anything but blow up the building as a distraction. You survived the atomic mage but that wasn't the term for success. Eliminating the enemy to keep the Princess safe was your goal. You are lucky that you get another chance and thank Benedetto that he was competent enough to make up for your failure. The children… Ingrid couldn't bring herself to think of them directly so she just skipped it to not risk her mental state again. You failed to even board the ship and had to have them hoist you onto the boat, shameful at face. You did well at getting some reaction out of the lamp. You failed to land the shot on the Maria Nera, you can only assign so much blame on Desmond who had no chance to actually guide the shot as it reached further. It was your mistake for failing to succeed in another critical moment. Once again thankfully Benedetto was strong enough to save you from what could have easily been death.

Ingrid stopped her evaluation as she believes that all things considered, the meeting of the Sirrhai is a good thing. There wasn't anything to say to herself besides 'Hey, maybe don't make out with some cute snake girl because you are fucked in the head at the moment.' That point actually stung as she realized that Nine probably also did it because she is fucked in the head at the moment. Fuck, Ingrid thought as she realized that shit was manipulative as hell to her at the moment, seems I have to apologize to Nine. I should have thought that she was just being excessively nice to make up for how she was feeling. Great job Ingrid, great job. Ingrid fell asleep quickly after that.

Sometime later, Ingrid was woken up by Nine crying, she was only half awake at the time so she isn't completely sure of what they discussed earlier but all she knew was that was apparently Nine's sister wasn't killed by us humans but by her own race. It was the Kasssseels, the person that the others had growled at earlier. Seems there was already some bad blood between the 2 groups. It was terrible that her sister was killed by them but frankly Ingrid didn't think revenge was a good option. If they have laws then revenge is rarely recognized as you get to more complex and progressive societies. Not only that, her entire family could be punished. The guilt that would be crushing. Nine seemed pretty determined to seek revenge and Ingrid could understand her wrath but she kept thinking it wouldn't turn out well.

As they made it to the weapon armory, Ingrid was quick to pick her chosen weapons. She had been quite a shot when she would test them at the mines and the production houses. She even hunted with them. Ingrid took the pistol as she wanted to have a free hand for the grenades. Ingrid looked towards Benedetto, she wanted to apologize for earlier and thank him but doing it here would feel disingenuous. At the same time, a part of Ingrid honestly thought Benedetto doesn't give a shit about that and it was better now than later. Ingrid approached him after he was already geared and prompted the conversation. "Hey Benedetto, I just wanted to say sorry. I shouldn't have placed my standards on someone I don't even know. I don't know your life. And I also wanted to say thanks, I couldn't beat the atomic mage. And no matter how weak he was to you, without your help the princess would have been taken. And even after that you still came to help when you said you wouldn't help again. You saved the mission then saved my life so thanks you, truly" Ingrid left after that. Whether Benedetto likes it or not he is getting a present from her when she gets back. Maybe a pendant? Or maybe some quality gauntlets with how much he likes to punch things.

"Yeah, he was pretty fuckin' tough," Benny replied. He shrugged. "Not tough enough, though, and he was a piece of shit anyways." He said nothing more. He wasn't sure why this girl who hated him was being all nice all of a sudden. People were never nice unless they wanted something. Maybe she just wanted the D, but he didn't know and it kind of unnerved him. He also didn't have magic right now and that was unnerving him more. He went to select his weapons: things that would protect him from death. Honestly, he didn't wanna do it. He had no magic and no reason to care about some snake girl, even if it was sad that she died. He was basically a prisoner of these reptiles, they were taking away his magic while smiling at him, and he hadn't even done anything 'bad' for once. As for Penny, she was stupid. She kept putting herself and others at risk and why was it his job to save her from herself? People either fuck up and learn or they fuck up and die. If you keep helping them, they never do either and just keep being a liability for you. Benny didn't wanna live with liabilities. Why should he?
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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by pantothenic
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pantothenic bored part-timer

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"Mistuh Yawen?" Yalen felt a hand tug on his sleeve and turned away from Ayla and Jocasta. Little Rita was waiting there behind him, and this time she wasn’t smiling. "That wasn't juss a show, was it?" The color drained from his face as the young priest understood the subtext hidden within the girl’s question. Before he could come up with another half baked excuse to conceal the deception, Rita pressed him further. "Caretaker Manazes nevuh does shows fow us." She said while shaking her head.

Yalen was speechless. He wasn’t ready to explain the concept of life and death to a child, but perhaps she already understood it to some extent. That was just the kind of place a refuge was. It would only hurt her more if he didn’t tell the truth.

”...Yeah, you’re right. Manazes wasn’t playing with you. He was a bad man. Me and my friends came here to get rid of the bad men, okay? We’ll protect you no matter what, I promise.” Yalen wrapped his arms around Rita and gave her a big hug. When she began to cry, he held her head against his chest and rubbed her back. The clouds were becoming thicker, and the light drizzle was slowly becoming a downpour. Yalen took Rita into his arms and carried her somewhere more sheltered from the rain. Even if the game was up, he knew better than to reveal the full picture. He could feel the signs of life fading here and there as some of the tethered took the ultimate revenge on their tormentors. Perhaps some of the residents had also fallen during the coup. What would Rita say if she knew the cost of her freedom?

Dami forgive us.




Post Coup - Day One

Location: Caretaker's Quarters

The coup was over, but there was still a tough road ahead for the sanctuary and its residents. The maddened wyrm was still out there somewhere swimming through the sand, invisible to anyone except those with the sensing range of the tethered. A handful of Biros would not be enough to stop the dragon’s rampage. The tethered had to stand up for themselves if there was to be any hope of survival, but they had been repressed for years. Not a single one of them could use magic intentionally, save for the “special” few like Jocasta and Marci. Though they weren’t Zenos, some of those from Ersand’Enise had to become teachers to these people. Yalen had been surprised to see more of his fellow students arrive through Hugo’s portal. They were basically strangers but he did recognize their faces, and some of them he’d even spoken to briefly in class. Since there was so much work to do though, the opportunity to socialize didn’t present itself.

It was around 4 HO in the afternoon and the priest in training was presently standing inside an empty bedroom, one that used to belong to a caretaker that now sat in jail. The space had been cleared of furniture so that about two dozen chairs could be lined up in two rows. Yalen paced back and forth nervously in anticipation of those who would soon be arriving. Around the half hour mark, the bedroom door opened and a small gathering of tethered residents shuffled inside. Some of them could walk like Yalen and Marci. Some rode wheelchairs like Jocasta. All of them were younger than 18 years old.

The introductions could be skipped - the residents would have been briefed on the situation before coming here. After exchanging a few polite “hellos” and “good afternoons”, everyone took their seats and settled in. Yalen looked appraisingly at his ‘class’, and they looked at him. He felt like he was about to proselytize in front of a church gathering.

Goodness, where should I even begin? The blonde youth cleared his throat and took a deep abdominal breath. ”Well, you probably already know, but my name is Yalen Castel. I wish I could conduct this lesson more casually, but we are already on borrowed time. If you’re here then you know what’s at stake.” Some murmurs of acknowledgement filled the room. ”In order to become an effective militia you will need to learn magic, and though I am unworthy of teaching you the task has fallen to me nonetheless.”

Yalen walked between the rows of chairs and passed out handwritten memos detailing the process of spellcasting. The section labeled “Reading” was clearly circled. The teenagers silently read the document for a couple minutes. One of them occasionally had to ask their neighbor how to read a word or two. Another said every word out loud as if they couldn’t hold the letters in their head.

”If we were in a real classroom I would have started by explaining the origin of magic and all sorts of other things, but this is something of a crash course. The most essential thing to understand is that the organisms responsible for your disease are also a weapon you can utilize, and we need you to learn how starting today. Those organisms are called Manas, and by tapping into the symbiotic relationship between Manas and the human body, you can impose your will on the world and produce magic.” Yalen accented his words by holding his hand over a candle. The tethered looked in wonder as the wick seemed to ignite on its own. A wheelchaired girl with brown pigtails raised her hand.

“Mister, how do we know if we’re strong enough to use magic or not?”

”Don’t worry,” Yalen reassured her, ”we’re reasonably confident in your abilities. If you’re suffering from the illness this much then you should have some kind of aptitude for magic, even if it’s the most basic forms.” He walked to the back of the room and dragged out a wooden box. Those who were close enough to peer inside would see that it was full of loose cloth and cotton balls. ”Before you can cast a spell, you need to find an energy source to power it. It can be almost anything. Sunlight, the ocean’s waves, and even bolts of lightning are just a handful of examples. The process of locating useable energy with your mind is called ‘reading’, and it is an ability we possess thanks to the existence of mana in our bodies.”

Yalen passed out the contents of the box so that each resident had a set. ”There are many methods for discovering your third eye, but the one I am following is something that my own father used on me.” He picked up the lit candle and held it in front of himself. ”To encourage your brain to rely on other senses, you shall block your sight and hearing using what I have given you. If you like you can plug your noses as well. The idea is to lose as many of your senses as possible so that your subconscious is forced to use reading instead. Those who pass the test will move on to the next step.” Again there were confused murmurs. Another individual raised their hand questioningly.

”Yes?” ”And what if… what if we fail to sense anything?” Yalen nodded towards the man. ”Ah, that is a prudent question. It pains me to say it, but if you can’t accomplish this in at least half an hour then I’ll need you to go back to your quarters. I only have a brief time to teach you, and learning the skill of drawing will be even harder than this. Now, without further delay, please put on your blindfolds and plug your ears. Once you have done that I am going to place this candle somewhere in the room, and you must find it with reading. Focus as hard as you can. When the time is up, I will ask you one by one where you think it is…”




Yalen appeared satisfied with himself as he left the caretaker’s quarters. The tethered had already cleared away, leaving the young priest alone with his own thoughts. Fifteen of the twenty four had been able to pinpoint the candle’s location. Seven washed out honestly. Two tried to peek and were gently scolded. Those who passed would come back tomorrow so that he could explain to them how to draw. Having an army of tethered working together to steal energy out of the wyrm’s body would be a significant asset to the refuge’s defense. In the meantime, Yalen gave them the rest of the day to practice. For his part, he spent the rest of the day making himself useful around the refuge. Despite the danger looming over their heads, life had to go on, and there were a lot of chores to take care of. Yalen found himself keeping one of the staff company cleaning dirty clothes and bed sheets. He received pointers on how to wash laundry until nightfall.




Night Two

Location: Atop the walls

The first hour of Dami had come, and the sun’s rays were only visible as a faint orange glow over the horizon. As one of the few properly trained tethered on the premises, Yalen had been asked to assist the night watch with surveying the area for signs of the sand wyrm. Jocasta and Marceline would be quite busy taking care of other matters while the residents were looking promising, they needed to focus on their training. So, in spite of his desire to head to bed early the soft hearted cleric reluctantly gave his consent. Realistically he would only be expected to help out for an hour or two. Surely even an aberration mad wyrm had to go dormant at night, right?

And so Yalen ended up on duty atop the walls. The guards went out of their way to accommodate him somewhat since he was just a student. He was given a rather comfortable chair, and one of the troops lent him their lantern for light and warmth. While the normal guards actively patrolled the complex, Yalen’s only job was to reach out with his mind and warn everyone if he detected a giant dragon tunneling towards the walls.

As usual, the desert was quite cold at night. The wind sent chills down Yalen’s spine every time it brushed his skin, and once in a while he could see his breath turning into crystals. He kept his lantern close at hand and fed it thermal energy every now and again to keep his fingers from going numb.

The watch was uneventful. The tethered boy felt nothing but wildlife beyond the sanctuary walls. When he really focused, he could find an endless number of creatures hidden underneath the sands. From the largest Froabass to the smallest snake, the deserts of Torragon were full of life. At one point, Yalen spent several minutes following a nocturnal cheetah as it hunted for prey amongst the dunes. Occasionally his concentration was shaken by the clinking of chainmail when a guard walked past him.

Yalen soon grew tired of sitting and got up to lean forward against the sandstone parapet. As it gradually got darker, four of the five moons revealed themselves in the night sky, all in varying phases of waxing or waning. The Dordian monk was momentarily entranced by the sight of Juni, whose aquamarine fissures glimmered in the distant Alosi sunglow. The comforting presence of his god’s moon filled him with inner peace.

For no particular reason, Yalen reached into one of his pockets and felt for something there. He had forgotten all about Rita’s present! The object felt hard and smooth. He closed his hand around it and pulled it out. What he found was a beautiful white shell, much like the ones grown by large land snails. When he thought about the little Segonese girl, Yalen’s heart quivered with regret. There would be an entire sea separating the two of them when he went back to Ersand’Enise. He never thought he could grow so attached to a kid he’d met only days ago. He quietly promised to find her again if he was still healthy enough to do so in the future. Yalen held the gift to his forehead and closed his eyes. The shell slowly twisted its shape as magic flowed through his body. When the priest was finished, Rita’s snail shell had been transformed into a pair of signet rings, sized just right for a young man’s index fingers. One bore the engraving of a setting sun. On the other, an image of Juni in her full phase. Yalen gingerly placed the rings onto his hands and admired them in the cool lantern light.



Day Three

Location: Bedroom

Yalen roused himself for his morning prayers at the same time he always did. Last night’s watch took its toll on him as he struggled to open his eyes and crawl out of bed. For a moment he desired nothing more than to drink straight out of Zarina’s coffee gourd until it was empty. He had detected the wyrm several times within his several kilometer radius, but never did it make a move to approach the refuge. Its travel path appeared completely random, maddened as it was by the aberration.

