XianaEvermor

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

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[Templar Tower Interior - Elysium]

[A ZombiesAnHyenas / XianaEvermor collaboration]

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He needed to get out, it had to happen now. This was too much! This was almost as bad as the— No! Not thinking about that now. Where was the door? Fuck!

"Is this what you felt like, Kassandra?" Dawn muttered, clutching at her heart. Dawn’s eyes flicked past Felix to the bar, which was conspicuously vacant and squinted her eyes at the dubious amusement trailing into the back room. She gulped down the rest of her wine and hurriedly waved her Slatephone over the credit terminal embedded in the table’s edge as she stepped after him.

"Felix, wait!" She called after him, waiting until he’d made it outside. Tears stained her cheeks in dark, ruddy rivulets of ruined mascara. "Take a deep breath. I can’t… purposefully control what you’re feeling."

Can’t… purpose… Feeling. Was all that Felix heard, mind and breath racing too fast even as he stepped out of the building. The air… Maybe it cleared? Maybe it just got more open and he wasn’t in unfamiliar territory. He took a deep breath, registering her words a couple long seconds later.

The knot in his chest kept churning; like coils of acidic snakes chewing his heart alive. He shuddered, gasping once before forcing himself to … to… well. To focus. His mind turned itself in loops as the emotions began to settle, the prickle-wriggle sensation of high flying panic falling away.

So he turned to Dawn, and spoke again after a long moment of calming himself. “Okay! Okay okay. I’m! I'm trying to stay calm. Explain yourself! Please.” The whiplash of his emotions was… Something! Christ.

"I can’t PURPOSEFULLY control what you’re feeling," she repeated slowly, with emphasis, making sure to keep a respectful distance and keep her hands jammed into her pockets. She sniffled and wrinkled her nose. "There is an empathic component; I can’t really turn it off. It’s just a side effect of being… what I am," she explained, dabbing the corner of an eye with a palm in a vain attempt to save her makeup.

"It doesn’t control what you feel: that’s all you. Just encourages people to be honest, both with me and themselves. Just keep breathing, okay?” She took a deep, controlled breath herself and let it out slowly. One thing at a time…

Felix’ eyebrow twitched, anger pulsing up and slamming against the tenuous grasp he had just reasserted over himself. He blinked once, twice, breathed in deep, and spoke.

“Okay. So… You have a component of your power that makes it so… What? People can’t lie to you? You can’t lie either? If that’s true then—”

"I mean… you’re not forced to tell the truth, but you’re not wrong…"

Again, his emotions SHIFTED like a crack of lightning. Whiplash ran through him as his voice uncontrollably grew elated. He was piecing something together, he knew he was, there HAD to be more to this! “If you can’t lie, and I can’t lie either… What's different about me? Emotional response isn’t part of lying… Amplification of it at least… Brain chemistry? No. Well… Maybe? No wait— ‘Goddess’,”

This he said with scorn, clearly disbelieving.

“Of light, truth, arch…ery… Wait wait, if you can manipulate light— Which, considering what you do to my arms— would that have an effect? I’m otherwise normal, and I don’t have any hidden Thinker or Esper abilities so I mean…,” His mouth clicked shut as he abruptly remembered to let her talk. And if THAT wasn’t a lot. Christ. Shutting up was hard!

"Ah shit… I’m so STUPID! I didn’t even think- I’m sorry, I’m sorry, let me-" she stepped towards him and froze for a long moment, biting the inside of her lips apprehensively. "I can shield you from it, but I have to touch you, is that okay? Gods I feel awful," she muttered as she closed the distance, pulling her hands out of her pockets to reach for him.

"UNHAND MY SHORT KING, HARLOT!!"

Dawn staggered back unsteadily as lightning sprang up to separate the two. A sharp blast of wind and thunder. Blue and white tights, tabard fluttering, the Templar emblem shining in the overhead light as he rode a curtain of electricity to the ground and his white cloak billowed. He flung one corner of his cloak behind him dramatically.

Felix’ eyebrow twitched again; relief and exhaustion rising like a tidal wave to drown him. He shook it off and sighed, shoulders coming down from the tense rise they had settled into.

“Ion, I swear to fuck. You just… totally ruined my train of thought, you jackass! She wasn’t even touchin’ me anymore! Sheesh.”

The words were harsh, but the hug he threw at Ion from behind was bone crushing in its sincerity. Almost literally, if the ‘Lightning Rod from God’ wasn’t wearing his field armor. Felix’ arms were… Not to be underestimated.
Oh! His HUD was beeping at him, notifying him of a string of messages from Sovereign, and from himself TO sovereign. … That was a LOT of SOS notifications. Oops.

"Whoah, whoah Night Light!" Ion protested over the creaking of his suit, though he reached back and scooped Felix with one arm off his feet without hesitation, sweeping him to the Templar’s side. His other arm braced between the pair and Dawn, who rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Ya done did us a fright, Night Light. I ain’t as fast as Fang but, I came as soon as you blipped off the net," he explained, though he visibly relaxed after surveying the location and… the state of Dawn’s makeup.

"Oh… breaking hearts again are we, King?" The smirk in his voice was apparent even through the mask.

“Just because I’m exhausted and exhilarated to see you, I’ll let you have that one… She’s got an aura of truth-telling, low level with the less… I guess… I think my hardlight cybernetics are impacting my susceptibility. … Also I didn’t mean to— She said some intensely upsetting things.” Felix whispered into Ion’s side..

"Not on purpose, jeeze. I’m an empath, not a damn mind reader," quipped Dawn as she wiped muddy streaks from her face.

"Silence, strumpet!"

