Welcome to the Character Development Threads! These shared story exercises allow you to develop your characters in a setting shared by other authors and their characters. No sign-up is necessary; simply look over the last few pages and hop on in. If you need questions answered or a recap, head over to our discussion thread
and ask; we’re happy to help. There's also a trope page (with location descriptions and other info).
Archipelago is semi-casual — no violence on the central island, but the rest are fair game. Other islands are built on-the-fly by the tropers whose visiting them, but you should probably grab a few others before having your characters head off — there's not much point wandering an island alone, since this is supposed to develop characters by bouncing them off one another and putting them in unusual situations. Be sure to communicate with the tropers you go with so you're on the same general page.
With thanks to, among many others, Gault, who came up with the initial idea, Nrjxll, who wrote the first draft I shameless ripped off, and the various people who contributed to the trope page location descriptions.
[[Current Time: Early Morning]
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL INTRO FOR THIS THREAD
This has made the hub island something of a designated neutral ground for various strange characters and dimensional travelers. A small cluster of buildings has sprung up near the one natural harbor and its dock: a couple of bars, a couple of casinos, several shops, and even the cheap but comfortable Pax Island Hotel. This is not a tourist trap, though, as much as amenities for the visitors that come here for various reasons. The Hotel's entrance leads out to a central square, with a shamelessly cheesy tiki bar calling itself the Big Kahuna and the Pax Island General Store being the most obvious, though not the only, services.
Inland, the island is covered in jungles that rise steeply into a central mountain, covered in ruins that don't seem to exactly match any of the local cultures. Apart from that, though, they're harmless and unrelated to the area's strangeness. The population on the island, humans of mixed origins, are quite used to the strangeness of their island, staffing the amenities and filling newcomers in but otherwise keeping to themselves.
Beyond this hub island, the archipelago grows more mysterious and dangerous. Fogs often cover the ocean, and compasses and other forms of navigation don't always work right. There are at least a half-dozen other islands at any one time, but that's all anyone can say for certain. The docks on the hub island offer numerous boats for visitors to travel to these islands, either under their own control or with the aid of a local sailor. Of course, there's always an element of risk involved with visiting these islands, because you never know quite what you'll find. One rule has proven consistent, though: any truly catastrophic event on an island tends to result in it vanishing into the fog, never to be seen again.
edited 27th Jun '14 6:59:52 PM by KillerClowns
[northwind laboratory]
Putting status and appearances ahead of your well-being? Ah, politicians; this was why he left. He nodded and looked back to the monitor and paid her no heed, just as she requested. Fucking politics; he liked Mialor a lot, but when it came down to it, it was a bit too much like dealing with his dear late family. Iamatelle turned out to be a liar; scandal of the century, yet another politician somewhat pretending to be a scholar. Vince sighed, nearly invisibly. Was 'no political bullshit' really too much to ask for?
Indeed, as Iamatelle said, the head was wholly unaffected. When Cecille set it down, a liquid that almost resembled plasma beaded out of the injection site. Deftly, Lazzaro made sure to get this into another syringe. When he really looked at it, he saw something startlingly familiar, but said nothing, instead relaying it wordlessly to Cecille as she took the originally requested muscle biopsy around the base of the neck and sliced it translucent-thin, then mounted it to a slide. Once under the microscope, the non-camera half of the monitor splitscreened, and the bottom quarter turned into a microscope view, handy for side-by-side comparisons.
"This is a magoenergetic problem- the first step would be seeing how this magoenergy stays attached." He adjusted the magnification far past the point where he could see individual cells, then flipped a switch and went into a magoenergetic view, very similar to a thermogram. Lazzaro didn't bother to mention that the Aetherionian method of staying alive and keeping magoenergy attached was merely a chromosome-like bit of energy, which breaks upon cell death, and that these 'Fae' were suspiciously similar to his own kind. After all, Acquati had told them to be on alert in the first place.
Iris was about to say that perhaps a master might not want to tell that to their subordinate that they're about to beat (but he didn't know about Atonari at all?), especially since Wilhelm was not Atonari and could refuse without losing his mind, but he switched the topic to Henri. "Henri is simply the most recent of many that I've met, and the first that Acquati has met. I will leave him to decide if he wishes to explain."