After finishing his worship, Yalen cleansed himself and got dressed like normal. He noticed that there was a small note tucked into his robe pocket that wasn’t there before. Who could have been responsible for putting it there? Despite how odd it was, Yalen felt compelled to unfurl the scrap of paper and read what was on it.

You should have killed him.

The note disappeared in a puff of flame as Yalen disposed of it. He already knew who left it there. Why was the Traveler so insistent on disturbing his peace? Weren’t they afraid that he would expose them? Perhaps they had already dealt with such a possibility in the past. Maybe Yalen should have considered himself lucky that the Traveler was content to merely watch events unfold rather than directly intervene.

In order to set his mind right Yalen went back to praying at his bedside once more. The priest in training was halfway through his silent conversation when a knocking on the door broke his concentration.

”Who could it be this early in the morning?” Yalen wondered out loud. He got up from his seat and limped over to the door, not yet wearing any leg support. When he opened it, he was met by a freckled girl with reddish brown hair. Yalen needed a second to remember her name.

”Miss… Laelle?” ”1:00 Shune. Great Baths. Get ready as soon as possible.”

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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Th3King0fChaos
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Th3King0fChaos The Weird

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Location: Dissskas' Underground Base

Interactions: Trypano @A Lowly Wretch, Ingrid @dragonpiece, Benedetto, Ismet'ych'lahin'dichora, and the Dissskas @Force and Fury



Once One had backed down like it was some misunderstanding, it made Desmond nervous, how long had they been out, and is Penny already searching for them. Desmond thought they shouldn't be caught like them, it would make no sense to have 2 groups of researchers so close to each other. Desmond was very wary of the situation, yet hid his worry like he always did, never showing his thoughts on his face, just a smirk, and some laughs.

Desmond asked a few more questions yet they seemed to try and dodge them, maybe out of some form of uncomforting knowledge or maybe trying to hide something. Desmond noticed when he asked some of them, Nine blinked her second set of eyelids and almost spoke before talking to someone else. It almost felt like she tried to dodge the entire interaction. Desmond felt something off.


Yet as the night came to the end, Desmond and his group was left to sleep in the room they had never left. A large bed was in the center now and they were thought to sleep in it. Ismette called the bed and Desmond said with a little laugh, "Yeah it's all you". As Desmond found a place to lay, as he laid back on the floor, he put both his hands underneath his head as he closed his eyes, as he began to calm his heart. He began to pretend he was asleep, while he actually was trying to stay awake. Well staying awake is easy in a hostile situation, Desmond just laid there as he heard everyone make some small talk before sleep found them. Minutes, seconds, hours, Desmond did his best to keep track yet in this place disconnected from the sky unless you keep count you will lose your time. Desmond kept count of seconds, every ten seconds he ticked up a mental counter, it was a way to keep himself from sleeping. After sometime, Desmond heard the door open as he opened one eye slightly and saw Nine come in and starting to head to Ismette. Desmond quietly watched as he was waiting, tensing for anything, as she seemed to sit down and begin to talk to Ismette.

Revenge was the theme of the conversation, Desmond didn't mind revenge, he was a man who lived by the code of eye for an eye. Yet this felt strange, Nine seemed hot blooded about this, yet this is not the right time for her. If things go as they are, the Disskas could lose everything to this. Laws even of Enth were pretty strict with murder, as accomplices could be also those who procured weapons or hides them. Yet with a people who abhorred violence, this could be a death sentence for the whole family. Yet Desmond held his tounge, he wanted to wait until they had left, he didn't want to leave Penny, in all her idiocy, Desmond has a responsibility to get her home.

Once they made up their mind to the raid, the group began to make their way through the hall ways, Desmond listened to the Disskas' and learned some things, they will be facing about 20 combatants, they have the skills to increase their numbers past the number normally expected. Yet that was another thing, right now they were to arm themselves, Desmond was interested in what weapons they had, as the moment they entered, Desmond knew they were full of shit with the 'violence stick' shit. They tried to play themselves as a superior being who doesn't practice violence and arms, yet in this room filled with weapons far beyond the mind could think, obviously they practiced it more extensively than they had. Yet Desmond was quite happy about this as he had a bit of time to absorb as much information as he could. As Desmond grabbed weapons, he messed with them for moments, asking how they were to be loaded, and then he began to slowly understand a bit of them. As his hand landed upon the rifle, this was the weapon he wanted to know the most, it would make his skills proportionally better. The metal working that designed the trigger, the handle that is attached to some kind of metal object to seal the gun before firing. Desmond also noticed the ammunition, such strange design, along and pointed bullet seated into a metal casing. It must hold the powder to fire the bullet, yet there had to be some way it was to ignite. Desmond can't exactly figure that out through just looking, yet after a few shots, he can probably figure out what happened. The next weapon that interested him was the Shotgun, it was apparently able to fire smaller projectiles like what would be found in a cannon when they used grape shot. He was curious as the bullet looked even stranger, a waxy exterior that upon inspection seemed to hold multiple smaller projectiles.

Desmond sighed once he grabbed his weapons as he looked to everyone, "Everyone knows how to use their stuff?" Desmond wasn't 100% sure how each thing was made, but he understood their uses, he helped people get their bulletproof vests on, putting the equipment on in a way to minimize noise that they produce and even made sure that each person understood the basics of their weapons, how to control the recoil so their weapon doesn't going flying, and with some of them able to fire multiple shots, means that the gun could just fly out of their control and could kill one of them. As once people were finally ready, given a five minute crash course, it was time to get out of here and save Penny.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by YummyYummy
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YummyYummy Ayyyyy

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Interacting with: Jocasta @Force and Fury, Kaspar @Wolfieh, Casii @Pirouette, Vieri @jdh97, Silas @Tackytaff
Location: Tethered Refuge -> Virang -> Jurassic Park -> Zarina's Home -> Refuge


With the Vice-Wardens gone and a semblance of peace brought to the Refuge, Zarina made herself useful in the establishment of the new order. They had a good half of the day remaining and she made the best of it. Well, almost. The words uttered by Escarre concerning the Warden lingered in the Virangish’s psyche. ‘Taken care of’, a phrase someone in Zarina’s world would usually interpret as quite sinister. If only she knew the extent of it.

A day of planning and restructuring quickly passed, and with the seemingly endless days of exertion, Zarina didn’t have too much trouble finding sleep earlier than normal. It wasn’t a long sleep by any means and by the time she woke up, the hours of Ipte still hadn’t fully passed. Groggy as ever, she soldiered on– forgetting that the day prior there had been a conspicuous lack of someone close to her.




The Torragonese skies were a bit more clouded that day, which many considered a Godsend. Zarina found it concerning, given daylight took its time to arrive. Had she maybe slept so poor she had woken up in the early hours of Ipte by accident? The eventual arrival of familiar faces and trusted staff re-assured her for a time. What came with the later risers, however, was news she did not expect. News she should have been the first to know about. Not even morning coffee could keep her in place when Ysilla’s parting was made known to a few, although the concerned party was considerate enough to inform the twin before all others. The note was claimed by the next of kin and Zarina rushed over to Ysilla’s quarters.

No knocking or verbal warning, she just forced herself in. Ysilla was gone, the bed left in a semi-tidy state looking as though someone had rested on it but didn’t actually move any of the sheets. The two other puppets, as well as any potential traces of their broken forms were gone too. The second Al-Nader had left, and Zarina was none the wiser. Perhaps if she had paid more attention or just stopped the day prior, she’d have at least realised her own family had been conspicuously absent.

At first, a flood of emotions took over. A lot of uncertainty. Should she be angry? Sad? Relieved? There was an audience behind her, curious as to what actually happened and probably worried about Zarina. But like many that hardly knew Zarina– Hell even some that did know her– they were usually intimidated by her. With a swift kick of the door behind her, she’d put an end to this voyeuristic session and claim the room for herself.

”What did you do now, Ysilla?”

She smiled and chuckled. The edge of her sister’s bed looked like a comfortable spot to sit. For a solid ten minutes or so, Zarina was just there, quiet and musing. The silence was broken by the Virangish crouching by the bed and tugging an unused hookah. It was small and quite portable, enough to fit in a bag. Along with it were some dark tea leaves.

Let’s make a promise,

Zarina’s young voice of a distant time echoed in her own mind as she prepared her Shisha with the tea. Many favoured tobacco, but Zarina had an aversion for it and it seemed her sister cared enough to consider that.

if one of us gets into some shit. Or like, bites the dust? We don’t cry.

It took a moment for the contraption to be ready. Zarina lied down on the very same bed the replica of her sister had essentially shut down. One leg over the other with her dusty shoes still on. She was relaxed and alone with her thoughts. A first, given how she purposefully avoided these moments of solitude by keeping busy and exhausting herself to sleep.

Or feel sorry for ourselves. We take this time to sit down and not give a damn. Let the others feel bad for us, so we can catch a break.

Zarina took a first swig off her hookah. A nice, deep breath before exhaling the aromatic vapour. The thoughts of a simpler time made her laugh. Some outside could maybe hear it and maybe interpret it in different ways. She was counting on that. Let them think she was distraught, or angry, or devoured by anguish. She stayed true to the childhood promise she had made with her twin. The first half of her day would be some comfortable ass sitting, hookah tea smoking and recalling better times. A rare moment for this restless teen.




Enough indolence, it was the beginning of the hour of Eishiran. Siestas were done and slacking could only go so far in these times. But first, Zarina checked herself in the mirror, ensured her expression displayed the desired mopeyness she wanted and giggled at the result. And then she went out to help any way she could.

Abdel was outside, attempting to train fellow youths that weren’t as talented as he was in the Gift. With his temper and desire to cut corners before this hardship, it wasn’t going down too well. Zarina intervened, and while at first he scoffed at the notion of being helped, the fact that the help came with Zarina’s voice had him reconsider his stance very quickly.

“So, having fun, love?” she put emphasis on the last word, adding a slightly smokey tune to it, ”I-I don’t-” Zarina giggled at his shaky voice and approached him, standing tall by his side, ”Yeah, let’s make it fun, then? As a team?” she looked down at the young teen. His cheeks were read, his heart racing and his mind bringing him to overthinking far too much. Zarina clearly knew what she was doing and yet let the youth keep the spotlight in his training session, ”Okay. Drawing exercises, that’s your specialty. I’m not like you or these cuties, but I can help you guys with casting.”

The group nodded at Zarina’s proposal and Abdel felt her confidence falter very quickly when being watched by his fellow countrymen. The afternoon would go smoothly, with Abdel teaching more Tethered-specific notions to the youths while Zarina was more practical in her applications. A few self-defence moves were added to the mix. All in all, both she and Abdel made a nice team.

”Hey, Zaz.” he called out in Avincian over his mother tongue, ”Yeah, hun?” she looked over at the shorter lad, her hip pushed out and a hand over it, ”Would you like to, uh-” every nervous gesture in the book was checked by Abdel today, from scratching the back of his head to restless legs. Zarina waited patiently, ”Have a meal at the mess hall later?” his gaze stayed avoidant even as he proposed the idea of a cute date.

Zarina approached him, leaned in and gave him a light smooch on the cheek. His heart beat so fast and his body felt something he didn’t get to feel too often, ”Maybe after we finish what we started here, hmm?” a rejection for sure, but a very soft one with a little something Abdel could take with him. He nodded and smiled gingerly at her, ”I need you focused on these lot anyway. We’ll need them and youwhen the worst comes, alright?”

The day came and went quickly for Zarina. The daily rituals done and children well looked after. She had to thank her sister for such a mellow day. A day she definitely needed if she was to be fully functional when it’d matter.




On the second day, Zarina awoke in her usual early hours with the sun barely even peeking out of the horizon. Nobody to bother her, or so she thinks …











Zarina and Kaspar are on patrol duty, partially due to staff being locked up, and partially from volunteering. Yes, she probably volunteered Kaspar.
She teaches him how to ride and coaxes a few answers as to how he fights. She teased him until the bitter end with all of it.
They connect in some ways, even if both have their own shells. Kaspar learns how to horse, and Zarina learns how to Kaspar and his blood magic. And hobbies.
They’ve got a good start for the coming Trials.







Zarina consults Jocasta concerning a special request. She wants to see someone, and even bring them back here, before the big day. It’s her horse.
They go on a grand space-time adventure ALL THE WAY TO VIRANG. Many misadventures and learning occasions, including going back to the Jurassic period.
Zarina is reunited with Riesco, her Camargue Stallion, and Jocasta gets to ride Gina, the Shetland pony destined for Ayla.
All four have the sweetest moments together.







For the first time in two years, Zarina had slept a full NINE hours! Which is to say she slept normally without the need to exhaust herself. The last night was something, even if it didn’t usher in any dreams, still. In no way could her mood be ruined by anything. A panicking Laelle seeking her out as she did the others? No issue. Zarina even stopped by the mess hall to get herself a little snack before joining the others at the patio.

“Guu Morning.” she spoke with her mouth full of churros. Upon noticing Ayla, Zaz clearly knew what the priority was here, “Hey, Kitty cat. I got a present for you, actually. I’ll show you later.” she winked at the shorter girl before orienting her attention toward Jocasta. Never has this Virangish giant been this fresh and jolly in the morning before. Hopefully the good vibes would bleed onto the others before tragedy inevitably struck the Refuge.