He lifted his head out of Ion’s chest, shooting a simultaneously apologetic and accusatory grimace her way. ‘Sorry. One sec.’ He mouthed to her, stepping back and heaving a sigh. More alerts from his HUD, Sovereign asking to access his video feed. Felix accepted, and watched as his screen fuzzed for a half second before clarifying.

"Any other day I’d be your wingman, King. Today we got two agents MIA, Sai-Guy off the grid and Chief Lady running interference with the media. Gotta let me know before you jump off the net, even if it’s for a cause I support," he chirped, leaning his head towards Dawn.

"Aw hell, If I’d known I-," Dawn cut herself off as her gold eyes shimmered iridescent for a moment. "Let me help. I’m good at finding things, in a sense."

"THIS IS A PRIVATE CONVERSATION, MISS FLOOZY! Some people. I swear," he muttered. Dawn pursed her lips into a frown, wide eyes flicking back and forth between Felix and Ion..

Felix frowned and held eye contact with Dawn, ‘let me help’ huh…? … Well. A field test first then.

He snapped his gaze up to Ion, frowning harder and cuffing him over the back of his head. “Hey! The first time was okay; I was stressed and I needed it. But she’s NOT a floozy! She’s a bit misguided,” A pause, a thought clicking with others!

“Aren’t you the ladies man? Wow, I guess I’m better at talking than you are mister ‘Lightning Rod from God’!”

Felix looked back at Dawn as Ion spluttered, giving her a quick smile before swiftly slamming his face back into a scowl. She smiled back nervously. Two ideas ran in his head, and idea one required playing on Ion’s pride… Doable! He DID tell Agent… Uhhhhhh… Ducky? Agent Ducky not to scream! 30 minutes ago.

"Uh, I’m an every gender man? Thank you," he quipped, seeming pleased with his recovery. "Listen, I’m glad you’re okay, seriously. I gotta get back to it: we’re super short handed with Fang missing. They’re recalling Mitts and a few others from overseas via Hypersonic, and the entire Cyber division is rolling into town to help. Media spits a lot of hate on her but nobody realizes just how much she actually does around here until she’s not out there doing it," he muttered with a bitter note.

"Anyway… NO TOUCHING THE SHORT KING!" He pointed firmly at Dawn, causing her to flinch. "You. Stay on the net," he ordered, poking Felix firmly in the chest. "Go get her, Tiger," he smirked beneath the mask, and shot into the air with a flash of electricity and thunder.

There was a tangible pause after he left before Dawn slapped Felix squarely on the back. A warm energy pulsed through him leaving an… oddly geometric tingling between his shoulder blades.

He stiffened for a moment, turning to put her on blast before… Noting the relieved sensation blooming in his chest.

"If that’s the company you keep, I’m not sure I feel bad anymore," she muttered, retreating to sit on a nearby bench, before finding his hand in the crook of her elbow.

“Don’t even pretend you weren’t that bad in highschool, lady.” He chastised in return, voice low and below volume as his eyes flicked through screen after icon after notification. He sent off a rapid message to Sovereign, promising an explanation if he could just give Felix a hand.

“Okay so here’s what I’m thinking. One; I need to apologize to you. I shouldn’t— I KNOW powers, right? I shouldn’t blame you for something you can’t control. Especially if… Well, I’m like… sixty percent light based matter, right now,” he paused, mulling that over. One of Dawn’s eyebrows shot up, and her eyes flicked involuntarily down to his belt line.

“That's not an excuse. And anyways, two; how do you feel about fucking with a government agent who’ll be more inclined to not lie to us? … And also help me help your brother's friend? I think? You know light shit, and esper shit, and I— Y’know what? Third and final question!”

He abruptly took a step back, raising his hand up into the air, palm facing the sky. Felix swept low, bowing at the waist and offering his hand forward as he spoke again. “Would you like to work with me in pissing off my boss and also digging deeper into… What your powers do to me and mine?” He asked, face turned away as he swiftly added, “And also because I feel really bad for blowing up at you for past instances that weren’t your fault—”

"Don’t worry about it," she exhaled after a long minute, flicking one of her manicured hands at him dismissively. "There’s nothing to feel bad for, hon: this is definitely an edge case for ability interactions. I’m the one that pulled you away from an important duty to have a bit of fun at your expense, and into an (unintentionally) uncomfortable situation,” she paused, gazing at him with a neutral expression for a long time. Her eyes shimmered iridescent for a moment.

"There’s something else you should know about me: I have… a thing. A hint of Clairvoyance, or whatever you’d like to call it. I’m attracted to people and items of significance that’ll help me or someone I’m close to me ’avert evil.’ Don’t question it, we’ll be here all night. The short version is, we’re supposed to meet, and something we do together will be helpful for either myself, or someone directly connected to me. It’s why I wanted to talk to you privately and candidly without any…," she gestured to the Arcology ceiling.

"I’m pretty sure I can trust you and your… virtual companion with that information. Pissing off government agents, now…," she paused, a sly grin blooming across her lips. "That. Sounds. Like. Fun."

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

"I’ll trust in your judgement, as you’ve shown yourself capable! I’ll have some… Discussions… About the details you’ve shared.”

"Of course, Mama. I have a shelter arrangement at ShieldTown, I'll set out first thing after the activity in the Outskirts has settled down," She informed, drumming her fingers on her knees.

“You’ve done supremely well, dear. I’ll have Copper Drake take you wherever you wish to go upon your return to Ichabod. I have to go now! I love you.” ID gasped with audible excitement. An outing with Copper Drake potentially meant a trip to the surface. She could finally see the Sun again, and hopefully not through some crack in the plates either. She still vividly recalled the last time they went, so many years ago...