[castle boreas entry hall]
What were those things on the ceiling? Henri cupped his hand, then squinted as a rather bright patch of light appeared in his palm. He looked back up, its beam strong enough to project a rather sharp circle of light on the ceiling. Resting his hand on his knee, he tilted his hand slightly until one of the winged things was lit up, and...
Yeah. His boss put ratter-wyverns on the ceiling. Well, why not? Wyverns are adorable. He liked that way they look at you and perch on your shoulder and watch what you're doing.
The light in his hand went out. Apparently, everyone who came came for the lab, nevermind that the lab wasn't originally intended to be used or anything, not after someone broke in last time and used it to contact someone who then destroyed the dimension. Henri disliked that lab quite strongly- he had no idea where anything was there, but most importantly, it was their 'show' lab, the one that outsiders would get to see, and where people could watch him screw up. No way he was going down there again, even if the guests weren't there.
edited 13th Jul '14 3:58:34 PM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
[Pax Island ~ Ruins (Outside Library)]
"Right!" Joe's eye's lit up slightly as he set into explaining. "So, I don't know the details exactly of what causes it to happen, like whether it's magic or telekinesis—y'know," he tapped the side of his head, "moving objects with your mind—but I was told about it by a guy in town who has a business here, so I figure he's got the biggest authority on what's-what around here, at least of everyone I've met. Basically, if someone tries to hit you or something like that, they're gonna miss. It doesn't matter if you're standing half a foot away from their fist (at least I don't think so), they'll miss. If they've got something like a gun, I'm guessing that would miss too. Or maybe jam or something like that. Point being, something gets in the way of any sort of violence happening."
He glanced around for a moment, trying to find some way of demonstrating before the obvious thing came to mind. "If you want to see it for yourself, you could always try to punch me, or stomp on my foot." He put on a goofy smile. "Seriously. I won't mind, 'cause it won't work." he stuck right foot out, bare and vulnerable, as an invitation to try.
[Pax Island ~ Hotel (Dining Room)]
Howell continued to sip from his cup while he let his attention be drawn to Hayate and Kaguya as the two returned. He stared silently while the fox introduced himself properly.
"I remember you from yesterday, Hayate." he said, smiling as he took another sip. He stopped for a moment to quickly address Kaguya with, "Hello Kaguya." before continuing his dialogue with the fox "But you wouldn't recognize me. I am Howell Brooksley, consumer of this breakfast: these waffles, eggs, and two bananas." He glanced in Adam's direction and gave him a quiet, but friendly "Shh." although everyone at the table could hear him.
Turning to look back at Hayate, he blinked at the fox for a few moments, then asked, "Do you need a chair?"
this place needs me here
Drummer Boy
[Northwind Laboratory]
"Uhm... no thanks." Wilhelm stuck his hands as far into his coat pockets as they would go. "I don't want to make him think about painful things. I've known my fair share of such people anyway... so... yeah."
Seilaan debated going over to check on him, but decided to take a moment to make sure she was truly composed first. She could not make him worry. She could not make him worry.
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
Ruins (Outside Library)
"So basically people can't hit each other here? That's...weird...." Saya said, frowning. She was silent as she glanced downwards at Joseph's outstretched foot, before shaking her head. "Not that I don't believe you or anything, but I don't think I want to push my luck today, and I don't think I have it in me to intentionally try and hurt someone, even if there is something here keeping them safe." She shuddered at the thought. "...Let's just move on, shall we?"
She looked back up at Joseph's face. "Since you said you didn't know how it worked, I'm guessing you also don't know where it comes from, or why such a thing exists here?"
Decided Saya's going to stick around. It can be assumed Hayate and Kaguya left, however.
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
Attitude is prohibited
[Pax Island —> Castle Boreas, Entry Hall]
Eyeing the sign out front, she held out her hand, and a cigarette appeared in her grasp. It then lit itself as she put it to her lips, and she took a drag off it. Holding her breath, she stepped through the portal, then casually exhaled the smoke once she was definitively inside the castle. "Nice place." She remarked, to no-one in particular. Holding the cigarette in her mouth, she leaned her cane against the wall, letting the comically fat, golden penguin that adorned the top of it twinkle in the light. Taking off her expensive-looking top hat, she ran her fingers through her long, flowing black hair as she looked around. "Very nice." She muttered. She put her hat back on, picked up her cane, and held the cigarette in her free hand, briefly pausing to straighten out her somewhat cheap-looking tuxedo jacket before walking further in to the entry hall.