“So. Plans? Or do I need to drag out the mouthy Vice? She mentioned having a connection to the Patron guy.”



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Hidden 2 yrs ago Post by Medili
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Medili Connoisseur of Fine Pineapples

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L O R E N T I N E Q U E E N




Lorentine Queen | Nighttime


Leon Solaire@Jumbus
_____________________

The man had fully expected for Leon to argue with him, to try to defend himself against the accusation leveled upon him. And if Leon had indeed done that, the man was ready with more of his own retorts or if all else fail to render physical violence upon the performer. All these seemed like valid options in the mind of a grieving drunken man who had just lost family members due to the riot. And yet while Leon did somewhat defend himself, he also somewhat did not. Instead of more verbal exchanges that the man had anticipated, Leon hugged him and then used his words to call for an end to the riot. All of these were not what the man expected. He came here for a fight with the man he deemed responsible for the deaths of his loved ones, yet Leon ended up not giving him one.

Of course, the fact was that words and gestures meant little in the end. Various emotions ran and battled through the man's inebriated mind. A part of him was becoming even more furious at the direction that Leon had turned things to as it denied him the fight that he had craved for, the fight that would have given him some brief satisfaction from dealing with the man he believed responsible for everything. Another part of him that was hurting started to hurt even more as he recalled once more seeing his own brother getting brutally murdered in the chaos of the riot. And another part still was at a loss and confused as to what he needed to do now that a fight seemed to be out of the question.

And whilst the man was deep in his own thoughts, the crowds listened to Leon's words. Their faces showed shame, anger, regret, grief, or the combination thereof. Putting everything else out of the equation, they found Leon's words about the folly of the chaotic riot to be true. Many murmured as they shook their head. "It is true... What have we done?", "How did we let things to go like this?", "This is all very wrong..." Such words came from the members of the crowd. They started to really look at their surroundings too; at the destroyed things and the bodies of the unconscious wounded or even dead. Finally, only now had most of those in the crowd took in the riot for what it was: An utterly foolish tragedy.

Then an aged gentleman added his voice to the scene. While the others remained stunned with realization dawning on their faces, the old man raised his right hand. "He's right, friends. This all need to end... What's done is done, but we can still stop things from becoming even worse." Thus all attention now turned to him, and seeing this he continued. "I wish to survive, and I wish for you all to survive too. Not one more body should be added to this tragedy. Let's end this, good folks." His speech ended, he kept his right hand raised. And then it was like a ripple, a domino effect. One more hand raised up from the crowd, and then two more, then four, and so on until all but a few remained with their hands down; and even these hands too finally raised up as they witnessed all around them with their hands raised.

As for the grieving man who confronted Leon, he raised his fist as if to hit Leon only to end up grimacing and lowering it again. He shook his head before looking at Leon directly in the eyes. "Words won't bring my brother back. Nothing will bring my brother back. Always remember this, Leon Solaire." And just like that, he stepped down from the table and started walking away slowly unchallenged by any in the crowd as he passed them. The crowd watched as he left, and then their attention once more returned to Leon, their hands still raised up to show that all present had chosen in favor of ending the chaos.

Carmillia Carbonneau@Animus
____________________________

She had done it. Her gambit paid off. As Mortas spoke, the rioters finally move once more. Only this time, they started doing the opposite of what they had previously been doing. Instead of fighting each other, destroying properties and looting like opportunistic rats, the rabble now moved with the purpose of ending the chaos instead. Words traveled and spread along with each member of the rabbles that had heard the argument between Mortas and Carmillia. From one person to the other, the chaos was stopped. And with more and more people slowly but surely told by those that they trust as their comrades in revolution, Carmillia can see indeed that the riot might be ended in an orderly manner after all. With her efforts here, regardless of the fact that it was fueled by self interest, and Leon's own effort back in the Entertainment Lounge of the Main Deck... This might not be the last voyage of the Lorentine Queen after all.

Time seemed to be all that was needed until the words will finally spread to the rest of the boat. Already fires were being extinguished by more people instead of only the few good hearted folks. Already, people were lifting each other up and carrying the bodies of the unconscious instead of beating on each other and looting the fallen. How peculiar the power of carefully chosen and calculated words can be.

And then just as things seemed like it will finally resolve itself, a new wave of emotion spread through the people on the boat. "Schluckodils! By the Five, Schluckodils on board the ship!" This wave came from the other direction; from the lower deck. Quickly, panic started to spread as the people on the boat who were mostly Feskans knew full well the terror of the giant man-eating crocs that made the river their home. A new chaos brewed as people panicked, a tsunami of bodies heading for the two upper decks. "Stay away from the lower deck!" "The lower deck is flooding! I saw them, there's like four of those beasts!" Such shouting emerged from the crowd, making the situation worse as fear spread like wild fire into the hearts of the rabbles. Of course, the shouting of panicking individuals driven be fear were often less than accurate... And such was the case here as well. In reality, there was only one of the beast that had snuck into the boat through the large hole in the kitchen on the lower deck. But the rabbles knew not of this truth.

If there was anything at all that can provide some little comfort about the situation regarding these hopeless folks, it was that their retreat toward the upper decks was still a better situation than the chaos of the rioting from earlier.
Dorothea Hohnstein@Jasbraq, Seung Eun-Ji, and Manfred Hohenfelter@Force and Fury
_____________________________________________________________________________

It were none other than Dory and Eun-Ji that had stumbled upon Manfred and his temporary ally Seer. His explanation of the situation at hand was short, but it was enough to convey the urgency of it to the two young women. To Dory, it elicited surprise, fear, and then worry for Manfred's own well being. "A-a Schluckodil?.... How did it end up on here?!..." Dory's mask began to crack further as she saw the rather distressed Manfred and heard the news. She quickly took Manfred's hand to see if he was okay. "Are you okay? He didn't attack you, right?" After checking him up she steeled herself. "I know how to kill it..."

To Eun-Ji, Manfred's words elicited an understanding nod. Yet it was also coupled with a question; the Tan Keoulian had no idea what a Schluckodil was. She looked upon Dory, Manfred, and Seer. She gave the latter a cautious look before talking to Dory and Manfred. "A Schluckodil? Pardon the question, I know the situation is urgent but I have no idea what that is. I believe I will be able to aid the best if I have knowledge of this... thing. would you please explain?"

Dory turned her attention toward the Tan Keoulian and answered her. "A murderous beasts like no other, they're the main predator in these waters... and adept at killing humans... filthy scaly bastards..." It was brief, but it seemed to be enough as Eun-Ji nodded and continued to reply to her. "I see. So we are to face a man-killing reptile, to put it simply. I suppose I will just have to look with my own eyes to determine further about how to deal with this creature... And you said you know how to kill it as well, and that knowledge will definitely be most welcome, Ms. Hohnstein."

"Good. Then I suggest we not tarry anymore and quickly get to work before it became too late to save those arcanists." The Traveler agent interjected, and then start gesturing for them to start moving again. Trepidation was still in his mind as he was wholly aware of the fact about him being entirely outnumbered now, yet at the same time he didn't seem to be able to find a better choice than this. He must try, it was the way that he and his comrades have taken, to use their power to save those that need to be saved. "Come along then... We will have our work cut out for us dealing with the beast."

And thus, led by the Powergazer, they start to move again through the crowd of now panicking people, closer and closer to the great and terrible Terror of The Lorentine River.
Zarra Travendour@BreathOfTheWoof
_________________________________

Out of the frying pan and into the fire is a very fitting description of the situation that Zarra Travendour had found himself in. Those on the ship had to deal with a single Schluckodil invading the lower deck, and that was a terrible enough thing to have to deal with. Yet the young Perrenchman that now found himself right in the river itself, the territory of the gigantic reptilian man-eaters, the situation was much much worse. Furthermore, he must deal with this situation while also having to fight with an exhaustion that continued to get worse and worse as he kept using his gift and his unique ability as a Greyborn.

He will have to both think and move fast, as the creatures already caught his scent and detected that a prey had entered their domain. It was without a doubt that he will only have one chance to save himself or risk becoming croc food at worst and losing a limb at best. He cannot mess this up. The crocs started to converge on his location, stalking and observing. And soon enough, that will change after they confirmed that it was indeed a creature belonging to their favorite species of prey that had fallen into their watery home...
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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Force and Fury
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Force and Fury Actually kind of mellow

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He was on the early watch, Marceline with him, sweeping the desert with those tethered senses of hers. Manuel put knife to wood, scraping thoughtfully along its surface. Flakes fell away. “Tio Manuel?” the teen inquired, eyes flicking away from the slowly brightening sands.

“What is it?” he asked, words if not tone brusque. He did not take his eyes off the carving.

“Who is this ‘duque’ who is supposed to be coming?” she asked anxiously. “Have you met him before?”

For another few seconds, Escarra worked the wood, his eyes narrowing in concentration, and then as they glanced out over the sands, where the first sliver of sun had just crested the dunes. “You ask me who the Duque is?” he began, tucking the knife back into his belt. “Hm.” His gaze moved between the desert and his granddaughter. “All of us here: we are creatures of the desert: shrews, coyotes, scorpions, halassa. Even the mighty froabas. We each have our roles. We live and die by its rules.”

He thought better of his idleness and reached for a packet of chicle. Marci looked at him expectantly, as her mother had some sixteen years ago. “But there is one - the one who is coming. He is not a creature like the rest of us. No, mi vida, he is the sun and we all thrive or fail at his word.” His face was earnest when he regarded her. “That is Huarcan Frannemas. You must not forget this.” After a moment, he held out the chicle and she quietly took a piece. “Gracias, Tio Manuel.”

“Of course, my precious.” In that moment, sitting there on the parapets beside him, her dark hair shoulder-length in a bob, chewing on a piece of gum, she looked so much like her mother that it built in his chest not to say something. She rolled her eyes and cringed at the fatherly address. “Tiiiooo,” she whined, “I’m not ten anymore, you know.” The teen blushed. “Shit’s embarrassing.”

His hand came for her swiftly: faster than even her young reflexes could counter. It caught her on the ear and pinched. “Oww!” the girl hollered. “What the fuck!?” He lifted a little bit and she batted at his arm before he let her go. “That kind of language.” He shook his head. “Your mother and I taught you to speak better.”

She rubbed at her reddened ear. “Agh… godsdammit.”

He shot her a look. “I mean, not-godsdammit,” she hastily corrected. “and besides, mom curses like a sailor. I’ve heard her.”

Manuel pursed his lips. “Yes, well, she’s older, and…”

“And…” Marci added, face unamused, arms crossed expectantly.

“You should do as she says, not as she does.”

“I never knew you were such a gymnast, Tio,” the teen teased, but the grizzled ranger merely furrowed his brow. “A mental gymnast.” She rolled her eyes.

He shook his head, wondering what expression kids would come up with next. “Learn that from your outside friends?” he asked, and Marci nodded. They sat there for some time longer, picking up the first few sounds starting to travel across the refuge. The sun was actually almost above the horizon now and both no longer looked there directly. A couple of times, the girl looked like she wanted to get up and pace, but thought better of it, so he did it instead, even though it was against his nature. An elder ranger had once said he was like a lizard in that he could remain motionless for hours. Still, young people needed their space sometimes.

Then, with a push of magic and determination, Marceline heaved herself to her feet and grabbed her crutches. “I’m… not mad at you or anything, you know.” She made her way over and he could see that she barely used her knees anymore. In perhaps a year, she would be finished with walking, for all practical intents. “You don’t have to stay away.”

To be honest, the idea hadn’t even occurred to him. He’d just been giving her space to think. The approaching arrival of Duque Frannemas and the hovering threat of the Wyrm had a lot of them on edge, a lot of them considering things that they would normally push to the side. Manuel was no different. He’d wanted to say it for years now, but Amanda had persuaded him not to, for the girl’s safety. What did safety matter now, though? “Ah, then I will not,” he responded, coming up next to her. Flesh of his flesh, blood of his blood, she was so young and beautiful and, yet, he would probably outlive her should Oraff and Eshiran smile upon their cause in the next little while. The unfairness of it sunk him. The girl glances his way, perhaps unnerved by his intensity. “I am not your uncle,” he blurted, pained. “I am sorry. It was for your safety. I am -”

“My grandfather?” She twisted to look his way, coming to a stop. Marci tilted her head. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Was it so obvious?”

She snorted. “You have many talents… abuelo, but theatre is not one of them.”

He begun to feel a weight that he hadn’t known was there lift from his chest and, as he opened his mouth to speak, Marcelina pre-empted him. “You know,” she said, “I think I’ve -” Then, she paused, stalk still, suddenly. A look of alarm and concentration took over her features.

“What is it?” he prodded, grandfather turning back into ranger.

She looked at him, nervousness bleeding from her into the still-warming air. “I…” She bit her lip nervously. “I’ve been feeling something hovering at the edge of my range for a couple of minutes, now, but things are fuzzy there, so I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it.” She shook her head in no uncertain terms. “But it’s real, it’s big, and it’s headed this way.”




At first, it was believed that Marceline had sensed the wyrm’s approach, but this misattribution lived only a short life before the true nature of the disturbance was discovered: an army of some two thousand men-at-arms. After only a handful of minutes, a small group detached itself from the rest, riding up towards the gate. Abdel, Laelle, Luisa, and some of the others were dispatched, posthaste, to awaken all of the Afortunado, the students, and anyone of import and call them together for a hasty meeting in the plaza by the Great Bath.