"I LOVE YOU TOO MAMA!"

She drummed on her thighs and stamped the ground, basking in the glow of praise for a long few minutes before she could regain her composure. She exhaled slowly, still smiling cheerily beneath her mask as she swiped through her contacts, noting the cluster of Zolya's birds crossing the Outskirts in haste. She took a moment to damp her signature and make herself as small as possible. After she was confident she wouldn't be noticed she rapidly tapped out a message.

To: Mithril Giant
On special assignment: Spooky Esper shit over @ Muriel
Could use backup if you're free.
Shieldtown region, probs set out first light.

ID carefully emerged from her hide, keeping her signature suppressed and taking care to give the birds a wide berth, though it did slow her travel. She could run across the outskirts at a fair clip, but it would attract less attention to walk... assuming none of the stray beasts attacked her at least. She thought back to her last trip to the surface. ID had awakened very young: she'd been steeped in the magic world for as long as she could remember, and Mother had kept and educated her at the Menagerie underground facilities to protect her from extremists that might try and take advantage of her. Her sister hadn't shown any signs of awakening, so they'd thought it was safe to let her attend school topside. ID had written so many letters.

The memory was so vivid. She was holding Copper Drake's hand: they'd gone to pick up her sister from graduation. They couldn't make it to the ceremony. She couldn't remember the reason why, probably due to trauma. Everything happened so fast: her sister's limo approaching, ID recalled the nervous excitement in her chest. An armored truck ran the light, smashing into the limo's side. It flipped so many times... people in uniforms poured out of the truck like an organized column of ants. She screamed something, and just as Copper Drake was pulling her away, ID saw her... wreathed in brilliant silver, arm crushed under the weight of her own explosive power.

ID shuddered, recalling the anguished shriek of her sister's Astralform tearing its own eyes open before landing back in Ichabod, recoiling from the shock of having her breath forced out of her lungs. The memory only dampened her mood a little, but galvanized her resolve... those Templar extremists would eventually face a reckoning. She'd deliver their justice personally.

She settled back into her collected stoicism as she approached Shieldtown's walls from the broken Sun Lamp. Crossing underneath The Den wasn't optimal, but the drones that normally policed this area appeared busy farther up the wall. ID leapt silently to the top and slid down the interior side into a shadow, where she vanished in a small ripple of heat distorted air.

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

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[Stoneworks Region - Outskirts]

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ID walked briskly into the outskirts until the Stoneworks was out of sight behind her, and for some time after... just in case. After a while she found herself kneeling beneath a shelf of rock, observing the flight patterns of the Corvids illuminated by her pact.

"Yareyareda kuso ttare- that woman's vermin really are everywhere," she muttered, half wishing she'd remained ignorant. She sighed and settled down after taking the moment to ensure she wasn't being observed before reaching into one of her insulated belt pouches. ID swiped the screen of her modified Slatephone open. It processed for a moment after she entered her password and it connected to the Menagerie network. She spent a few minutes catching up on notifications and messages before dialing the contact labeled "Mother."

"My brilliant Star! What can I do for you, my dear?" A voice answered after but a single ring. A smile spread across ID's face beneath the mask, she couldn't help it, and she listened to Mother shoo someone out of her office, most likely an assistant before responding.

"Mama!" The tension audibly fell out of ID's shoulders. The mask of collected stoicism melted away. "I know you're probably super busy...," she hesitated for a moment while playing with the end of her braid idly, though she didn't wait quite long enough for a reply. "This couldn't wait though: firstly we need to call Cobalt Weasel off the search for the missing subject," she explained with a note of urgency as she leaned back into the rock to take a more relaxed posture.

"I ran into the Subject on my investigation- I'll get to that- It's powerful, Mama! I mean, I knew it was dangerous, but holy hell, Mama!! It improvised third tier spells at me on the spot!! Rapidly! AND! AND! And it BAMBOOZLED a Templar into protecting it! THE QUEEN OF SWORDS no less! He doesn't even know, you have to call him in. I mean like... he's an incompetent waste of space, but that's not even fair," she urged.

"My dear, let's not meander on too long!" Mother cut in, as ID was taking a breath to continue.

"Right right, sorry Mama. I found a community of mages set up where the Grave Haunt Domain used to be: they re-aspected it and built a rather large settlement there. I bought some good will with them, and I opened up a... pretty lucrative trade channel for enchanted items: One of the principal Awakened on site is a Runesmith, hungry for material enchanting," ID beamed, clearly anticipating the praise she was about to recieve.

"That's not the real reason I called though... I found her," she revealed, in a voice of low excitement. "My... The Night Star, I found her! Mama! We can finally rescue her!"

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

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[A ZombiesAnHyenas / XianaEvermor Collaboration]

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“I am not flustered! I’m merely surprised! And y’know, on a business meeting with someone infinitely prettier than I expected?”

He replied, and then immediately snapped his mouth shut. Why had he said that? She wasn’t… That pretty? He thought? What the hell.

Usually he kept his words to himself, so what the fuck?

"You’re quite a… handsome fellow? Yourself," she smiled, gently laying her hand on his for a moment with a raised eyebrow that suggested maybe she knew more than she was letting on. “I think something will happen in the future to challenge your beliefs, call it a gut feeling.”

Her words rang about for a little while. Rattling like church bells, or like the knell of a cemetery bell.

‘Something will happen in the future’, said with such confidence, that automatic assurance of self. Why would Felix say no, of course. Wasn’t he so ‘lucky’?! Felix’ eyes darted to their touching ‘skin’, hardlight rippling like water in slow motion; pupils contracting as a memory arose unbidden.

