Character Frontier

[The Washington]

Cyrus had set down his pencil and was just getting into his heaping plate of eggs, sausage, and hash browns when the strange announcement was made. He adjusted his goggles and squinted at the two women. Well, Kito, I did get up this morning to finish testing the new weapons.

And you're going to throw yourself straight into real danger to do it?

They're at the final stages. They just need a little tinkering at this point. And you have to admit that this "dead god" stuff sounds interesting, right? I don't think I'd be able to bring artifacts or anything back to the Society, though. It'd be too dangerous. The things those two want are probably the most important anyway.

You could still make your own observations and bring those back. But how much can we learn from this world? It seems so different from what we know.

Let's give it a try anyway.

He stood up and lugged his satchel over to the women's table. His food and tea floated along behind him. Kito followed, holding three pieces of raw steak in his jaws. "Uhm, hello! I'm interested in this expedition thingy. My name's Cyrus Fenrir, I know I don't look that impressive but I'm a runeologist and a weapons researcher working for Fenrir Island's military." That sounded impressive, right? And it was also completely true. He thought about mentioning that he was the military's youngest chief engineer, but he didn't want to sound like he was trying too hard. "I build custom machines for elite soldiers with... unique demands. I have some devices that I made for my own use here today if you want to know what I can do."

Whatever you do, don't mention that they're only just getting out of beta testing.

Shush. I know.

edited 16th Aug '15 2:16:50 PM by SnowyFoxes

The last battle's curtains will open on stage!

Tipsy Toad

Chloe was about to turn around to the bar when she had a sudden thought and whipped around and stole the man's coin bag. "I'll -hic- take that. Compensation for causing a ruckus." she smirked and the man grumbled at her, "Why you..." She walked off and stumbled back to the bar before collapsing face first into it while sitting on the stool. The bartender rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. Things like this happened all the time.

After a short nap she woke up briefly to say, "Sorry about that, he started it -hic- though."

"Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?"

[The Tipsy Toad]

Ammolite looked at the girl incredulously from their seat, did she really believe herself guiltless?

"I'd say that you were both at fault in this instance," They said, still in disbelief at her words and her behavior, "Also, how old are you?"

Ammolite actually knew very little of human laws, especially for a place like this town, but to their understanding, there was an age limit until one could consume alcohol.

They turned back to the Terra Nova group and their voice turned soft, "Can I count on you guys to back me up? We don't know what the sword of hers can do besides what we already saw and she seems to be under the influence."

Note to self: Pick less edgy username next time.

The Tipsy Toad

"Can I count on you guys to back me up? We don't know what the sword of hers can do besides what we already saw and she seems to be under the influence."

The Terra Novans all nodded.

Teri turned to the young woman. "Sorry, luv, 'e's right." Her soft voice and casual mode of speech was pitched to be sympathetic but reasonable. "That geezer 'ad no right to talk to you like that, but your reaction was a bit over the top, doncha think? You're a bit Brahms an' you over-reacted. Well done for not killin' 'im, though."

short, but there's no point in all the group going rapid fire on her. I've got to head off to work, now.

Tipsy Toad

The girl grumbled a bit as she looked over at whoever was talking to her. Though she looked annoyed at first (mostly because she was indeed underage but this place didn't check I.D.) her expression changed to raised eyebrows as she got a good look at those that were sitting near her. They didn't look human, or at least some of them didn't.

She gave a small sigh. "I suppose you're right. Truth is-" and she suddenly chuckled, "I -hic- didn't even know this sword would do that. I just obtained it and -hic- it continues to surprise me with this magic it seems to obtain." The girl reached back and pat the sword in its scabbard which she bought after stealing it from the temple. "Name's Chloe by the way. I'm a -hic- treasure hunter, come from a whole family of treasure hunters. I came -hic- here to find all the unknown treasures this place holds. What about you guys? You -hic- don't look to be around from these parts." she said, leaning a bit on one of the guys as she swayed around, the alcohol still buzzing around her system.

edited 16th Aug '15 7:15:59 PM by Sphinxyness

"Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?"