Since entering into Pax Island's dimension through the Red Door, then briefly meeting Adrian and Azatha, Sam had changed quite a bit... And not just in terms of his gender, seeing as he now appeared to be a she.
Not entirely dead.
[castle boreas entry hall]
...Seriously? She lit up intentionally? Well, Henri wasn't going to automatically snuff it out; cigarettes are expensive now.
He stood, perfectly straight, but didn't move from his spot. "Ma'am?" Wait, if she was going to intentionally try to piss Mr. Acquati off, who's to say she wasn't going to try to rules-lawyer as well, rubbish like 'you phrased it like a request, I'm saying no'? Which meant... direct. "You'll have to put that out..." He sounded wimpy, but at least he was imperative. "...or let me join you on the balcony while you finish it," he added, nodding quickly to the balcony doors up the stairs. His arm disappeared into a portal that was nothing more than a designated spot in space where he could reach into his wardrobe and not even be able to see anything, the watery surface of the world rippling around his half-arm. Henri reached with his other hand as well, fumbling with something inside a bit until he pulled a gray peacoat out and closed up the portal.
edited 12th Jul '14 9:49:00 AM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
[Hotel (Dining Hall)]
It seemed that Hayate and Kagyua had other plans, and decided to leave. Adam felt a little sad that they didn't want to stick around, but he didn't take it personally. Instead, he finally decided to eat his eggs. They weren't bad, though he definitely tasted better eggs.
Jackson waved at them, before turning back to Howell. "Guess it's the three of us for the time being. Now...are you going to eat your food? Or did you make the plate just to hide a banana in your jacket?"
Gonna give Iris someone to talk to
[Near Harbor Docks]
A familiar blue flash of light appeared, then disappeared within an instant. In it's place was a teenage boy, who looked about sixteen years old. He had brown skin and black hair—almost similar to Thomas's (only his hair was a little messier). He wore a black jacket, a white shirt underneath, blue pants, and black and white sneakers.
"What in the...?" he trailed off, before realizing he was floating in mid air. "Oh shit."
He let out a brief scream before falling face first into the sand. He slowly got to his knees, wiping the sand off his face, coughing.
"Christ!" he muttered to himself, "What the hell was that? Where the-" he stopped to look ahead, realizing that he was, indeed, nowhere near his hometown. "Oh. Fantastic." I guess it's my turn to end up somewhere mysterious. Fun.
[Pax Island ~ Ruins (Outside of Library)]
Joseph didn't seem to mind Saya's reluctance, but he noticed and couldn't help but feel just a little confused at her shuddering. Was stepping on his foot really something to shudder about? He didn't think it was because of how his foot looked—at least he certainly hoped it wasn't. Perhaps he'd struck a raw nerve.
"All right," he said with an easy shrug and a slight smile, "suit yourself. I guess I wouldn't want you to get hurt yourself through whatever the island would do to stop you. And no, I've got no clue what causes it and why it does what it does. My primary source of information, a guy who has been here long enough to set up a pretty nifty business, -he doesn't even know."
His eyes met Saya's for a moment, then slowly fell to the ground. He shrugged again, speaking in a quieter voice as he said, "As for myself... I've seen so many wild things, y'know, really out there stuff, none of it which I can begin to understand, I figure... why bother myself over this? I'm not a scientist or a philosopher or whatever you wanna call it. I don't know where to begin studying something like this. It—this protecting thing—exists, and it is what it is. It's not bad for what it is, so... why the hell not, y'know?"
Joe raised his eyes for a moment, with a sheepish, "Sorry if that wasn't too helpful, but there you have it."
[Pax Island ~ Harbor (Docks)]
The harbor was quiet that time of morning, although not as quiet as much of the rest of Pax island. The seabirds were as loud as ever, and the sloshing of water against the dock supports and sandy shores eased the atmosphere into something relaxing; a lull in time where few gathered to sit, to observe in silence, not to act. To enjoy the moment.
There Iris sat, on a bench on a dock, the one with the best view of the broad stretch of ocean surrounding the island, while also maintaining some surface space that wasn't covered in the splatter of white gifts from up above.