Her voice was coaxing, soft and horrible. “You’re just so pretty! I would love to shoot my shot with a boy like you! You’re just so… Butch, and- and- and so,” she paused to think, “Rawr! you know? Super manly!”

Except ‘boy’ was said like it was an exotic trait. ‘Pretty’ was said like a butcher's knife. ‘Manly’ was said like every piteous, self righteous, bastard—

The memory shattered. And Felix snapped back into the present. His eyes flicked up to hers. He stood. And he spoke. Smiling, becoming terse and bitter, he spoke. Through teeth clenched like gates slamming shut.

“Yeah alright, ahem. Nah. No, no offense meant lady. But, no. I appreciate this! It’s been fun! And it’s been real! But uh… It ain’t real fun to be exoticized.” He stood, stepping out of the booth to stand straight and indignant. “So… I’m going to go now. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to stop me. Bye now.”

Some small voice in the back of his mind asked if he was maybe overreacting? Misunderstanding?

The rest of him violently disagreed.

Dawn had raised her glass to her lips, and choked at his reply.

"What?" she spluttered, nearly spilling her drink. "Nono, it’s not like that!" Dawn flustered in a distressed tone. "Wait, wait don’t go, let me explain!" she pleaded, climbing out of her seat awkwardly to reach for his hand.

Felix twitched, darting his hand out of her reach. He kept his smile, though if there was some way for it to become even more brittle and flint…

“Ask! Jesus. Ask before touching me! Please! You can fuckin— You fuckin’ warp the shape of my prosthetics! Of my arms! I can feel that! It’s wrong! My skin shouldn’t move like that! And that’s not even— You CUT ME OFF FROM EVERYONE? Do you even know what your brother does for work?! Do you know how freaky it is? To not be able to reach my coworkers for help?!” He cut himself off. He had gone from hissing to shouting, voice cracking part way through.

Felix’ throat hurt, vocal training and therapy, years of practice, all forgotten in anger.

Dawn flinched hard, as though she’d been shocked. Confidence, playful allure, calculated contact, the word play… she was clearly used to handling everyone in this manner, and had no idea what to do or say now that it wasn’t working. She sputtered syllables at him, trying to find her feet in a rapidly deteriorating situation she was no longer in control of. She struggled to find something constructive to do with her hands as she resisted the urge to make comforting contact, and instead shoved her balled up fists into the pockets of her skirt.

"I know more about what Archer does-," she bit the inside of her lips, cutting herself off. “I-I just wanted you to feel safe talking openly,” she half stammered. “Look, you’re special! I have a feeling about you,” she explained unsteadily.

Her words slammed into the back of his head, and the smile finally vanished. A notification popped up in the corner of his HUD.

Reconnected to the network…?

No. No, it was a heart rate warning.

The emotions were bubbling up now, pulled out of him even if he was doing everything he could to hold them back. His mouth slammed open, and as if the [TRUTH] was yanked out of him, his voice lanced the air.

“No! Shut! UP! I am NOT special. You do not get to CALL me that! You can’t just SAY that and expect me to FUCKING CHILL?! You wanted me to feel safe talking openly?!” He sucked in a breath, trying to hold it in.

What the hell was wrong with him?! This was ridiculous! He was out of control!

“YOU CUT ME OFF FROM EVERYONE?! I DON'T KNOW YOU! I don’t know this place! I don’t know YOU! I don’t just— YOU CAN’T JUST EXPECT ME TO TRUST YOU?!”

Gasp for air.

“Y’all know my favorite fucking drink?! Y’all corner me into a building? Out of sight and out of contact with anyone I know? Then, and only THEN, do you tell me that you’re a GOD?! Do you know how that feels?!”

“How dare you! How dare you?! And this! What are you doing to me?! You’re an esper, that much is obvious, but if you’re fucking causing these- these- heightened emotions?! What the fuck! That’s— I cannot believe you! That’s SO scummy!”

Felix finished with a shout; panting and trying his hardest to wrangle the crazed knot of emotion in his chest.

"I-I’m not…," she stammered. The light began to shudder and cracked around her like a damaged mirror. She took a deep breath to try and get it under control.

He took one… two… three steps back; and then turned. And left.

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

"Oh she's the better liar?" Archer's lips twisted into a grin of endless amusement. "Guess that means I have to practice then... you know, sometimes I get the feeling it's her you'd rather see. If you're not careful you'll make me jealous, Mr. Locklear," he prodded, flicking a bit of ash from the end of his cigarette. Archer's glib amusement was short lived as his gaze was directed upwards first by the Spirit, and then by Dean. He just watched in silence for a long minute, gazing into the Astral Sea while he tapped the elevated foot of his crossed legs in thought.

"Someone sure has been naughty," he remarked, placidly as he exhaled a formless cloud. "Guess I better see what that's all about. This is why we can't have nice things."

Archer's gaze followed the creature as it left towards deeper areas of the settlement, and he finished his cigarette with a distinct lack of urgency. He extinguished the butt on the ripple of [Force] that had served as his chair's armrest and then dropped it into a small foil pouch which he stashed back in his jacket pocket... wouldn't do to litter. The tarot cards flicked back to his hand as he stood, and with a flick of his fingers the image on the face changed. A woman in modest dress, drawing a bow and arrow towards the corner of the card flanked by two wolves. At the bottom it was simply labeled "7 - The Archer." He pressed it to Dean's sternum as he passed, his fingers trailing across the man's collarbone and lingering on his shoulder for just a moment as the card stayed suspended.

"Call me if you change your mind about that juice box. We'll make it a date," Archer grinned as he stepped after the creature.