San Agustin came to life swiftly, after that, and it was Escarra and Amanda who met the duke’s couriers at the gates. “You are Tavio Ortega?” said one, after dismounting. The other four formed a loose perimeter around him, eyes darting about and eager to peer through the small gap behind their hosts. He walked up to Escarra, not so much as acknowledging Amanda’s presence. “Warden Ortega is… indisposed,” the head ranger said simply.

“Then we shall wait,” said the courier. He was a knight and his tone and body language made it clear that he viewed this duty as beneath him.

“You may find yourselves waiting for some time, and the sun will only grow hotter,” Amanda offered, but they did not flinch.

“Perhaps you can hand me that message you’re carrying.” Manuel added, and they turned to him. “And you are?” demanded the knight. “I am head ranger here: Manuel Escarra. It is my duty to receive guests and correspondence outside of normal waking hours, unless I am on expedition,” he lied. “Clearly I am not, and so you see…” he tilted his head slightly, “this is the proper procedure.”

If Amanda wanted to glance his way, she did a good job of hiding it. “I have been a resident here for over twenty years, and it is as he says.”

A couple of the other guards looked her way, but not the knight.

“I also believe it is proper procedure to introduce yourself,” the ranger prodded, “and who you’re representing.” He did not like these men and he liked even less to use their language, but it was his best bid at the moment. Much as Marci had insisted that her friend Jocasta could fight off anyone alive bar Hugo Hunghorasz, and he had witnessed the young woman’s awesome strength, he was not convinced that even the paradigm could stand up to El Patron and his dread children.

“We are here on behalf of his Grace, Huarcan Frannemas, Duke of Spadina-Vergonia, Albecides, and Rio Merraraporra. He has pressing business with the warden of this refuge, which is incorporated as a fief under his domain. We have orders to speak only with the warden himself.”

He had hoped to hide it until he might speak with Huarcan himself, but this was clearly not to be. He caught Amanda’s eyes upon him. ‘The paper’, she quickly mouthed. As casually as he could, Escarra opened his palm where it was hidden. He cleared his throat and returned his gaze to the knight, taking a moment to rehearse it in his head. “The warden has been… deposed, for gross crimes against his charges and his lord. In the face of existential danger, he chose to appeal to Ersand’enise instead of his liege, and they sent six students to deal with the problem, who he attempted to have murdered so that he could petition the school for Zenos instead. He and his co-conspirators deliberately withheld their petition and all information.”

The eyes of the knight who would not give his name widened, despite what appeared to be efforts to prevent this, but Amanda’s motioned for her father to continue. “At this very moment, we have them locked in the dungeon beneath the Red Tower, awaiting the Duke’s justice. As the interim warden of this refuge, I beg of him that he come dispense it.”

Silence built for a moment. Then, cautious, almost accusatory words. “And what of the warden? Where is he?”

“He…” Manuel had murdered him, in truth: a justified one, committed out of anger, but murder nonetheless. Explaining it would be - “He resisted arrest, became unreasonable and violent, and threatened the lives of other staff and residents. I regret to inform you that he was killed in the struggle.” She bowed her head.

The messenger’s eyes flicked her way and he scowled, returning them to Escarra. “How very convenient," he hissed. "And why is this here?” He gestured at her with his chin, and the ranger bristled. It had not gone unnoticed how they had treated his daughter as subhuman. Ill, she may have been, but no less deserving of basic dignity and decency. He felt a tickle along the back of his hand that he knew was her signal to stay calm. How he hated politics and these ‘civil’ men who made war with words. Yet, he knew she was right. The Duke was impossibly strong and, with the family that he had created, would surely not be alone in that strength. Not even escape was an option. This,” he grated, “Is Amanda:” blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh, and a hundred times the person you will ever be, Torraro. Her body may be frail but, even now, she could crush you like the insect you are. “One of our longtime residents. She was witness to what happened. I thought she might be of use.”

Finally given permission by necessity, the knight looked her up and down briefly, distastefully. “I see,” he remarked, attention back on the ranger. “Well, should her testimony prove necessary, then we will use her. The duke will hear about everything you have done here." It was... almost a threat. "You may step forward.” He held out an envelope pressed shut with the seal of House Frannemas.

At war with the growing heat in his veins, Manuel Escarra took a few steps and held his own hand out to receive it, going not quite as far as he needed to and forcing the other man to move. The exchange was completed. “His Grace will arrive within the hour. His requirements are contained within.”

“Understood.”

The messenger and his four escorts remounted as one, heraldry flapping disinterestedly in the light breeze. They turned and, with a great trail of dust, were gone.




“We can’t just bow to this… duke and give up everything we’ve worked for!” insisted Marceline, suddenly a firebrand. “We’re strong, and there are a lot of us. Besides, we have Jocasta! She’s like… practically a member of the Pentad, wherever she is…”

Yalen and a couple of others quickly made the Sign of the Pentad, but the tethered girl blushed only slightly. They were about fifteen minutes into a meeting. Others were busy preparing the auditorium for Huarcan Frannemas, water for his animals, and food and quarters for those of his people he’d be bringing inside. They’d been told to prepare for fifty, and the kitchen and supply rooms were hives of activity. All of the unused bedrooms, guest quarters, and even some of the sitting rooms had to be pressed into service. It seemed a rather unreasonable request, but perhaps he was aware of the potential power of his hosts and did not want to be left at their mercy. Besides, to refuse or fail would have been to demonstrate ill will before negotiations had even begun. Thus, many of the caretakers and even some of the students and tethered were hard at work. Jocasta and Ayla were not among those, but nor were they present to either support or deny Marci’s assertion. Once a general course of negotiations had been decided, they had hurried off to consult about something secretly, much to the annoyance of some.

Felix shook his head. “We don’t have time for this,” Felix interjected, glancing Kaspar’s and Luisa’s way. “We decided on honey over vinegar and, for what it’s worth, I think it was the right choice.” He was chewing a sizable wad of chicle, fingers drumming on the grips of his crutches. “The Duke is a pragmatic man. He would prefer to do this without a fight. Besides, as strong as Jocasta is, she is not just some weapon we can use as we please.”

“Also, many will be hurt or killed if it comes down to a fight.” Luisa glanced down at her lap and shuddered. “I have worked for Duque Frannemas. You underestimate his strength..” The eyes that she turned on the others made no secret of her anxiety.

Just then, Abdel hustled up. “The auditorium,” he panted, all eyes on him, “She is clear. You can move in there.”

"And the rooms?" prodded Isabella, her twin ponytails bouncing with urgency.

The young teen shook his head, still trying to catch his breath. He could not run so well anymore, and it drained him. “We’re working on them. I have Laelle and a lot of the kids there, helping.” He let out an ironically mirthful snort. “They’re treating it like some kind of game.”

“Good,” said Felix. “Better that than understanding how fucked up everything is.”

“They know where to run and hide, Luisa added, “right?” Abdel nodded. “Okay then,” she decided, setting hands to wheels. “Thanks, Abdel. Now, we should get inside.” The boy hurried off, her eyes swept the others, and Isabella was already on her way.

“I uh, like your attitude,” interjected Zarina, towering over virtually everyone else assembled. She winked. “But we should discuss where everyone’s going before we’re all inside, no?” She tilted her head and smiled, much less anxious than one might expect her to be, given the circumstances. “Probably easier that way.”

“Shit,” said Luisa, skidding to a stop, “You’re right. Where do we have to cover?” She turned and looked about.

“We still need someone on lookout for the Wyrm,” her boyfriend mentioned.

“And someone to look after the little ones.” added Yalen.

“The stables,” said Zarina, pivoting partway on a heel.

“We probably shouldn’t leave the prison unguarded.” It was Kaspar, and Felix nodded in agreement. “It’d be the perfect time for them to try something.”

“I think we should, um… still try to have a lot of people in the auditorium,” Marci added uncertainly, feeling chastised by the older people earlier. “Just in case, you know, things don’t go as planned. We wanna have numbers.”

A couple of people glanced at the meeting’s youngest member with annoyance, but then Oscar spoke. “She isn’t wrong. Besides, something like this needs witnesses.”

“Needs negotiators too,” Marci grumbled, hobbling up beside Zarina. “Speaking of which: where in the five hells are Jo and Ayla?”

“Need-to-know basis,” replied Felix, “and, right now, you don’t need to know. The less who do, the better.”

A handful of others turned to him expectantly and he held his hands up, resting his weight on his crutches under his armpits. “I’ve been sworn to secrecy,” he insisted. “It was Ayla’s big idea. Jo is… a reluctant passenger.”

“Right then, concluded Casii, bouncing antsily on the balls of her feet. “Anythin’ else? I reckon we more’r less got it all, huh?”

“The children, the stables, the dungeon,” began Isabella, ticking them off on her fingers. “We’ll need a few there for sure. Preferably those on three or four.” She’d shifted close to Yalen, whose patient but relentless instruction had shaped her into something almost like a magic user in the span of two days. “Lookout for the wyrm, enough in the big room for safety’s sake, and…” She paused, face pensive. She had been one of the apprentice secretaries before and was good at planning for eventualities. “We should probably keep one or two back, ready to respond, in case something doesn’t go to plan, because things never go to plan.” She took a deep breath and blinked. “I think that’s all.”

“Does everyone remember the signal?” Oscar prodded.

“Mhm, a tickle on the back of the hand,” replied Silas. “Left for ‘need your help,’ Vieri added, "right for ‘watch out’, both for ‘problem solved’.”

People nodded. Then, Zarina clapped her hands together, twice, just like the warden always had. “Alright,” she said. “That settles that. Now, pick your poison and let’s move.”




It was late in the Hours of Shune and dust shimmered above a bed of sand. The thunder of horses' hooves could be heard now from the refuge, and the horizon glimmered with the hard sheen of silvery metal. Gradually, they hove into view: a massive host of some two thousand or more soldiers, most all of them mounted, most all of the armoured: a purposeful show of force that the wayward refuge could not hope to match.

The guards at their posts watched as it resolved itself from a mass to a series of individuals. At the head rode a septet of individuals, and Escarra, up on the wall beside one of the gates, took out his spyglass and trained it on the lead rider. "Huarcan," he mouthed, letting it drift from his eye for a moment. Some of the other six, he did not know well, though he recognized what had to be the two sons and daughter of the duke, arrogant little prats that they likely were. Having seen enough, he rushed over to the ladder and slid down. "Two minutes," he warned, "Open the gates."

"Papa, you're getting your nice clothes dirty!" Amanda scolded, and he rolled his eyes and took a moment to brush them off, standing straight as the gates opened. A few years ago, she'd have done it herself, but that was a pain he didn't have time for right now. "Where in this green hell is Jocasta?" he muttered, and his daughter glanced over her shoulder. "Don't worry," she assured him, "She'll be here."

The seven were now clearly visible without the aid of a spyglass, and the rangers and guards that could be spared began to flank the entrance in an honour guard. Fists clenching an unclenching without the aid of his chicle, Manuel shot a glance back just as a golden-haired young woman came gliding up beside him, finally: Jocasta with far more gift for words and far less for violence. For a moment, he was aware of her fiddling with her brakes in his peripheral, but then the riders were unbearably near.

There were three women and four men and even Escarra could feel the energy boiling off of them as they kept the dust and heat at bay with their magic. One of the women, young and with sandy-blonde hair, rode sidesaddle, her dress and riding cloak incongruously spotless and resplendent against her arid backdrop. To the other side of the lead rider was a young man: tall, square-jawed, and proud. He had all the fine muscle, clothing, and breeding of a duke's son, but he rode with his nose in the air: a braggart, Escarra knew. Beside him, on the far left, was a tall man in dark armour, his face hidden: an enforcer and a magic user, for none other would've dressed that way in the desert. To the right of the woman was another: middle-aged, dark-haired, and severe. Her deep crimson robes were fine, but everything else about her meant business. Finally, at the very back, lay a smaller woman, young and mousy-looking, with a pleasant and unassuming face. As she rode awkwardly, struggling to keep up, he recognized her for tethered. So, the duke has one of his own.

The remaining two were the ones that mattered: the handsome, bored-looking youth in the middle, with his piles of curly hair, golden armour, and shoulder cloak. He was Augusto, the second and greater son. In the lead was Duque Huarcan himself: a man who tamed the heat of the desert with the cold aura of his presence. Unassuming and professional in the saddle, he rode as Escarra would expect his rangers to ride, though the similarities ended there. Then, he had arrived.

He brought no servants. They were riding up behind the lead group now, but they would be too late to play a role in the initial meeting. As one, six of the seven riders dismounted, leaving only the tethered. Huarcan Frannemas strode forward, eyes not bothering to sweep their surroundings. He already knew what threats lurked and he had judged them inconsequential. His mouth was a firm line, his skin soft like a noble's but somehow sandy and leathery, and his thinning grey hair swept back without pretense. His armour, very functional, was nonetheless inlaid with gemstones worth more than an entire lifetime of wages for a Head Ranger. He stopped in front of the group of three and chose Escarra as their leader. His trio of children halted behind him, the wind stirring their trio of cloaks with the exception of August's. The Duke held out his right hand and Manuel kissed the ring on it. "Your Grace," he rumbled, trying unsuccessfully to remove the natural roughness from his tone. "Escarra," came the reply, in a voice all-too familiar.