She was chewing on an egg salad sandwich that she'd gotten from a nice little sandwich shop that had equally nice opening hours. She had considered going to the Big Kahuna again, but the mere sight of the restaurant reddened her face as she passed it by, lowering her head and hurrying away. Next to her she had a bag with three more sandwiches; another for herself in case she was still hungry, and two for Howell once she headed to the hotel to collect him.
In the meantime, she'd found the docks to be easy on her mind, as well as a good place to find out about leaving the island. Eventually, they would have to go back, however far away 'back' was. That very day, or the next. Even at that fairly early hour, she could see boats headed towards or away from the island. Ferries, maybe. A part of Iris wondered what the other islands were like. Did they hold some importance? Why were they even there in the first place? And who-
Someone's voice, quickly followed by a scream and a soft thud took Iris's attention, and dangled it away from her until she turned around to see what the commotion was about. Leaning over her bench, she could see a young man looking rather disoriented, with sand sticking to his clothes and lightly freckling his face. Iris almost remained silent.
"Hey buddy, you aren't supposed to eat the sand. That's a class 1 misdemeanor, you know. They've got a sign and everything. It says bee-you-ess-tee why-oh-yew-arr bee-ay-ell-ell-ess." * She then smiled, and asked, "Are you alright down there?"
[Pax Island ~ Hotel (Dining Room —> Dining Restroom)]
In the time since Hayate and Kaguya had left, Howell had grown rather quiet; rather inactive. His eyes were focused on his food, but he didn't touch any of it. The eyes themselves seemed glazed over and partially closed, a far cry from the usual open stare he wore to a near perpetuation.
He didn't respond to Jackson immediately, and when he did respond, it wasn't directly to Jackson either. Still staring at his food, he murmured something that sounded like "ehcaneethis...". Then he unbuttoned his jacket a bit and withdrew the banana, placing it on the table before scooting his chair back and standing up.
The bottom of his eyes twitched as he finally regarded Jackson and Adam with his gaze, and said, "Uh... I've got to take a whiz." He blinked at them for a moment, and his mouth twitched slightly as well, as though there were more he had to say. Saying none of it, he headed off towards the restrooms, a clutch of which lay right at the far wall of the dining room. He held his head down as he left, leaving his untouched waffles growing ever soggier with syrup, his untouched eggs growing cold, and his jumbled pile of three bananas, none of which were growing any fresher.
He's going to be gone for a long time. Unless you want to have Adam and Jackson dialogue by themselves for a couple of posts, feel free to express the passage of such time in your next post. More time than most need to take a whiz, even on off days.
this place needs me here
[Northwind Laboratory]
Not gonna lie, I have not thought Fae biology all the way thought. Jab me if I say anything stupid or contradictory.
The muscles were fundamentally akin to a human's, but contained several cells very similar to stem cells. If stem cells existed in a few other dimensions, of course — the cells were linked to the Realm of the Fae, slowly conjuring more organic matter to repair damage, and presumably other purposes as well.
"Beth," Iamatelle said, "I get the feeling you'd rather be somewhere else. So... would you kindly keep an eye on those others?" She glanced at Wilhelm and Iris.
Beth hesitated for a moment. Then she nodded, and headed over to them. "You," she said to Iris, a bit suspicious. "Did you wish to speak?"
[observatory]
"By long story," Aseyu said, "you mean one you'd rather not tell, right? As opposed to just long... 'cause we have time aplenty." She hit all the switches to the right, then said, "anyhow, how are we supposed to get outta here now? I think that elevator's broken for now. I told you I hate the things."
edited 13th Jul '14 3:06:48 PM by KillerClowns
Drummer Boy
[Northwind Laboratory]
Keep an eye on those others? Seilaan thought that was a peculiar thing to say. It sounded as if Iamatelle suspected them of wrongdoing. I understand being suspicious of strangers, but at least be more subtle about it. Am I overthinking this again? Ugh... I need to relax.
She checked her reflection in the glass wall. Maybe she'd have an excuse to pull out her cosmetics set and occupy herself fixing an imperfection. But no, her makeup was still impeccable.
Wait! The military spending report!
She pulled a small stone tablet about the size of her hand out of her sleeve. A busy matrix of lines was etched into it, and some of them began to glow, forming rows and rows of characters that she began to read. Not long after she finished, the glowing characters were replaced by new ones. She appeared to be completely absorbed in it, but in reality, she had read this spending report several times already. Most of her concentration was on Iamatelle. If Iamatelle wanted Beth to keep an eye on "those others," Seilaan would keep an eye on Iamatelle.