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Farther in, the sounds of combat began to die down and a few minutes after the final shot rang past from the Den, Wolf swung into town. Pulled by the repulsor sled. She lowered gracefully on a grapple line, which reeled swiftly back into her arm as it detached.

"Rat must attend the deliveries," he notified Maire as he scuttled off to meet the woman.

Wolf unslung a rig from her back and traded two drained Power Cells to Rat for one that glowed and hummed faintly with energy. They argued loudly over price for a long time before Wolf finally relented and handed over two ropes of coins with a sour expression. Rat cackled with glee before scuttling off to make his other rounds.

Back at the wall, the Drive Frame forces more or less had the situation under control. Combat wasn't finished, but they were swiftly and neatly mopping up the remaining creatures they had herded into the killing pens. Although the immediate threat seemed to have subsided, the tension in the air hadn't. Defenders remained on station, and Wolf's drones continued to keep vigil over the settlement while the clean up crews pushed into position to start working.

"Oi! Locklear~! Earth calling! Quit daydreamin', I need the physician at The Den when it's safe to cross. Some of the girls are in rough shape."

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

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[A ZombiesAnHyenas / XianaEvermor Collaboration]

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He’d never seen Archer— ‘Fabian’— so discombobulated. Clearly this ‘Daphne’ was absolutely interesting enough to … To… … What WAS the plan here? He didn’t have one. Was this becoming a date? Unlikely. Clearly this was a work call, and she was being eccentric!

“, I’ve NEVER seen anyone make, uh, Fabian? So uncomfortable! He’s usually so blasé about sh— Stuff!”

"Yes, so out of character for him. Almost like a different person today…"

"Daphne, I swear-!!" The door shut behind them, and she laughed musically as she walked them briskly towards the elevator, taking only a brief moment to smooth out her blouse.

"I prefer ‘Dawn,’" she informed, as they reached the lift. She primped quickly in a compact mirror before staring at him with a crooked grin for a long moment, her eyes flashing iridescent. "I know just the place," she announced with confidence, and punched a button without looking.

"Technological marriage of [Force] and [Light], projected from a single point with no [Array]," she mused, inspecting his implants closely as she circled him, her fingers tracing the contours of projection, implant, and skin alike. Whenever her fingers touched the light, ripples of iridescence followed in her wake. "Is it always this shape? Can you change the resolution? Can you feel? Oh! CAN I GIVE YOU A TATTOO?! … Will it stick?" She chirped excitedly as she reached his front once again, practically bouncing. Dawn bit her bottom lip in anticipation.

Felix— Lux Discord— felt his eyebrows shoot up at the onslaught of questions. His eyes snapped to the random pushing of buttons, before snapping back to her fingers touching his limbs. She had punched the third floor… Which technically had a vehicle bay… Hm!

She kept touching though, and man... Part of his mind was screaming; watching as his limbs shifted and rippled. He had built in some haptic feedback for his limbs as he had been making them, and apparently the systems were working perfectly. Felix remembered Sai being pleasantly surprised that it had worked with hardlight limbs, but, well, Felix just… Had a gut feeling about it!

Speaking of…

His hand came up after a moment, planting itself shamelessly on her chest as he pushed her back a bit. He smiled all the same, as disarmingly and friendly as he could manage. “Yeah okay hi! So, lil’ space yeah? Just a biiit too close to me! Sorry. Also, maybe, like, stop touchin’ the arms? Kinda feels like my skin is being warped and it’s uh— Nauseating?”

A pause followed his words, before he answered a question she had lobbed. “Honestly? As long as I code in the— Well… Actually— No wait— Wait… Nah yeah, you prolly could? What sorta, uh, ‘thing’? Does your power do, again? You never explained!” He questioned, head tilting as he pondered aloud.

"Oh, sorry, I’m excitable,” she grinned, letting him make some space between them, and then continuing to violate that space by leaning into it to look closely at his arm projections without touching them. "I guess the short answer is that I create and bend [Light]," she answered vaguely. "I can talk about that in a little more detail once we get where we’re going if you like," she said, eyes flicking up towards the corner of the lift where a security camera had been innocuously placed.

Dawn’s balance wavered a little as the lift came to a stop (they slowed down quite quickly for someone wearing heels), and she unsubtly took the opportunity to hook one of Felix’s arms. She briskly walked them out of the lift and down the street to a luxurious looking white building with “Elysium” glowing in tasteful pink neon across its front.

"Ah, the favorite child returns… and unsurprisingly with another conquest," chided a low, raspy deadpan from the bar. The small statured woman the voice belonged to watched the pair enter with her mismatched eyes while cleaning a glass. The gently tinted purple lights at the bar did little to hide the deathly pallor of the woman’s skin.

"Oh shushush, this one is special," Dawn retorted, rolling her eyes as she dragged Felix around a corner to a booth with a bust of Apollo engraved into a table decorated with laurels.

"Aren’t they all…"

"Where’s Dio??" she called back behind them with a note of impatience.

"Running an errand for me," replied the bartender, and though she hadn’t raised her voice, she was clearly heard at the table.

Meanwhile, Felix simply… Stared. He was taking in all the proceedings of his situation with somewhat uncharacteristic silence. His vision swam with information and notifications from his HUD, and although he was half-listening, he still wasn’t expecting the information coming to him.

First was the building; he could see the public record blueprints on file in a small corner of his HUD… Or at least, that’s what he was expecting. Instead, he was given a ‘private property; available upon request.’ notification. Which was certainly something.

Then the woman at the bar spoke, and that nearly threw Felix all the way off his stride. He could hear her, but she clearly wasn’t speaking above a whisper. It was a bit surreal. But… Maybe he was overthinking. He probably was.