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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Ti
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Ti Memento mori.

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Jocasta @Force and Fury
Event: Hugo's task | Location:Tethered Refuge, Torragonese High Desert.



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“I don’t see why this is necessary,” Jocasta huffed, rolling along after Ayla, who traipsed about in front of her. “I am perfectly good with words and negotiation.” She glanced back at the others over her shoulder as they receded into the distance. “Look at how I defused that pool situation!”

Ayla started recalling the pool situation, her version aimed at attempting to de-escalate the situation before Jo bared her teeth. “It was a very nice touch at the end.” She gave credit where it was due as she redirected from the statement. “Your skill set would be invaluable, if you were free to act and not caught up in noble pleasantries and sycophancy. We don’t want our trump card on display whilst we are at a disadvantage.” She smiled widely. The irony of her own comment was not lost as she moved closer. “You know how persuasive my words can be. Let us do what we do best.”

Jocasta heaved a much-put-upon sigh. “Someday, mama, I’ll be a real girl.” She quirked an eyebrow. “For now, I’m just curious to see how badly you fail in a wheeled-chair.” They’d reached the wood workshop, where open space abounded and they could talk in private. Jocasta reached out with a kinetic grip and plucked a newly-finished chair from the corner. “Now sit,” she commanded, “and we can speak further as we roll.”

Ayla seats herself in the wheelchair, “You left such a lasting impression, we aspired to be like you so much, we wanted to become you.”. She smiles towards the blonde as she is practicing acting more snarky in her comments. “The logical next step.”, she puts her hands to the wheel as she practices pushing them forward in the manner she has seen the others, seeming far more clunky than she anticipated.

“Step, hmm?” Jocasta teased. She observed Ayla for a moment. “This isn't such a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but you do need to look authentic. First thing, when you turn, not one at a time; both: one forward, one back. You can pivot on the spot.” She pursed her lips, suddenly some kind of Zeno.

Ayla moves her hands as instructed, able to turn on a neskal. She gives a smile in return, “Thought you were going to refer to the hair and eye color with the authentic comment. But it appears we’ll soon be rolling and they will be hating at this rate.”.

“Better,” decided Jocasta. “You’re not dogshit anymore, pardon my Perrench." She immediately softened The comment with a smirk. “As for the hair and eyes, nothing a little blood and chemical magic can't fix.” She focused for a moment and her hair darkened until it was nearly black. “wait,” she interrupted herself, “I should’ve asked. You've been taught how to do this? Wanna handle it yourself?”

Ayla does open up her saddle-bag, full of various trinkets, including a piece of flat metal with a shine. “Cosmetics is my forte, if you give me a moment, you could soon pass for me.”, she gives a teasing manner as she starts to dig for powder and make-up. “Got a reputation to maintain, won’t pass with just changing your hair colour. You will soon be the prettiest flower in the garden.”

“Trying to tell me something?” Jocasta raised an eyebrow. People often assured her that she was pretty, though she knew it was more out of pity than anything else. “Anyhow,” she continued, “these!” All at once she reached out and slapped Ayla’s knees: hard enough to draw a reaction. She shook her head. “They can't move. You're moving them without realizing it.” She drew her hand in a line across her waist. “Nothing below here. Sorry for the slap, by the way.”

Ayla grins for a moment with the final comment, “Don’t worry, plucking your eyebrows in a moment.” She pulls a pair of tweezers out, as she taps them together in a teasing movement. “But going to tell you a secret, two actually, first thing, you have good bone structure, don’t want you telling me you’re not pretty. Second, every beautiful girl is very talented when it comes to applying make-up, so once we are done, you would not be pretty, but ravishing. No pity.”

Jocasta blushed. “...got cheekbones like a Nashibansek,” she grumbled, but then she smiled. “Also, get that torture device away from me. I'll use binding. Just guide me.”

Ayla smiles warmly, teasing further, “You sure? No pain, no gain…” She puts the tweezers back in her bag as she moves to hold upon Jo’s hand, extending the index finger and moving it towards her eye-brow as she begins to guide the blonde.

“Ipte,” Jo huffed. “I'm a golem now.”

“Mhm. Have you ever dressed up before? Experience being like another person. It is a surreal and enjoyable experience choosing to be like someone you are not out of choice.”

A dozen times, Jocasta thought, but I have to go back to being myself every time it’s over.“Here and there,” she replied pleasantly, “but if I tell you, I might have to kill you.” She grinned wickedly. “That's neither here nor there, though. For now, are you ready to become blonde? Then, we play dress up, hmm?”

Ayla nods as she smiles, as she starts to apply the finishing touches upon Jo’s face. She leans very closely towards it, her breath gently blowing against the blonde as she is very delicately applying the freckles with her brush as they are face-to-face “Pretending to be a villain can be a fun act, especially when your ancestor is considered to be a Grand Demon.”, she moves her hand up as if to take the shape of a claw, making a scratching gesture. “You would need to make these already pretty eyes a sparkling sapphire too however, and then we should be done with the make-up. You would make a very beautiful Arslan.”, unable to resist teasing the blonde with compliments as she blushed in response.

Jocasta backed up a couple of pushes. “Uuh, yup,” she replied, a little bit uncomfortable with the closeness. “Green to blue.” She focused on Ayla’s hair, changing its composition until it shone golden, and giving it a bit of a wave. She maneuvered behind the Torragonese, taking up her hair, and starting to braid it as she usually braided hers. “Next, we need to change,” she said, “but I don’t think our clothes will fit each other.” She scowled. “Might not seem like it, but I think I’m actually taller than you standing.”

Ayla appraises Jo as she looks her up and down, “You might be right. Could use a couple of pins to hold it tighter. Nothing difficult to modify. Could always put a blanket over my legs.”

“Pins!?” the tethered exclaimed. “I can use binding, you know. Just might be… interesting fitting back into things after, unless binding is used again. As for the blanket…” she paused, thinking. “Might be a good idea anyways. Your legs are too full.” She shook her head. “Mine are like sticks. Now,” she chirped, starting to head for a nearby screen. “have we decided where I should sit?” She disappeared behind it momentarily. “if I’m you, probably somewhere in the front, but the back would be ideal…”

Ayla rolls her eyes in an exaggerated manner, “Forgot how you can use the gift to do everything for you. Next you will tell me we don’t even need to roll to the Duque and we simply appear there.”, uses tongue-in-cheek teasing as she starts to move behind her side of the partition.

Jocasta blinked, just as she was disappearing behind the screen. She rolled back one push, sticking her head out.“Actually, yup!” she teased, “But we’ll do it the old-fashioned way. Give you some practice.”

Ayla undresses as she starts to put her clothing along the top of the partitioner, before glancing towards the hanging items. She was about to ask if Jo was able to reach, catching herself, then decided to practice her mannerisms. “Uh oh, my one weakness, reaching for items above my head.”

“A crippling weakness,” Jocasta laughed, “Truly.” Then, she began plucking the clothes that had been slung over the top.

“You know you will have to start hugging everybody, right?”. Ayla smirks, already aware some of the tethered children have jokingly started saying “Ayla hug” when they greet each other. “My personal boundaries will now be violated, how fate prevents me from being able to avoid intimacy. We must now embrace the power of friendship, and witness the demise of my social anxiety.”.

“Ugh. Shut up,” the not-blonde groaned. “You know you’re going to have to swathe yourself in layers of snark, right?” She peeked out over the top of the divider. “A just revenge.”

Both of them were more or less dressed now, Jocasta’s calves exposed, the garment uncomfortably tight around her shoulders and chest, probably also giving her a wedgie which she was thankful for not having to feel. Ayla was swimming in her older friend’s dress, meanwhile, the light, flowy garment frumpy, ruffled, and pooling at her feet. For a moment, the tethered rose, until she was ‘standing’ across from her counterpart. Then, tugs, pulls, sounds of things ripping, and whirling threads. Her face became a mask of concentration; the fabric around her chest and shoulders loosened and she took a grateful deep breath she hadn’t known that she needed. Everything tightened up for Ayla, until the top of the dress was snug and form-fitting as it was supposed to be and the lower hem did not drag on the ground. “I think that about does it,” decided Jocasta, settling back into her wheeled-chair. “Now you too: sit!” She pushed a few paces. “And remind me what the plan was again.”

Ayla claps her hands together after she sits down, her fingers steepled together. “The plan is simple. Jocasta the magnificent will go brazen with confidence as she holds the Duque to account with an offer too good to refuse. She will play it smart and with an open hand to build rapport. He is going to be suspicious and contemplating in those first moments if it is worth sitting at the table, so the initial plan is to give him a good reason to stay seated there.”, she straightens her shoulders and makes herself look brimming with confidence. “Ayla on the other hand will have a nice position overlooking the proceedings. She will be expected to play an instrument at some point and polite greetings, but he would not be expecting much. Perhaps a meek noble girl. Ayla would be easily overlooked providing her perfect opportunities to act if needed.”

She moves to open up her bag as she starts to bring out various papers, “This petition for the King… may be worthwhile making a similar plea to Duque Frannemas instead. He will be more likely to grant and fulfill the wishes in exchange for certain assurances.”. She taps the paper as she looks towards Jo, “Would this be a compromise that would be accepted amongst the family?”

“Must everyone exist under someone else?” Jocasta grated, but she already knew her answer. “But I know it is the best we’ll get. He will push to make us his soldiers, you know, or take away our freedom if we cannot prove ourselves a useful weapon.” They were rolling now, Ayla halfway respectable at it. Only another tethered on two or less would know her for a fraud. “Be conciliatory, but don’t budge on bottom-line things.”

“My plan is to make the bottom-line look like a great idea of his own making, cannot go wrong with a good story or a well placed metaphor. Besides being used as a falcon in his employ can be a rewarding existence, treated very well and afforded privileges, there may be those amongst your number who would volunteer. An unique opportunity.” Ayla does ponder the realities of the situation, “We would be required to do a demonstration of strength and that would be Shai-aberración. Let’s hope our preparations are enough”. She does sigh a little as she thinks back to her own demonstration before them all, “If it were feasible, pushing for relocating everyone to the Arapor would be my desire. It may not be a bad back plan to fall-back on if it comes down to negotiating for our lives. Perhaps that could be Ayla’s offering if it comes to the crunch or when needing to present an alternative”.

“I will be there if needed,” Jocasta said simply. It had occurred to her in recent days just how chained she had been. Truly, the only thing stopping her was herself. She could kill the duke and his children, probably with ease, and take care of a consistent thorn in the king’s side. She could rule as duchess from the refuge, and turn it into a shining beacon for her people. Others would not go out for her plan, though. Others might get hurt were she to do it. Why couldn’t the people she now called friends be as strong as her? She shook her head to clear the ridiculous idea. There were paths other than blood and fire. “Now,” she announced, “this is where we split up. I slip into the auditorium from the back She gestured as she coasted. “and you roll up the front gate.” Leaning to the side and rubbernecking a bit, she scowled. “Hurry, Jocasta,” she teased. “I think they’re almost there!”

‘Jocasta’ puts on a mischievous smile, “Don’t worry, Ayla. Everything's coming up Jocasta.” She puts on airs as she tries to roll along, putting herself in the right headspace as she imagines Jocasta’s powerful self, brimming with confidence. She makes exaggerated pushes upon the wheels to represent this, rolling to meet Amanda and Manuel by the gate to greet the Duque. Prepared to smile and wave, she fiddles with the brakes to secure herself once beside them. Some instruction on that would’ve been nice.




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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Th3King0fChaos
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Th3King0fChaos The Weird

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Collaboration of: @Th3King0fChaos, @A Lowly Wretch, @dragonpiece, and @Force and Fury






As they continued towards their goal of revenge, Ingrid kept feeling a lump in her stomach about letting them go through with this. They were kind to us. They treated us well even though they believed that our kind had murdered their own blood. Now they look to us for help. Trypano asked some very important questions. If they had access to their magic, Ingrid knew that they wouldn't be able to stop them. So knowing what they look like was important. Since some questions were going around Ingrid had one last thing to say, hoping it may be able to persuade Nine and her siblings.

Ingrid got close to Nine and placed her hand on her arm, "I know what they did was wrong. If I found out someone had murdered my sibling, I would feel wrath like no other. I think I would be blinded by it. Nine if your world is advanced as you say it is, what will happen to your siblings? Your law obviously doesn't make exceptions for revenge. Your siblings can be held accountable for your actions!" Ingrid was desperate to reach out to her before Nine did something she could never take back. Ingrid squeezed Nine's arm slightly, "Think about the outcomes here. If we fail your siblings will most likely be murdered in the same way you are looking to do to them. If we win, you might never be able to see your siblings again, forced to be on the run with nowhere to go. No matter what, you are going to find yourself in a position that will hurt even more than now." Ingrid let go of Nine and took a few steps back. Not out of fear but believing that she may need space after this. Ingrid continued, knowing moments of confusion are the time she can plant a seed, "I know this is hard but if you go through with this you can hurt the ones you love. You're not the one to get revenge. It would be much easier for you to cover this up if we are the ones to do this."

Ingrid gestured to the group. She knew that Benedetto wouldn't care and that Desmond and Trypano might see this as their chance to have untethered access to their information and time to examine the materials and weaponry. Ingrid knew Ismette would probably look down on her for this but Ingrid would rather Nine and her siblings hold on to their values even if it is by a thread.