Wilhelm took a few steps back from the two women and took out a tiny notebook from his coat, not wanting to intrude on a conversation. He was there first, yes, but he was infinitely more troublesome to talk to, so he decided to do his own thing unless they wanted him to join. Which they would not, obviously, so he began scribbling in his notebook. Beth sounded kind of annoyed, anyway. He didn't want to make things worse.
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[Hotel (Dining Hall)]
Jackson sighed with annoyance. "Again, he ignores my question..." he lowered his head and shook it, "That kid is getting increasingly difficult to talk to."
"Give him a break." Adam said, "He's younger than the both of us." he frowned, "Besides, Ms. Iris has to pick him up today, so can we try to give a positive vibe here?"
Jackson sighed again, then shrugged. "I'll try. I'll try to be a little more patient." Though that's going to be a pretty damn hard to do. He took a bite of his waffle, then said nothing else.
[Harbor (Docks)]
Nick turned to Iris. He was relieved that he didn't have to look far to find some help...and then he realized he looked like shit. His cheeks turning red, he immediately stood up and gave a weak chuckle.
"Uh..." he said, dusting himself off, "I just popped up out of blue and I'm kind of confused and a little scared right now, but other than that, I'm cool. Yeah. Really."
He then glanced away nervously. "Um... c-can you tell me where I am? Do you know what this place is?"
[Pax Island ~ Hotel (Dining Room)]
Howell continued to remain absent as the minutes passed. His unoccupied chair was looking to gain a few cobwebs sooner rather than later. The restrooms only led back into the Dining Room. There was no where else he could have gone.
[Pax Island ~ Harbor (Docks)]
Iris set her chin on her arms, laying them atop the bench's back support. She gave Nick a half-frown, and, leaning on a lie, said, "Do you think I'd be here if I didn't? Have a look-see:" she began gesturing to different things, "Boat. Ocean. Beach. Dock." then she raised her hands above her head and spread them out to her sides. "IIIIsland. A real tropical paradise."
Upon a second glance, there was something that seemed familiar about the boy. The way he looked. His face. Iris tipped her head to the side, narrowing her eyes slightly as she reached for her sandwich again.
"I don't know you, do I?" she asked, then took a quizzical and especially eggy bite of her breakfast.
edited 13th Jul '14 5:14:46 PM by Ryuhza
this place needs me here
[observatory]
Adrian stood straight. The actual affair of his punishment and death was quite a blur to him, one that only grew worse to think about when he got to the day of his execution. When he flipped the map over and examined the coordinates written on it, he heard his own voice again, small and feeble.
"Please... go on and be happy..."
And the Gestapo officers smiled, chuckled, amused, and Marla recoiled in their grasp, wept, utterly destroyed for reasons that he couldn't even think of, for reasons that he ignored as he spoke those words more to comfort himself in death than to comfort his little girl for a life that he asked for her to have. A life that she'd have to live with that forever hanging in the back of her mind.
He shut his eyes, having forgotten the numbers altogether, pitching his pencil into the box of scrolls so hard it was a surprise it didn't break.
Taking a few breaths to regain his composure, he finally spoke. "I was living in Austria at the time." Austria, 1945, he hoped she'd put it together. "My family and I were executed for high treason. I'll say no more on the matter." Adrian set the unrolled map on top of the crate, picked it up, and headed over to a ladder.
"That being said, they had it coming. You don't promise a man something and fail to deliver."
[northwind laboratory]
Oh. How kind. She'd better not expect him to let that go unnoticed, not after she basically insulted his chief of defense and close friend. "Madame Dragontooth," Vince said, his tone still mostly smooth but with a hint of surprise. "Do you not trust my staff? They would not be invited into my family if I couldn't consider them so."
Luckily, the words seemed to have disseminated among all in his employ, including his wife, suddenly breaking her intense focus on the monitor. She almost turned to Iamatelle, but then stopped as though nothing had occurred. "Drawing energy from elsewhere," she muttered to herself, still sort-of attempting to work out how her world's fae could be killed, if only for her own amusement. Do they, perhaps, have a hive as well, housed in this other location? It would help explain their conservation of magoenergy, unless she meant just making the soul dissipate, like a normal death. They claim they've tried everything, which probably included cremation, so... the solution was probably outside their scope. Either way, they'd need some time to investigate this place where the cells led... assuming Iamatelle was still interested in keeping them on good terms.