Oop— And there was that whole ‘this one is special’ thing. “This one can also hear when he’s being talked about! You tellin’ me you bring all the girls and boys here? I’m not special enough to be ‘special’??? How could you!”

Definitely no uncomfortability there, nope.

Felix chuckled, then turned his attention to Bar-Lady. “Hey hi! Sorry to barge in? I think? Anyways; hi! My name is Felix Lanning, nice to meet you!” He chirped.

He filed the ‘favorite child’ comment away for later.

"Helene," her voice whispered into his ear, and she was suddenly at the table with a Meze platter, flatbread and olive tapenade. She expertly slid two glasses onto the table and filled Dawn’s from a black bottle that was simply labeled “Krasí” in elegantly printed white text. She looked through him for a long minute with her blue eye before turning away, and returning a few moments later with a tall glass of ice water garnished with a lemon wedge, and a bottle of Elysium’s signature pomegranate juice.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," she replied, raising an eyebrow at Dawn before leaving. "Let me know if you need anything…"

"We can speak candidly here," Dawn explained, tapping her temple with one hand while she grazed delicately on a piece of cheese. Signal Prohibited scrolled across the top of Felix’s HUD.

Felix’s smile never changed, remaining calm and bright as he nodded his thanks. “Thanks Helene!”
He took the drink, watching as his HUD scrolled that deeply unsettling message. Thoughts raced around his skull, but nonetheless, he focused on Daphne— Dawn. He took note that his recording was still ongoing, but if they could close off signal… It’d probably be corrupted by the time he got back to The Tower. Shit.

He screamed internally, forcing his face to remain perfectly still, even as he stressed about the entirety of this… Proceeding. He really really hoped Archer saw where he went before he went offline.

“Can we now? Alright! In that caaaase… Who are you, really? I’ve NEVER seen Archer look so… Flustered. It’s honestly kinda glorious!” He paused, before adding, “Also, just so y’know, I’m not interested in a date! This is purely business and platonic! Like… Ehhh, like a relationship between two separate business people of separate corpo-kingdoms!”

"Really truly? I’m the God of Light, Music, Archery, and Truth," she answered with a sly smile, interrupting the dramatic pause after only a moment with a fit of giggles. "You’re rather flustered yourself," she chided, with her eyes ashimmer. "Relax, I’m Fabian’s sister. We’re twins, Helene is a close family friend, she owns this place."

Felix’s eyebrows shot up at her response, as he waited for the subsequent revelation of her joke. … It never came. His eyes flicked down, staring at the Apollo bust imprinted on the table. He traced its outline with his vision, taking multiple pictures as he stared.

Was… She being serious? No way. Poor girl HAD to be deluded. Probably an Esper, gotta be.

She giggled, and although she kept talking and explaining, his mind wouldn’t allow him to accept it as truth. “Twins… Huh. Huh! Okay, wait though, if you’re ‘god of truth’, then why, uh, tell a lie? Gods aren’t real ‘hon.” He flicked his eyes towards where Helene had walked away.

"Are they not?" She asked, hitting him with a smug grin.

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

"Me?" Asked Archer innocently. He took a deep drag on his cigarette and rested his cheek in one hand, letting the smoke drift lazily through his teeth as he slowly exhaled. He regarded Dean with an amused twinkle in his eye for a long moment.

"I was just in the neighborhood, running an errand and wouldn't you know it... Mr. Locklear and his good pal all up out of bed and shit," Archer quipped, leaning back and blowing a smoke ring. A flicker of mana curled the smoke into an array, before it imploded on itself with a dissatisfying *pop.*

"Are you assensing right now, Mr. Locklear? Seeing if I have my guard up? Trying to guess if I have any tricks up my sleeve? Figuring out if I come in peace? Relax. I just stopped by to make sure y'all aren't gonna bring the tower down," he said dismissively.

"Are you sure you don't want me to fetch you a snack or a juice box?"

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

---

[Stoneworks - Interior]

---

ID... Crimson was left to her own devices following the conclusion of her deal with the Erlings. With the occasional pulse of activity rippling through the barrier there was naught to do but wait for the Hunt to end. Though she didn't take her mask off, she strolled slowly through the idyllic gardens with her hood down, allowing her long, neatly curated braid of (very slightly red tinged) black hair to swing idly between her shoulder blades. She'd taken the opportunity to change into some fresh clothes that weren't melted... a pair of rugged, pitch cargo jeans and a fitted red long sleeved top made of a proprietary fiber. The outlines of ultra-thin armor plates showed vaguely about her shoulders and vital areas, peeking out to cover over her throat. A finely etched [Array] shimmered softly through the fabrics if the light hit it just so.

Crimson would leave her old clothes at a dead drop for a courier to collect along with notes about their performance. She'd have to work with the Quartermaster to formulate an enchanted weave with higher heat resistance next time she was home. Her fingers caressed the current of [Nature/Light] radiating softly from a nearby cairn stone at the center of the garden, and the flowers all leaned towards her as she knelt down to take in the fragrance. A leisurely stroll took her past the markets where she sampled wares and restocked her supplies, then to a café where she just sat for a while in full [Dreamsight] to watch the currents and flows of the Stonework's [Domain]. She remembered when this area had once been home to a [Death] domain and was considered irrevocably haunted.

One of the merchants directed her to the temple where she purchased feed for the spectral beasts. She spread a fair bit in a trough and was rewarded a few minutes later with a pair of starlight deer coming to investigate. A smile pinched the corners of her eyes when one ate from her hand and allowed her to stroke its neck and cheek. Farther along she traded a fistful of seed to a curious corvid for a piece of shiny, polished glass. It would make a good base for a decorative amulet... The frequency of pulses through the barrier had abated, so Crimson began to make her way towards the edge of the settlement: it was time to go check in with Mother and see if the Graves Blacksites were still intact.