Nine blinked: both sets of eyelids. She tilted her head and held up a hand to stop the countdown. "Wait!" she called, eyes flashing in the others' direction. "At least two of you have now expresssed misgivings, but of a different sort." She looked, in particular, at Trypano and Ismette. "Does anyone wish to expresss them now?"

Desmond wasn't sure on how to bring it up to Nine and her siblings, to be frank until they were out Desmond wanted to keep his mouth shut as if they didn't tread carefully, they might have been left in the room as Penny was to be killed. But now with Ingrid stopping the train and starting a talk, this was the time to make the best of the situation. Once Nine asked them, Desmond said to Nine, "Yeah I do have some words about this. I'll need to agree with Ingrid here, you guys going in would be the worst move. In either success or failure, you and your own will be roped up into this. At that point you'll need to leave all you knew behind to get away from your people who might seek to dispose of you as they see you as a bad batch".

Desmond let out a sigh as he continued, "Let us handle this, I understand you want revenge, yet, you need to be smart about it. If blood is found on your hand then you will be to blame, no matter where the knife was hidden"

Desmond tilted his head as he pointed his finger from one side to the other as he said, "On the other hand if it was humans and a yasoi who did it, then it'd look as if they were raided for any known reason. There is some deniability there, and the weapons could be easily brushed away. we were in your capture, and when we were going to leave we took out one of your own, stole weapons, and then raided the other base to free the other humans captured. You have your cake and get to eat it too".

Desmond said again as he held both his hands out as he continued on, "You get your revenge on the people who wronged you-" Desmond closed his first hand as he continued, "-and you get to keep yourselves away from needing to bloody your hands and the possible backlash of your people from killing one of your own" as Desmond closed his other hand.

Desmond clapped his hands together as he then shrugged, "And besides as you said it yourself, you wanted to mimic a Human's lethality in the night. Why mimic it yourselves when you have the genuine article who can do it better?". Desmond wanted to keep the Disskas' out of the fighting. Not only would it be bad for them, but it could actually slow them down as they would need to make sure that their 3 inexperienced combatants don't get killed, as they were the only thing keeping them alive at the moment.

Trypano looked over from Nine to Ingrid then over to Desmond. Seemed he was suggesting that they take the blame for the deaths here, shifting blame from the Sirrahi here to themselves. Not great for Human to Sirathi relations but would keep tensions between their own kind from boiling over.

She stood there behind the cover she made, waiting. An awkward silence had crept over prompting her to look back only to see the snake woman's expectant stare. Didn't I already speak my piece? She wondered to herself.

"Um... I concur. Desmond's plan is sound." She agreed, more to fill the silence and more quickly pass this awkward pause. Another benefit she saw from this would be that if they were unsupervised in the enemy snake's territory that would give them the freedom to analyze their tech without supervision, an unintended benefit with the side cost of extra arms in the coming conflict.

"Revenge only begets more revenge," said Ismette, crossing her arms. "It sounds like a platitude, but it's true. If you have evidence and a robust legal system, then I think this is a fool's errand. If you have no connection or control over this group, then this problem is purely ours, and we should be the ones retrieving our errant teammate."

"Yeah, she's 'errant' an awful lot," added Benny. "Running off 'cause she didn't like her assignment, playing hero, running into danger she can't handle without luck." He shrugged. "I think it's stupid, she made her bed, and I don't wanna risk my life without magic. Call me a coward. I don't care. It's how I learned to defend myself. Either show me how to get the Gift back - how you're blocking it - or I'm out."

Nine looked at Benedetto, in particular, bemused. "You have it right now," she replied.

"Yeah, but the second we go in there, we don't," he retorted, "and, to be blunt, I don't really trust you. How many times have you lied to us? What? We should like you because you made our imprisonment comfortable?" He crossed his arms, skeptical at best, borderline hostile at worst.

"It was a sssafety precaution," Nine insisted, voice growing distressed, and her siblings echoed her urgently. "We didn' t know anything at firssst, and then it was only right we should feed you and let you recover before we let you leave."

"Get off it," growled Benny. "You're still sitting there like you're some kind of superior being holding the damned leash and we're all your little pets or test animals. Why are you still blocking the Gift if we're just guests and you trust us? Because we're 'simple' and 'violent'?" He let out a snort and stepped up to her, glaring up at the much larger being. "I'll tell you what the others are too polite to say: it's goddamn insulting and you're fuckin' hypocrites. You're good with killing, or pointing us in he right direction and pulling the trigger. Thing is, I can betcha that at least half the people here - probably gun nut and giant corpse girl - are gonna do the same thing I would the second they get in there: they're gonna copy or grab all the devices they can get their hands on, because they're people. They're curious and, because you haven't been treating them like people just the same as you, who deserve to know, they're just gonna do it their own way." He shrugged. "Read the room, snakeface".

"That is an incorrect assertion." Trypano bluntly stated, her tone as cool and unexpressive as it's almost always been during this dreadfully inconvenient mission.

"Most do not equip their test animals nor pets with weapons and set them with the task of killing units out of their rivalling faction's vase. As for the assertion that our first act would be to copy or grab all devices then you'd be correct but for reasons apart from what you've claimed." She turned from Benedetto to Nines, her expression unchanged as she tried to remain an uninflammatory element in this argument in order to not provoke either party nor lose her own balanced status amongst this current group.

"My purpose on this mission is to try and ensure the overall survival of all members sent to perform it. While the outcome has yielded sub-optimal results thus far I shall continue to look to the overall safety of our team which involves analyzing our situation and proposing approaches that optimize the highest likelihood of survival. Without magic there is only so much I can do to mitigate harm to my team and thus my interest is in expanding our zone of magical influence in order to improve our odds of success as opposed to the alternative: Our grizzly demise. I cannot confirm that our remaining member Penny is even alive currently so embarking on this operation puts this team at risk solely for the possibility of preserving an unknown variable."

With one arm folded behind her back she turned to her remaining team, gesturing to them as a whole.

"I leave the choice as to whether this operation is worth the risk with you all. I shall simply attempt to the best of my abilities to fulfill my role here regardless of the path we all take here."

"That would be an incorrect assumption," Benny mimicked, his voice tiny and mocking. He rolled his eyes. "Ah, sorry. They only equip their footsoldiers. Definitely not worthless pawns on their board. Gods, you ooze superiority complex. It's seriously -"

While Benedetto had been busy making an ass of himself for the umpteenth time, and Trypano employing some impressive mental gymnastics, Nine had looked increasingly pained: guilty, even. She shifted nervously and looked down at the ground. "I am sorry, outsssiders," she kept murmuring. "Truly, I am. It was... not sssupposed to go this way. It was not suposed to feel like thisss." Ten glanced at her and the others nervously.

Ismette was the one who went rogue, however. Deciding that she'd had enough of the bickering and that this was headed inevitably towards some form of the violence that she so abhorred, she'd slipped away and was now nearly at the armoured door. "I come unarmed," she called out to whoever was on the other side and, indeed, she had left her weapon behind. "I seek a diplomatic solution to this misunderstanding if you are willing to entertain one. I only wish to speak with you."

Nine whirled immediately. "Not again," she hissed.

"Sissster!" said Ten worriedly.

"What good comes of it?" Nine wailed. "What good ever comes of it?"

"But what about the tessst?" Ten demanded, eyes widening in alarm.

"What about it!?" snapped Nine. "Can you really watch that girl die again?"

Ten looked pained. Then, reality seemed to flicker and, when the group looked out, Nine, Ten, and their brother all seemed to be in very slightly different positions than before. Each member found a note in his or her hand.

Dear human/yasoi,

We will explain everything in a minute. For now, it is essential that you follow our lead. Benedetto is going to get angry and pretend to knock all four of you out. We are going to do the same to him. We need to fool those watching us. This is our best chance.

- Nine


Desmond listened to the talking of Benedetto and Trypano and just pinched the bridge of his nose. He was getting annoyed of Benedetto's antics, they could have gotten that information after they got them to agree with not coming. But now the situation arised that Benedetto is now taking his point and he might become antagonistic to the point of confrontation. Yet as the others were talking, things seemed to almost dull for Desmond, sounds began to dull, his heart beat rose, lights began to get brighter while colors became more clear, something was wrong as he felt danger approaching.

Desmond felt something off, he had his magic like Nine said, so he reached out to find someone had moved too far. His eyes flashed over to the door as there would be only one person so stupid to decide to try something with the other Sirrahi they were about to raid, Ismette. Desmond gritted his teeth as he was about to whirl around to grab Ismette as it seemed Nine was in the same mind, yet said something strange, 'Not Again'. As Desmond heard the conversation, he instantly knew something was off. As in that same moment the world seemed to flicker. Desmond felt this once before, he noticed when Onarr left them that note, his senses seemed to have comprehended something he didn't as instantly knew, something messed with the world in a strange way. As the moment Desmond looked back at the Disskas' he noticed their positions were different.

It was something slight at most, something most wouldn't even notice unless they were looking at them or were a trained fighter or Magusjaeger, and that could often just confuse someone. Yet for Desmond, just a slight detail was enough for him to pick out an invisible opponent, so this larger change was enough for him to notice something off. Their positioning was minorly changed at best, but it was apparent, it would be very easy to know when and how a Sirrahi moves, they are bound by the same physical limitations of locomotion that a snake has. Yet one seemed to have even shifted slightly to the side, which would only been seen if they side step, or that they moved much more to fully shift. 'They moved. Then tried to return to the same place but didn't fully know where they exactly were'.

Desmond felt the paper in his hand as he quickly flickered to it and saw what was needed, the Disskas were going to take the lead. Benedetto was to try and 'knock them out' as the rest of them were to do the same. They needed to fool those watching, Desmond didn't know what was happening, but he needed to at least follow. He had no plan and they were all in a situation that could lead into the minimum death of Penny, and worst, all of them.

Desmond used his best acting like he never saw the message as he said to Benedetto, "Yeah, I get it, you wanna be a big boy, but we need to move. Ismette is about to blow our entire plan like a dumbass!" As he looked as if he was about to close the distance between him and Ismette, but he prepared for what was to come, he prepared to take whatever fall was to come to make it as believable as possible.

Benedetto was getting heated and all she could do was watch. Maybe she should have not said anything. Panic was building for Ingrid and she was just taking account of the energy she had access too. She didn't know who might start the fight first but she had to take care of herself first.

Then a sudden shift. Ingrid had no idea what it was. Was it magic? Was it their technology? She couldn't know. All she knew was that there was a small note in her hand. She took a quick read and there wasn't anything to do except hope Benny doesn't make it hurt too much.

Benedetto stared at the note for a moment, and had the impulse - however briefly - to foul up their plan, but he was also shaken. What had just happened - how they were in slightly different positions, how he suddenly had a note in his hand, along with everyone else - could only be the work of Temporal magic. That these... snake people could use it was proof positive that they were something scary beyond their mere appearance. Maybe it wouldn't work. Maybe, if he went rogue, they were stronger than him. That, more than anything else, made Benedetto recoil with dread. It reminded him of a time when he had not been the strongest, when others had filled him with fear.

Then, Desmond was in his face, getting another jab in under the cover of making his antagonism believable. Benny's first instinct was to squish him, but the snakes were watching and he had the sense they wouldn't take kindly to that. If only he had more information, he could deal with them too. "Ismette, you dumb shit!" he roared, drawing as quickly as he could: on past six, almost to seven, but this area had so little energy that it was hard to get more without hurting people. He watched the snakes carefully, to see if they reacted to magic, but Ten merely tilted her head, Five shouted for him to stop, and Nine looked nervous.

"You know what!?" Benedetto shouted, "Fuck this and fuck all of you!" Using about half of the energy he'd drawn, he let out a massive kinetic shove and everyone bar the snakes went down around him. He remembered to hit the 'eye device' too, like he'd been instructed in the note, and then there was gunfire. Sparks leapt from a spot on the ceiling of the cavern. Bullets sprayed walls away from where people were. Then, it all stopped. "Quickly!" Nine was hissing. "Get the trackers off them!"

Benny found himself grabbed from behind and had to override the instinct to punch a reptilian in the face. Five wrenched him around, flicked out a knife, and stabbed into his 'bulletproof vest'. The teen let out a yelp, but then there was a small, blinking device on the floor. Five crushed it with a smack from his tail and was already rushing towards Ismette while Nine and Ten did the same to the others.

"You can all talk now," one of the sirrahi women assured them, and Ismette was first to speak. "Okay, what in the five hells is going on here?" A couple of the others echoed... similar sentiments.

Nine took a deep breath and let it out unsteadily, her eyes trying but failing to meet the others'. "What's going on is that Benedetto is right: we've been lying to you. We've been your jailors and not your friends." Her shoulders slumped. "I cannot express how much I regret it. All that I can simply say is that I'm sorry."

"Jailors," echoed Five and Ten. "Benedetto is right."

"I'm sssorry," said the two other sirrahi.

"Thisss was an experiment," said Ten. "You were the fourth group."

"Experiment," echoed Nine. "Fourth group," said Five. The former picked up where her sister had left off. "Our species has a long history of violence with the Gift and it's one we've mostly, imperfectly left behind. Thing is, your ssspecies haven't. We fear you. We're raised to fear you as if you're sssome sort of wild animals who may bite."

"We were collecting data," said Five, "on human social interaction under duress."