Cecille and Lazzaro let out mental sighs of relief when they saw that the energies seemed to be routed to another locale entirely, which bore more similarities to their master than themselves. Oh, wait. Goddamnit, Iris, she was ruining everything!
{ Why do you blame me, } she relayed to them, { it is hardly my fault that all of the subordinates here chose to indulge my desire to entertain guests. } Iris seemed a bit gentler now, "You seemed a little bored, that's all. I apologize for my lack of consideration regarding telepathy." She looked away for a moment, mimicking shame. "I do appreciate you joining us," she said, repositioning herself so that Wilhelm could join them if he wished.
edited 13th Jul '14 10:51:15 PM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
The future of warfare in UC.
[Beach, Dock]
Samuel was out flying. Not like he had that morning, taking it slow. An exercise in patience, really. Also a chance to get to know the layout of the place better, because why not. He alighted on the dock just in time to catch the tail end of Iris' statement.
"Pax Island," he clarified. "Main attraction: it's really hard to get hurt here."
Nous restons ici.
[Near Docks]
Nick gave a heavy sigh and glared at Iris. "Look...I'm not in the mood for joking around; I'm seriously lost and confused and-"
He stopped when Iris asked if she known him before. He quirked an eyebrow and crossed his arms.
"Uh..." he said, "I don't think we've met before. But, if you want to know, I'm Nick. Nick Riverson." He blinked, "...Something bothering you?"
He then turned to Samuel, and smiled brightly. "A direct answer! Just what I was looking for! Thanks pal!"
edited 13th Jul '14 4:01:01 PM by Masterofchaos
[northwind laboratory]
Iamatelle sighed and said, "wasn't it obvious? I trust your people, but I needed to give her a reason to leave my side. She was clearly bored with the research, but would insist on staying if not given some other task." She bit her lip. How much more to tell them? "She is one of the finest and most intelligent allies I have, far better than the so-called 'nobles' I must suffer. But a certain small amount of selfishness is healthy and necessary. I worry this is not a lesson she has fully assimilated." That would have to do for now. Then, she added, "and don't worry about my 'deceiving' my most loyal friend — it was no deception, merely an excuse for a part of her that she consciously knows to be problematic but hasn't quite overcome."
Beth, meanwhile, gave Iris a simple curtsey and said, "of course. It's just that, er, that way you talked before... usually it's only angels what can do it. And, meaning no offense, you don't look like an angel." Well, it wasn't really looks. It was the fact that if Iris had been an angel, Beth and Iamatelle would be dead or fighting for their lives by now, given how utterly they had infuriated the Demiurge.
Attitude is prohibited
[Castle Boreas, Entry Hall]
"Oh yeah?" Said Sam, putting her cigarette back in her mouth. She took another drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke as she continued to look around. "This isn't your castle, now is it?" She said, seemingly ignoring Henri. "And you're clearly having guests today... So what's everybody doing?"
She paused for a moment, and looked over at him. "You gonna bring me an ashtray, or should I just toss it on the floor?"
Not entirely dead.
Drummer Boy
[Northwind Laboratory]
Iamatelle reminded Seilaan of Senator Jinhei Feng. That was not good. The effort it took to keep from laughing made Seilaan look like she was worried about something, but at least she had the spending report to use as an excuse. She watched the two hosts out of the corner of her eye to see how they reacted.
Wilhelm only reluctantly stepped closer to the two women, just so he wouldn't look like an asshole. He found Beth's servile attitude rather offputting in a way that he couldn't quite place. So he kept scribbling. It was yet another piano composition.
"We will not speak of angels," he said calmly. There was a giant angel carved over the asylum doorway and he didn't like thinking about it.
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[castle boreas entry hall]
Henri held his ground, coat slung over his arm. He thought it was obvious that it was his smoking jacket and that he was offering to chat and stuff... oh, well. The pristine, self-cleaning ashtray from the balcony rose up out of a portal near the side of her closest to her cigarette, rippling the surface of the world as it sat. The ashtray was basically a metal bowl. The top half of the bowl was a tray with a lid that left half of it uncovered, a spot for one to tap ash into, put the cigarette out, or dispose of it entirely. The tray would rotate every so often, disposing of the ashes and cigarettes into the reservoir below as it passed under the covered portion of the lid, where the mess would be out of sight.