"Hmmm! Yes! Student of the [Will] I see? Don't see many around here," a gruff but well-articulated voice called out to her as she passed by the Temple. Crimson paused, turning towards the voice. It belonged to a quite large specimen of the Diabolus Vulgaris deviant variety... Goblinization for the layman. Or it could be an actual Orc it was difficult to tell these days. While sitting down, he was nearly as tall as she, and the healthy green buff of his massive, oak-like arms glinted gently in the light. Each of his thick digits was nearly the size of her forearm and his raw strength pummeled the air as he beckoned her over. She couldn't help herself.

"What makes you say that?" She asked, as she stepped closer.

"The [Currents] pay you respect. They part to make way for you, and wait in anticipation of your [Words]," he explained. "[Mana] pays heed to you, stops, waits for your guidance. [Will] Shapers have a particular aura because of this," he chortled, picking at something behind one of his tusks with a long, claw-like nail.

"You aren't wrong," she chuckled. "Student of the [Will] is a very old title though, most modern Awakened call us 'Black Mages.'"

"A dirty association," he shuddered audibly. "Anyone who's done a lick of study knows... the Black Mages were only a minority subset of the tradition who valued the pursuit of power above all else," he scoffed.

"An educated man. My heart," she gave a genuine laugh, bringing an enormous smile to the Orc's face. "What can I do for you?"

"Hmmm! Yes! Well! What would you say if I told you, I also was a [Will] Shaper of sorts? Belonging to a more Shamanic subset of the tradition than the 'Student's' purely academic one at least. And! And! I could tell your... FORTUNE!" He waggled his fingers dramatically at the statement. Crimson's grin wrinkled the corners of her eyes.

"I would tell you that Students of the [Will] make their own fortune," she replied, unable to suppress her amusement.

"YES! Hmm! The retort of a true Student. Mana is science. Knowledge. Is. Everything," he snorted, slapping his monstrous thigh. The clap echoed through the temple like a gunshot, startling some of the other priests. "But! I would also tell you! HMM! That I do, indeed, live with one eye in the [Astral Sea] as well as you. Yes! I am afforded, a much clearer visage of the Red Thread of [Fate], tied to whom you will create your destiny...," he explained. Mysteriously, of course. "Lend me your hand," he instructed, to which Crimson obliged.

Her hand was nearly child-like in his massive mitts, though she was surprised at how positively gentle he was when he turned her hand over with one of his enormous fingers. His eyes rolled back as he delicately touched the end of her pinky. Her skin tingled, but she didn't detect any change in his Astral Form. He spoke with the voice of a dozen men and women layered on top of one another.

[Sun] and [Moon] confront at the [Shield]
Twin Dragons collide.
Great [Hunger] chases the trail
Paved by the Traveller of [Void] and [Light]
[Third Eye] ripped open
Veracity sunders souls.
The [Sun] will appoint...
Destruction - T̵̡͛ṳ̸̒r̶̟̽ṇ̶̈ ̷̗̔ã̷͙l̶͍̒l̷̟̈ ̵̗͒ṫ̷̻o̵̖͆ ̷͓̒a̷͇͒s̵̤̊ĥ̷̹.̶̮͑
Or yet... Pennance...

A crackle of thunder punctuated his fortune, causing Crimson to flinch. No... it was the barrier beginning to come down. She turned her eyes back to the priest, whose hand was still outstretched. He groaned quietly in trance with the whites of his eyes still showing. After a moment Crimson snorted, dropping a handful of coins into the Orc's palm.

"Thanks, old man," she giggled lightly. "You can read my fortune any time." Crimson scooped her braid up into her hood as she slid it back over her head and made her way towards the edge of the settlement. Looks like it was finally time to be on her way. The priest's eyes fluttered back a few minutes later, and he snorted and champed as though he were coming out of a deep sleep.

"Right! Hmm! My apologies, first I attune to the-" he blinked, staring at his palm for a long moment. "Hey check it out! I FOUND TEN CLAT!!" he bellowed excitedly into the temple, pocketing the coins with a mirthful smile. "Hmm! Yes! Lucky day, that."

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

The spot lamps followed them intently for a brief moment. Rat shielded his face from the lights, and there was tension in the air for a tangible moment.

"Is that my Power Cell in your bag, Rat?" Wolf's voice chirped from the loudspeaker of the cannon drone as it edged in just a little closer.

"Yesyesyes! Rat delivers to Lady Wolf" he shouted back, unnecessarily loud. "...For Fred...," he muttered under his breath, clutching the bag a little tighter.

"I got two empties for recharge... extra hundo if you can take them?"

"Two hundred clatters! FOR RAT'S TROUBLES!!" He shrieked, shaking the sword at the drone. Wolf groaned audibly.

"Fine. Fine. These ruffians bothering you?" Rat froze in Maire's grip, his beady eyes darting up to look at her nervously, and then at Cat-Kitty-Bug-Lady.

"Uh...," he hesitated. The cannon spun up. "Nonono! Nonono! Rat guides them, Rat is their guide!" The spot lamps clacked off, though the cannon drone darted to the side and rolled to dump altitude, thrusters flaring brilliantly to stabilize the craft and compensate for the cannon's ridiculous recoil. *BRRRRRRT!!* The cannon screamed angrily, whipping a hail of tracers past them. A fissure had opened up near the bottom of the wall and a hulking beast with glowing veins evaporated in a plume of impacts and dust.