"And threshold for use of violence, attitudes towards cooperation and coercion," Nine interjected. "A whole bunch of things really."

"Thisss was supposed to be a strictly ssscientific operation," Ten concluded, the three siblings coming together and grouping up out of, perhaps, some protective instinct. "We put variousss groups of humans and yasoi - thieves and cutthroats - through the same trials again and again, adjusting the variables."

"It was unethical and it was monstrous. You are sentient beings, we now see, not lesser beasts. You have thoughts, loves, hopes," Nine continued, "fears, and dreams, just like us." She shook her head. "You love and are loved."

"It was... awful," Five admitted.

Ismette did not know what to say. For a moment, she swayed in place, dumbstruck. "Sooo... what about Seven?" she asked, her voice accusatory. "Does she even exist?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than there was a clank of the blast door. "You could say that," another sirrahi interjected, emerging from it. With her was Penny: strangely dressed but very much unharmed. "I'm Seven," she announced, voice clipped and clinical, and her three siblings stumbled over each other to affirm her speech. "One is in charge of the base, but I'm the head researcher here." She nodded. "We owe you an apology, but that won't make you safe."

Penny hurried to join the other humans. She was wearing form-fitting tights with... some kind of mesh worked into them, and a hooded garment with a large pouch in the front. "Oh thank Oraphe!" she exclaimed. "You're okay! I went looking for you and..." she trailed off, realizing that there were more pressing matters.

"As I was saying," Seven picked back up, "Apologies won't make you safe. We need to get you out of here. For now, we have faked your deaths. You have two options and we will honour your wishes."

Nine nodded. "I want you to know that we can use what you refer to as 'temporal magic' to reset everything to the moment that you stepped into that cave. Only, this time, we will not meet. None of this mess will happen." She shot them a pained look, particularly Ingrid.

"Or," offered Five, "we can run." He glanced at his sisters. "There is an area, down that way, which contains a... means of transport that will allow you to escape, very far from here. You are, for now, believed dead, but not for long."

"You must decide," beseeched Ten.

"You must," echoed Nine and Seven.

Ingrid expected to be punched in the face, maybe even have her head slammed into a wall. A kinetic shove wasn't what she expected. It would have been so much gentler if she saw it coming. Her nerves were running high as she just wondered what was going one. Were they using time magic? Who among them? All of them? Either way Ingrid was left wincing from the pain of getting shoved.

One of them cut into her skin to remove something. Something Ingrid hadn't felt there before. Ingrid could deal with the pain but she was more shocked they put something in her body. It was inhumane. She looked towards them. She knew they weren't being truthful but to what extent Ingrid was unsure.

Ingrid listened to them describe the situation much the same way she did when they first met. She didn't want to judge them until she heard a more complete story. With each truth they revealed, Ingrid felt herself get more and more conflicted. They were researching us. They didn't even see us as sentient. Great. Ingrid could understand there view. It seems there ability with magic is superior, superior enough to make Benedetto fear. Strangely Ingrid didn't fear them. As much as they set us into an experiment like we were wild animals, they aren't trying to wield that power over us unlike Benedetto. Maybe they were so strong they didn't even need to show strength, that we were so insignificant that we don't even deserve to be recognized.

Like waiting for a cue, Seven appeared just as Ismette was accusing them if Seven was ever real. With her was Penny, though in odd clothing, was safe. Ingrid looked genuinely relieved and wanted to show it but there was too much going on for Ingrid to focus on that. But for what it's worth, seeing an alive Penny an alive Seven lightened Ingrid's heart. Even if they had tricked her, she still felt relieved that no one had died. Seven kept the conversation going, Seven's demeanor made Ingrid believe that her and Trypano would just be best friends. They had a similar level of clinical sterility in their voice.

They had finally made it to the grand question. Do we get our memories erased and this never happens or do we run and remember them and this whole experience. The pained look Nine sent Ingrid's way stung as Ingrid was trying to keep the idea of what was manufactured friendship and what was genuine far from her mind. But that look had her examining if this friendship even was real. How many times did they run this experiment. How many times had she kissed me. How easy was it for Nine and them to manipulate me. Were these feelings just fabricated to begin with. Ingrid felt herself spiraling down this infinite loop of questioning if anything that happened was genuine. Panic was setting in, it felt similar to when she thought of the unknown. Ingrid had a conclusion though, What is the point? It doesn't matter if they repeated this 100 times, that doesn't invalidate my thoughts of her. It doesn't invalidate that before meeting them I was willing to let myself just get married off. I'm going to believe her even if it hurts me in the end. Ingrid knew what she wanted, she wanted to remember her first kiss and the time she had. But she needed to know something. Ingrid looked at the Sirrahi, "Are you going to be okay. If I can believe what you guys have said then letting us go is against your roles. I want to remember you, Nine, but I don't want to if this can get you hurt."

The moment Desmond felt an intense pain in the center of his back, he knew what was to come as Benedetto yelled. Yet Desmond couldn't make it look like he just took it with ease. Desmond gritted his teeth as he felt the kinetic push occur, he drew in energy the moment upon impact to make it more a shove rather than a toss as Desmond lightly hopped from his toes to make himself fly. The moment before Desmond was to make an impact with another surface, he pulled more energy from himself to reduce the momentum and roll from the landing.

Desmond laid there for a moment as he felt one of the snakes go over and grab him. Desmond gritted his teeth and fought every urge to use the energy within him and fire it off at the thing grabbing him from behind. Yet once they had him they stabbed into his vest, Desmond tensed up as if he was about to do something yet he held it in as they took out the device and smashed it.

Once this was done, Ismette asked the question everyone was curious about, what is going on. As it was explained, Desmond listened as he started piecing together everything that was happening. They used them as test subjects, testing things, human nature, and all that, yet the thing that Desmond still didn't understand was how they were doing it. When he was about to start asking more questions they met the hidden Seven, who is apparently the head researcher and the one who seemed to have found Penny as she comes closing in quite quickly after.

Desmond sighed as he saw her, it meant that this entire situation was going to be able to end. Yet Seven seemed to have more to say as they were given 2 options: to run, or have magic used on them to never have this happen. Desmond then had a click happen in his head, Temporal magic, Desmond did not know what it exactly was, but he assumed it was based upon manipulation of time.

'They were unable to make all that food even with 30 minutes or hell even an hour, but 20 minutes is absurd. The manipulation of placement, they must have stopped time to place the notes in our hands, there was probably many questions they asked and we asked, but they reversed time knowing the outcomes of them being unfavorable.'

Desmond began having more thoughts, yet they needed to wait, it was time to answer the question, to run away with all their memories intact and the Sirrahi with them as they would then become fugitives. Desmond drew in a breath as he thought, it was a very tough idea to even think about. Yet it seemed Ingrid made her choice, she wanted to remember yet if it hurt them then she couldn't. Desmond could agree in some way as he said, "I'd prefer to remember this. I don't remember much as it is, so I'd prefer to keep what I have. Even if it hurts, I wanna keep what I remember here".

Desmond said this with a straight face, maybe one they have seen multiple times, one that showed his feelings much more than a smile ever will. An expression that might have been seen more often by them than anyone else. Desmond didn't know how much of him they knew, yet it didn't matter, they would probably know what he meant with what he said.

The subtlest of changes. She found herself located at a point separate from whence she stood, her point of view altered just enough to be noticeable. Even more noticeable was the change in the position of her own hand, now clutching a note.

Aha, we're faking our own deaths then. She concluded, looking first over to Ismette making some loud proclamation then over to the irate Benedetto. While ordinarily she wouldn't trust him with something even as simple as boiling an egg without suspecting he'd scatter or flash-fry the thing in this case he looked like he was on the same page. Given his glances to the surrounding Sirrahi his temper was tempered by their presence alone. Even he must have clued in by this point that their hosts hadn't let them out of their control by taking them down into this brief recess from their magic-dampening effects.

The next part was simple. Faking her own death. As he emitted the kinetic wave she was thrown, perhaps not as violently as some certain others but tossed nonetheless. She continued to feign defeat until it was clear they were no longer being surveilled. At that point she administered roughly 2.5 milliliters of morphine into the blood stream surrounding the effected tissue where her head hit the stone wall behind her.

Rising from her prone position she found the mastermind behind all this was none other than Nine's reportedly 'dead' sister Seven. It was made clear that this was all just a simulation, a test to try and examine their behavior under specific conditions. Like rats in a maze.

She was neither dismayed nor discombobulated with this however. It was interesting to happen upon this taking place under such an unassuming place. She wasn't surprised the Sirrahi only now saw them as beings fit to liken to themselves in thought process. All their other test subjects were pirates, violent social outcasts who would give their fellow man and woman a bad name with how basic their trains of thought were. Then again it was actually remarkable they hadn't terminated their group with fellows like Benedetto amongst them.

Thus it came to the crux of this conversation: Whether to leave manually at their own peril or allow them to erase what happened here temporally. While Trypano's expression remained even she folded her arms behind her back and gave a simple negatory shake of the head.

"While I'm uncertain of how the procedure for this event is meant to go nor the ramifications of it's alteration I would want to keep my memory of this event. Every experience, both positive and negative, help to shape us sapient beings. While our base mold personality may vary who we are is shaped by what we see, experience and decide from the information present. To remove what we've learned would be strike this version of us from existence as we are now much different people from who we were prior to this expedition. Whether this experience has bettered me or not is not for me to decide but I welcome the discovery of all truths, both for good and for ill. To stumble and falter is no less an important step in learning."

While perhaps a bit wordy it got her point across well enough. It was simply time to receive their judgement at the hands of these researchers of theirs.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Force and Fury
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Force and Fury Actually kind of mellow

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I N T O T H E D E P T H S



"There is a risssk inherent in every action," said Nine, taking in and releasing a deep breath. "But continuing from here leaves more variables in our hands than ressstarting would."

"More variables," echoed Five and and Seven. "In our hands," added Ten.

It took a moment for her eyes to settle on Ingrid's. "We will... manage, she assured the human. "And now there is no running from our actions. Our research will ssspark much-needed change in our society or elssse they will have revealed themselves to be fools."

"Much needed change," Five repeated.

"We will have to make it ssso," agreed Ten. "Our backs are against the wall."

"Yesss," said Seven, "but I fear the time for discussion has passssed. We have perhaps twenty minutes before the anomaly is detected." All three of her siblings affirmed these words and she regarded the humans and yasoi. "You should follow me. We are headed for the transport room. Ten," she barked, "Move ahead. Prep. We will choose the destination as we arrive."

"Move ahead," repeated Ten, "Prep." She nodded and glanced at the half-dozen non-sirrahi. "I will see you soon." Then, the youngest sister leaned forward until her upper body was near-parallel with the ground and took off at what must've been a run for a sirrahi.

The others hurried through the doorway, the remaining three reptilians leaning forward as well, the faster that they went. There were other doors, and Seven used a little card like the one they'd seen before to open these. A couple of rooms flashed by similar to their own and they realized that they could still access their magic when Ismette used it to enhance her sprint. She seemed... increasingly out of sorts in the narrow, dim hallway, and eager to get out.

Penny, struggling at the back, pulled liberally on the Gift to catch up, though she was red-faced. The underground base seemed like an endless labyrinth of rooms, tunnels, laboratories, and things that served the same purpose as staircases, but were not. The sirrahi slithered up and down them, the humans took them cautiously, and the one yasoi in the group leapt them. It was... mostly a blur, but Nine, talkative by nature as she was, explained what she could of the purpose of their research. "We are supposed to fail," she said, nearly breathless, "Or succeed, from a certain point of view." Thirty seconds passed in silence. "We lied to you about a lot, but the debate between factions was truth... of a sort."

"Of a sort," confirmed Five.

"We were... skeptical," she admitted, "about your peoples, about your violence, about many things." She paused as they descended another set of sirrahi 'stairs'. "As a university field research team, we were expected to find evidence to support our professor's hypothesis."

"Expected to find it," Seven repeated absently, whipping around a balustrade.

"Though they may simulate otherwise, empathetic behaviour in humans and yasoi decreases rapidly as potential recipient species become more evolutionarily distant."

"Our data shows only a weak correlation, though it is admittedly anecdotal," added Five.

"And not everything is quantifiable data," Nine countered. "Not everything has hard, objective conclusionsss." She glanced Ingrid's way. "What, even is love? What is empathy? Prosssocial behaviours? Adaptive ones?" She shook her head. "It is not adaptive to do many of the things we do in the name of emotion, and yet we do them." Momentarily, she drew a finger to her lips. Surely, we cannot pathologize these all. Feeling mussst have a place alongside thinking. Love must -"

Seven held a hand up and they came to a stop at a door. "Ssstirring, sissster, she said shortly. "But from my experience... She held her card up to the lock mechanism of a heavy set of double doors, and then punched in a series of numbers on a keypad. "Simple reward is still the best predictor of behaviour, and the best incentive toward desired ones." Like the smaller door in their room, these ones slid into the walls to either side, automatically, with nobody to work them. Only, this time, the students could feel the energies around them: kinetic, a strange form of magnetic, chemical, and arcane. There were... almost veins of energy that stretched behind the walls.