"My superiors, Vinicio Acquati and Lillian Cline, are in the laboratory." He nodded to his right, towards the lab's door. "Don't try to light up in there, though. Mr. Acquati will just obliterate your cigarette. I enjoy a good smoke every now and then, but I won't argue with that- it's a violation of lab safety."
[northwind laboratory]
He blinked, still not completely convinced as he considered her words with the same simple lack of overt hostility as before. Even if she was being completely honest, there were a number of other ways she could give the girl something to do that didn't immediately shout mistrust, let alone insult both host and staff. Vince had dealt with a number of guests who treated his staff like moles in waiting, like disobedient slaves in need of constant 'encouragement', or, worst of all, like appliances, like the emotionless drone-servants purchased by the middle and lower classes. Would she still refuse to 'enjoy herself', or refuse to partake in the food and drink he mentioned right in the flyer? What kinds of situations did she have to accompany her queen in that would make her respond more readily to a not-particularly-discreet order to 'keep an eye on someone', never mind that even if such was her intent, she would do better to get such an order relayed in private, or en-route in the carriage?
It still stank. Either way, she had much to learn, if she was so unused to having the throne that she almost introduced herself as 'Princess'. He'd let her figure that out herself. "I can understand that," he said tersely, nodding only once, but with genuine solemnity. Such a process was both simpler and more difficult with Atonari, who might follow his orders to the letter to partake in food, drink, and other amusements, and run through lines that mimic conversation starters while still believing themselves to be slaves unworthy of personality, a life outside servitude, or a will beyond that of their master.
With all that done, Lily stepped back in to the topic originally at hand more as a distraction than anything, less-than-happy about her ill-advised decision to insult the entire house just so her servant girl could learn a lesson. "You said earlier that you have attempted to obliterate their souls. Are you sure that the energy is truly being destroyed, or is it just disassembled and dissipated?"
Wasn't the word 'angel' derived from a word meaning 'messenger'? Acquati told her tales of Earthen religions where angels were monstrous, multi-headed things, yet society forgot about this and considered them good and kind and even used the word 'angelic' to refer to exceptionally soft, delicate-looking women. "Do you mean to say that 'angels' in your book follow your society's standards of beauty?" Iris ran a hand across the marks that covered the right side of her head, clearly considering them to be evocative of her own sense of beauty.
"We will not speak of angels," she heard Wilhelm utter behind her. Well, hopefully the girl would be adept enough to steer the topic away.
edited 13th Jul '14 9:15:29 PM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
[Pax Island ~ Harbor (Docks)]
Iris mouthed the name to herself, then clicked her teeth thoughtfully. Just as she was about to shake her head and shrug, Samuel made a rather divine entrance. He'd caught her completely by surprise, but she tried not to let it show. Instead, she just sighed and murmured an unenthused, "It's not that hard." and took another bite of sandwich.
Once she had swallowed— or had come close enough to swallowing—she regarded Samuel with an inquisitive, if a little droopy-eyed, stare. "Hey Samuel. Hey- does he look familiar to you at all?" she nodded down towards Nick. To Nick, she said, "Hey, I told you it was an island, the only difference now is that you've got a name to go with it. But something tells me that name isn't going to be particularly helpful to you, is it?" she paused for a moment, then asked, "How'd you get here, Nick? Fall from an airplane?"
this place needs me here
[northwind laboratory]
Beth nodded, her face and posture softening. Apparently another who was no friend to the Demiurge. "Sounds 'bout right," she said.
This, Iamatelle thought to herself, visibly embarrassed despite her efforts to hide it, is going poorly. I must remember — I am no queen here, and these are no Adycians. I'm so used to people saying I treat my servants too well... and now I'm surrounded by more progressive minds. She bit her lip as she mentally went through the previous conversation, looking for how she could have done better. Oh well. Since I've clearly rubbed them the wrong way, I should guard my tongue a bit more carefully.