"Wolf I swear to Christ if you ruin the meat with your contraptions it's coming out of your cut!!" A large woman screamed up at the drone from the fortified window of one of the buildings below.

"MAMA~~ Jeezo, that one wasn't edible! I'M BEING CAREFUL!" Wolf yelled back, the shrill feedback of the drone's loudspeaker punctuating her words. "You three get behind the wall. Big man's gone out, but someone will get you sorted. Let us take care of the rest," she ordered, as the cannon drone whooshed upward to take sentry over the wall. The *crack* of smaller sporting rounds began to occasionally ring past, picking off stragglers and anything that broke from the pack.

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

---

[Stoneworks - Interior]

[A Chaotix14 / XianaEvermor Collaboration]

---

"While I can assure you nobody will follow you, the ravens tend to be spread all over the Undercity and will inevitably see you. As long as I don't ask for it they won't report anything back, but as they've probably already marked you as a person of importance should they deem you to be 'in danger' they'll report that back to me, regardless of what I asked them. I have limited control over the information that falls into my lap in this manner, it's a self-taught stubbornness of them." Zolya explained. "Such an amazing mage isn't she, can't even control her pets." Raudd teased after which he got a kick to the shins from his sister, like that'd do anything to him anyways. "Ahem, if the deal still works for you knowing this I'd have no problem sealing the deal."

"Oh, and while we are on the note of trade, most of the items I make can be used by others regardless of their magical affinities, as long as one is able to channel mana they can be used. I thought such items may be of use given your profession." She quickly added before holding out her hand, leaving ID to be the one to complete the pact.

ID hesitated, thinking for a few minutes. For Raudd and Zolya it was only a handful of seconds. After coming to a conclusion she shook the kanji from her hand, whispering a new spell into her palm before holding it out again.

"Meetings like these are very delicate. Your pets may put me in danger unintentionally, and I will have to destroy any that interfere with my work. Since I don't want to harm our relationship, this revised pact will illuminate your pets for me so I can avoid them, and as long as they aren't seeking me without need I believe this arrangement will be mutually beneficial," she explained, and waited for confirmation from Zolya before grasping her hand. A gentle warmth of [Light] pulsed through them both, and after a moment the flock of ravens outside lit up amber through the walls in her [Dreamsight].

"I doubt that'll be a problem, they are quite adept at being silent observers, but if that's what makes you feel comfortable." Zolya replied after having grabbed the hand of ID.

Clearing his throat and counted out a couple reels of clat. "Onto more practical matters, we haven't exactly introduced ourselves to each other, my name is Raudd Erling and this sister of mine is Zolya Erling." He said while extending a hand of his own. "How may we refer to you? Oh, and do you have some way to travel without attracting attention? Since you'll likely have to travel to our mansions for the trades, most certainly for the enchantments, and unknown people walking onto those grounds tends to draw a lot of attention... Which is why I like to do the business side of things in this café." He explained.

ID hesitated again, considering Zolya for a long time after Raudd's question. She exhaled a controlled sigh as her mind raced, and her eyes flicked rapidly from side to side as though she were scrolling through text in that moment of intense concentration. After a minute or so she looked back up at them, blinking to clear her eyes.

"[Heat] and [Light] are closely aligned... as long as the populace doesn't make a habit of living in [Dreamsight] I should be inconspicuous enough. Names, however... carry a level of risk... that I'm uncomfortable sharing with your Runesmith at this time," she answered uneasily. "But in the spirit of cooperation, I will respond to...," she hesitated again. Word-related magic was tricky to deal with, but if theory held true, she could afford herself a modicum of protection by expanding her portfolio of aliases.

"Crimson," she answered, as her eye was drawn towards the final wisp of that signature she'd been following as it swirled into the Stoneworks' central drain.

With her moving around in the shadows he'd imagined she would have racked up quite the list of aliases, she seemed slightly panicked by the idea of giving even a false name. Something Zolya had picked up as well. "... Well then, miss Crimson, unless you have some other business to attend to perhaps we can show you to our workshops. So Zolya can show you which materials need enchanting, in the meantime I can look into setting up a meeting with your person of interest." Raudd continued as Zolya finished her drink.

"Hmmm, the hunt might delay it a bit though. I'll send a couple ravens out to find them and keep an eye on them." Zolya said as she got up from the table. Raudd soon followed, and was already out the door to pay Grigor by the time Zolya had fixed her sword strap. She looked at Crimson who had placed her sword on the table. That's probably why... This must look really clumsy. She thought before making her way out of the room as well.

"No rush. Take all the time and care you need to make sure everyone feels safe meeting with me: I have another disturbance to investigate that has... moved to a higher priority and I may be gone for some time," answered Crimson, as she flipped her sword back onto her belt, fastening the buckle with one hand as she got up. A smile creased the corners of her eyes as she followed Raudd.

Raudd placed the reels of clat onto the counter, the sound of which alerted Grigor who had his back turned to the cafe as he was preparing another order. "Thanks for the coffee and have a good afternoon." Grigor counted the clat at a glance before nodding and waving Raudd a goodbye. "As always you make the best coffee, thank you." Zolya said with a smile as she passed Grigor to which the man pulled the dishcloth out of his beltloop and with a slight smile gave her a bow using the dishcloth for flair.

Crimson slid a few coins onto the bar as she passed Grigor. Even though she didn't order anything, his time and consideration of their privacy was worth the tip. As she passed through the door, she whispered to the [Light] and a haze of heat shimmered over her for a moment before she vanished. She couldn't hide the minute distortion of the air while moving but it should be enough to escape the notice of anyone who wasn't paying extra close attention.