That was not what drew the attention of many. It was a vast storage room, full of shelving, that they were in. A series of long, tubular lamps... or not really lamps so much as sterile white glowing tubes lit up, one by one along the ceiling. Some shelves contained books, others, apparatus. There were those stocked with cables, screens, weapons, laboratory equipment, clothing and bags. Off to one side were large devices with wheels, a couple with belts around their wheels, and those that seemed almost like dragonflies, with odd, narrow blades folded above them. At the far end was a ramp leading to a raised platform. There were a pair of wide rectangular shapes. Their construction seemed markedly different from the other things in the room: both more technologically advances and... somehow more ancient. Ten waved from that direction, hurrying over. "You were quick!" she exclaimed. "I barely had time to set up, but we're ready to run: ten seconds at full power. I don't wanna risk anymore."

Seven had a wristwatch. She checked it. "Not that quick," she corrected, but then she softened at Nine's disapproving look. "And, um, thank you for running ahead. You must be winded."

"Ya don't say," teased Ten.

"Sister," began Nine, voice gentle and accommodating.

"Sister," Seven replied.

"Sister."

"Sister." It was almost good-naturedly mocking.

"In keeping with your findings, I would like to provide these people with a reward." She gestured towards the six. "I think, as well, we owe them some compensation from an ethical standpoint. You know what an abyss this whole operation has become by that metric."

"Abyss."

"By that metric."

Seven pursed her lips, eyes flicking about the others. She straightened and checked her watch again. "You have precisely four minutes," she allowed, "and no tech that would break the first protocol."

Nine saluted.

"Wait!" yelped Ten, cutting in. "Before you start, I need to know where you'll be going! I have to input the coordinates."

Ismette had little idea of what the sirrahi meant by 'inputting coordinates', but she understood that they needed a location. It was she and Wvysen who had been entrusted with the keys to their extraction, and now only the yasoi remained. Hugo had said something about meeting up with the other groups at a place in the Torragonese High Desert called San Agustin. "Right," she said. "I have that information." She nodded at the others. "I can come with you to wherever you need to... input coordinates. As for a reward," she decided, half-twisting. She shrugged. "I have long been on a journey to learn Temporal Magic. I will take any resources you have on the subject: anything that might help me cure my people if it isn't too much trouble."

"Do you judge her trustworthy?" asked Seven, eyes narrowing in Nine's direction.

The slightly younger sister glanced at the six mammals. She nodded, while making an odd gesture with her fingers. "I trust... all of them, in fact."

"Good, agreed Seven, eyes finding the group. "Then that can be... arranged." With a nod, Ismette pivoted on her heel and hurried off with Ten towards the raised section at the end of the warehouse. Meanwhile, Ingrid, Desmond, Trypano, Benny, and Penny were left to make their requests and retrieve their items. Five, Seven, and Nine accompanied them.

There was not much time, but Nine made a point of accompanying first Desmond, and then Ingrid, while Seven took Trypano and Penny, and Five was left with Benedetto.

The elder sister kept matters professional. "I am here, as well, should you have a final question or, perhaps, two." She folded her hands behind her back. "I would like to impress upon you that what we are entrusting you with could lead to calamity should it fall into the wrong hands. Use it well, wisely, and sparingly."

The younger, however, was another matter altogether. "Goodbye, Violence Stick!" Unbidden, she threw her arms around Desmond, and began coiling too. "I will miss you dearly," she wept, "And your ironically wonderful food." She squeezed a bit harder. "I am so so so so sssooo sorry for my deceit, but I really do like you, and..." She uncoiled, partially, wiping away a few snakey tears and raising a backpack strapped to some of her lower clothing up to arm level. She unzipped it and took a book out, to add to the one she had already given him. It was titled, Elsen's Encyclopedia of the Human World, and she thumped its cover gently as she pressed it into his hands. "I hope that you will always be as happy in life as you are in your picture here." She sniffed. "Promise me you will open it after you go, for a war feeling and a good memory." She backed up a little. "Goodbye, my friend, and thank you for teaching me much more than I taught you."

Then, she was with Ingrid, and she reached out and took the tall, pretty girl's hand as they found what she was looking for. "I do not think time is uniform, Ingrid." Arms around the human, she rested her chin on Ingrid's shoulder. "It seemed so ssslow before, when we spent time together, like it would never end." She squeezed her eyelids shut, tears trickling down her cheeks. "But now it ssseems all so fast." She sniffed. "Perhaps that is a form of temporal magic." It was a sad, weak laugh. "Thank you, she breathed, "for changing me: for making me better. And sorry," she continued, "for the dissshonest circumstances we met under." There was a pause. "It was real, though: all of the rest of it."

When Ingrid tried to address her as 'Nine', she backed up slightly and shook her head. "That is a more formal name, and one for my sssiblings. You can call me Sileen." She smiled: a small, uncertain one that did not open her jaw in the way that had so unnerved her guests at first. A blush came to her strange, reptilian cheeks and her hands did not yet leave Ingrid's shoulders.

Meanwhile, Seven was guiding Tyrpano and Penny back out of the shelves, each laden with items of their choosing and the former receiving a caution not ignore the psychological, emotional, and ethical impacts of her future research. It was only as good as the positive impact that it would have, weighed against the benefits, and was only as applicable as it was well-received. Those were lessons hard-learned. Then, her watch let out a strange... beeping noise of the variety that the humans and yasoi had come to expect. She held it up. "That is all the time we have," she announced, twisting on the spot and rising up to look down on the others. "Any more is a risk we can't afford." She motioned in the direction of the great rectangles, and, as people came to a stop, still holing their weapons and gear, she explained to them that they would be stepping through.

"It looks terrifying when they're on," said Nine, "but it's safe, I promise. I've traveled through them dozens of times."

"You um... you need to line up in front of the one on the left and be ready to go," cautioned Ten. "Once I give it power, you have only ten seconds to step through." She paused and blinked. "I know I haven't become as... close with you as my sister," she admitted, "But it was a pleasure, a learning experience, and... honestly pretty fun at times. Be safe," she wished, "and be well."

"Best of luck," said Five, simply. He nodded and crossed his arms. "It was real or... er... you know what I mean."

"From my experience, there is no such thing as 'luck'," sneered Seven, "only probability. Be smart," she wished, "maximize your odds."

"From my experience..." mimicked Five, voice mocking, but then Ten cut in. "Yeah, nope. That's enough of that." She rolled her eyes and pulled a lever. "Way to spoil the sendoff, dingus!"

One of the rectangles lit up: a hissing, swirling vortex of energetic waves and static. The sheer amount of power going into and bleeding out from it was phenomenal: almost overwhelming. "Through!" called Ten, "Go through, quickly!"

But Sileen was on the platform with them, as the time counted down past eight and then seven. Ismette hesitated, until Benny shoved her through with a certain glee, and he leaped in after. The sirrahi grabbed Ingrid, though. She grabbed her and kissed her with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, as the timer passed four, three, and two. Then, they separated suddenly, Sileen pushing her through. The last thing that the human saw was the sirrahi's wink. She blinked and she was on the other side.












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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by A Lowly Wretch
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A Lowly Wretch The Listless Loiterer

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So it would seem that this little experiment would come to a close and they would be escorted from the premises. A shame things had to conclude so soon.

While most others were running she was going at a relatively casual jog. Even still each step of hers amounted to at least two or so of her shorter schoolmates, ensuring that she was neither racing ahead nor lagging behind the overall group. All the while her face hadn't changed from the cold clinical deadpan stare that's been with her for a good majority of this mission. While not too much different from her resting expression her normal given face held less severity than it bore now. It was more stiff and that largely came from having to avoid wearing nothing but a general scowl.

As their serpent host confirmed this had all been an experiment, one that they'd of ironically proven correct had they not cut them off mid-way given how circumstances were developing. It wasn't her fault one of their members had a superiority complex and likely other issues best suited for someone else to diagnose but he was a part of their test sample nonetheless.

_
When they finally arrived it was decided they'd be given a parting gift for their participation. Given the protocol to not disrupt the technological progress of her species was still in effect that effectively meant that anything they were meant to take would amount to little more than the kind of chotchkes you'd find sold to foreigners by some street-side peddler.

No, Ismette had the right idea indeed.

"As it's not outside the purview of knowledge currently available to humanity I would accept my gift in the form of a basic introduction to temporal magic as well. Just enough to grasp the method behind drawing and containing it's particular strain of energy.

And thus, Trypano went off to hopefully receive this gift unto them. After all, what was she going to do with tech that they had no adequate time to describe nor detail the precise use and functions of?

_
Upon stepping out from the portal Trypano noticed something was immediately wrong.

"Ismette... Unless my eyes deceive me we are not in Ersand'Enise." She cast her stony gaze onto the yasoian woman. "Where are we?"

She then looked back out at the scene before them with the many soldiers and the hard-to-overlook dragons due to set upon them.

"And why are we now about to be set upon by dragons?" That last question was perhaps more rhetorical since it definitely didn't seem to be part of her plan unless her plan was some sort of convoluted scheme to dispose of them in such a way. Seeing one of the dragons set it's focus upon them she drew in and then slowly let out a long, truly drawn out sigh of tired melancholy, the light in her eyes quite thoroughly dulled as she was thrust yet again into combat without any consent or planning.

To avoid getting burned alive she drew apart the sand below her, reforming it into stone in the shape of a shaft running down at a seventy-five degree angle facing perpendicular to the path the dragon was approaching upon. This would not only make it hard for fire to reach her at the angle it's going to be breathed from but the stone prevents the sand from collapsing the tunnel so others can follow her as well. After reaching roughly five or so meters down she extended the top of her stone chute to form a shaped semi-cap to help prevent fire from making it's way down as well as offering some protection to anyone who decided to follow her down.

"If you wish to use this tunnel to escape direct fire feel free." She called up from her tunnel as she began work on creating a stone U-bend so that even if the dragon went so far as to press it's lips up against the entry to their tunnel and breath fire the flames would stop at the water she was going to fill that short portion with.



- Directly involved: @Force and Fury,@Th3King0fChaos,@dragonpiece.
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Hidden 2 yrs ago 2 yrs ago Post by Animus
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Animus I live in Singapore.

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Carmillia Carbonneau


Place(s): Corridor to Upper Deck and Lower Deck Corridor, Lorentine Queen
Interactions: Various @Medili


Pentad be damned.

The events onboard the Lorentine Queen were far past simply grating on her nerves. Her frustration was peaking. Time and time again, her plans were constantly foiled by either imbeciles or strokes of bad luck. All she had left to do was to maintain appearances for little while more before heading after Leon and the Lyre. But with gigantic reptilians sieging the ship, her reputation with the peasants would be tarnished if she were to leave now.

"So, what now..." Mortas faltered when he realized he didn't know how to address her.

"Carmillia. Carmillia Carbonneau."

"What now, Miss Carmillia?"

The two of them observed the scene of chaos before them. Already, most of the rioters had fleed to the upper deck. Only a few had remained, those loyal to Mortas and others who had been inspired by her earlier speech.

"Well, first off, I'd like to give you my commendations, Mortas. You wouldn't have been much of a partner as an up-and-coming revolutionist if all it took to send you running was a few big scary lizards.

Mortas gruffed in annoyance.

She smiled.

"People tend to exaggerate when in a panic. I doubt there's four of them. Probably two, at most. If we're lucky and that lad only had a single ball, there's only one of those demon spawn."

Carmillia turned to look at Mortas, awaiting his response. She was testing him.

"We'll have to take it on in the corridors. Use its own size against it. We'll need to bring it around in circles. Buy us enough time to get this boat to shore," he said.

"Live bait! How exciting. I'm starting to like you more and more, Mortas."

Mortas scoffed.

"Stop it, woman," he responded. "Their hides are too thick. Even if we had a proper spear as opposed to—" Mortas bent down to pick up a shaft of wood from a splintered table. "—...this, only an enhanced gifted would have enough strength to pierce through their skulls. You might have been acting earlier, but I doubt you're secretly a leadvein." He paused. "Are you?"

He's quick on the uptake. A good asset. Mortas understood that running away to the upper deck was tomfoolery. It only delayed the inevitable; once the ship sunk, they'd all be fishfood. He was also coolheaded and rational enough to understand that they couldn't simply take the schluckodils on.

"I'm not. Your plan's good, Mortas, and as much as I would enjoy seeing you get chased around by schluckodils for the rest of the night, there's no need. I have allies on the ship who are capable of taking down giant lizards."

"You...didn't...need...to—"

"Shut up and keep running."

Carmillia, Mortas and a bunch of other rioters were running through the corridors on the lower deck. Carmillia's earlier deduction had been right; there was only a single schluckodil. However, it didn't make situation any less terrifying. The massive beast barely fit within the corridor walls. The sides of the creature were smashing apart the handrails as it barreled after them.

They had found the creature near the kitchen, feasting upon the remains of rioters trapped underneath the rubble of destroyed wood. It didn't take much to get its attention. Schluckodils were extremely territorial.

Mortas had insisted to be the rearguard which left Carmillia without much choice to be by his side. Without Mortas, the deal was likely to fall through. It was an incredibly daft thing to have the old man run at the rear and he was clearly struggling as he ran through the water. But in order to lead the peasants, one had to lead with their own actions. Mortas knew that. Begrudgingly, so did Carmillia.

That said, things were getting dicey. There was no doubt that her allies would attempt to save the ship by killing the schluckodil. However, she didn't know their exact location. Leon was nowhere to be seen when she passed the entertainment hall. It was unlikely that the rest had remained at the cargo hold either.

All she could do now was keep running.
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