Pleased Lily had offered her an escape, Iamatelle grabbed the offered topic. "Well," she said, "the soul energy is quite destroyed. Magics we would rather not use at all, you see, but desperate times. We think that in such an extreme case, a new soul is created from different energy. A new soul with all the memories and personality of the old one. Identical — which, obviously, makes the theory hard to tell. Like the Realm of the Fae 'remembers' its lost child and remakes them."
When Iris asked about angels and human standards of beauty, Beth nodded hesitantly. Beautiful and terrifying, in her experience. But when Wilhelm spoke, she said, "'nother who ain't on the Demiurge's good side? Fair 'nuff." She tapped her foot, glancing nervously back at Iamatelle, then shaking her head. As Iamatelle expected, she was quite aware of the real reason she'd been sent to Beth and Iris. "Uh, anyhow. We got a reason to stick around this lab? I could do with a bit of mead meself."
[Observatory]
As Aseyu's familiarity with Earth's history only had ten years, it took her a few moments to put the pieces together. Though this she did. "I see," she said. Though her own head was equally on the chopping block in Uel if she was ever found out, Aseyu knew better than to claim she knew how he felt. Too much different, and she knew he'd faced a regime far worse than Amu's. An awkward silence instead fell. He still hadn't answered her question, but she hoped he'd remember it before she had to bring it up.
edited 14th Jul '14 5:21:20 AM by KillerClowns
[Near Beach Docks]
Nick shrugged. "I have no idea, to be honest. All I know is that a gem started glowing and then I end up here. Other than that, I'm just as stumped as you are."
Nick then slumped his shoulders and glanced back down at the sand with a very solemn look. For a few minutes, he said nothing. Then, he slowly looked back at Iris.
"Sorry that I snapped earlier." he said rather sadly, "I didn't get any sleep. I spent the entire night looking for my friends; one vanished out of a bathroom, and two of them just...vanished." He rubbed his eyes, "I was still looking for them this morning when this happened."
He then gave a heavy sigh and shook his head. "I might sound a little too hopeful, but...did you see a blond British dude and small redhead anywhere? I'm looking for them."
Drummer Boy
[Northwind Laboratory]
Seilaan's eyes were fixed on the spending report again. If the hosts weren't going to keep pressing Iamatelle, then the subject was dead. How boring. My parents would have thrown her out for that. I really have nothing to discuss with them if they're still fixated on the biological processes of otherworldly creatures, do I? I should have tried making sure this was a physics lab before I came here... and then this wouldn't be happening. She didn't even glance at the monitor, but she shuddered as the Fae head crossed her mind again. I'll bear with it a while longer, give Wilhelm time to learn more about Iris and Beth in case there's anything interesting about them....
Wilhelm didn't know what the Demiurge was, but he didn't really feel like asking. "Uhm, honestly, I'd like a cup of tea, and labs aren't really my thing, so if the rest of you are going to get refreshments too... so, uhm, if we're going to do that, I'll just go tell Seilaan on our way out. It'll only take a moment."
edited 14th Jul '14 3:32:11 PM by SnowyFoxes
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
The future of warfare in UC.
[Doc]
"I...think?" Samuel said. "Have a name, maybe? I'd hate to lead you to the wrong person." He tilted his head a few degrees to the left at the bathroom comment. "This is not a good week to be using bathrooms, apparently. You're not the first person with a tale of vanishing out of the bathroom."
Samuel glanced to Iris. "Not quite."
Though, technically, Samuel may look familiar to Nick et. al. if they remember Dig Site, as except for his eyes he fairly strongly resembles his father Muhammad.
edited 14th Jul '14 5:17:01 PM by Night
Nous restons ici.
[Hotel (Dining Hall)]
Jackson and Adam looked at each other awkwardly, then turned back to Howell.
"Uh...ok..." Jackson said. Then, Hayate and Kagyua returned, and he smiled, "Good morning. Yeah, the guy who turned me into a duck finally got sick of me, and so he just let me go." He sighed with relief, "For a second, I thought I had to be turned back."
Adam continued to play with his food, but still decided to talk. "What happened?"
Jackson looked at his plate. "After Hisami turned me back, he quickly found out and tried to turn me into a duck again; but, somehow, whatever I did made him finally sick of me." He shrugged, "Now that everything's calm, we can focus on other things." He looked at Hayate, Kagyua, and Howell, "You guys have any plans?"