[The Washington]

Cyrus' age didn't even register to Brin; he was about the same age as Asami, the finest weapons designer Brin knew of back home. "Sounds good," Brin said. "I'll take your word that the weapons won't explode." It's your hands getting burned off if they don't. "And if nothing else, your companion," she nodded respectfully at the wolf, "will come in handy."

Suela eyed the unfamiliar mammal with a certain amount of wariness, but it seemed like it wouldn't be trouble. Then she looked over at Cyrus and said, "first, proper introductions are in order: I am Suela of House Crystal, Countess of Icegate, and my companion here is Brin of the Republic City Police Department. We've only just met recently, here in this land, but Brin has proven an excellent warrior and skilled mage." This wasn't saying much; most mages Suela met were insane, charlatans, or both. But she'd drawn no conclusions, since she'd met so few (claiming or proven) anyways.

"Bender," Brin corrected under her breath.

Suela continued, "it's an absolute pleasure to meet a fellow student of the sciences, Cyrus Fenrir. You'd have more to talk about with my husband, he's more interested in technology and gadgets than myself, but I'm sure we will have plenty to discuss anyways!"

Brin gave Suela a gentle nudge, then said, "just one question. You said something about 'unique demands'." In fact, she thought, it was a very suspicious pause. Or maybe I'm just a very suspicious cop. "Could you tell us a bit more about that?" Weapons designers had a weird habit of ending up with terrorist organizations in Brin's experience, and while Cyrus seemed perfectly friendly, so had those other two.

edited 16th Aug '15 2:43:51 PM by KillerClowns

[The Washington]

Cyrus set his things down on the nearest table and took a sip of tea before proceeding to answer Brin's question. "I do most of my work with special operations units within the military. They're made up of highly skilled fighters and mages who need specialized devices for different tasks and to complement their unique magic usage profiles. I'm currently on loan to the Renesian Society of Magic and Natural Science for more, uhm, I guess you could call it theoretical magic and physics research? So what I have here are personal projects. Anything else you want to know?"

Kito growled.

"Oh! Sorry. There's still one more introduction I need to make. This is Kito, my Wolfram. He's a special kind of wolf who's bonded to my soul and we can talk to each other in our minds. He says it's nice to meet you too!"

I did not say that, and it isn't strictly true, Kito said as he began tearing into his meal.

You have to be polite!

edited 16th Aug '15 2:54:47 PM by SnowyFoxes

The last battle's curtains will open on stage!

[The Washington]

"Remains of a dead god?" Krul repeated what the woman said over a slice of bacon. He was skeptical at best, and such sudden calls to form a team hinted at motives other than mere sightseeing. Not to mention, anything involving gods, dead or alive, stinks of danger. Moreover, Lia's Link to the world, her source of amgic, was cut off. As Krul pondered the risk and the possible dangers involved, he shot Lia, who had been eating with gusto, a knowing glance.

Lia looked positively beaming, "A dead god?" she said excitedly. Her plate had become vacant, and now her fingers are playing with stray strands of her hair, "Can gods even die? What do they even look like?"

"Oh, no." Krul's expression turned into a grimace. He could imagine already how his argument to not participate falling on deaf ears. "I suppose, if the situation took a turn for the worse, we can back out later." Krul said, gulping the rest of his cup of black coffee. He realized that his duty to safeguard Lia takes the utmost priority; He'd willingly abandon the rest of the team for it.

As if having confirmed that fact, Krul stood up with a confident expression. Lia knew what that meant and followed suit, flashing him an expectant smile. With Lia slightly behind him, Krul approached the two pairs. The wolf and the young man seemed to have participated as well.

"We'd like to see this 'remains of a dead god' that you spoke of, if only to appease the curiosity of this girl over here." He said, "My name is Krul Diode, merely a warrior doubling as a bodyguard. She is Lia Astell, a wanderer seeking to further her art in magic." Krul omitted more than a few critical details, naturally, such as hailing from a kingdom. "I'm also interested in the machinations your fellow have been talking about over here." He said, giving Cyrus a glance.

edited 16th Aug '15 3:24:00 PM by FlowingCotton

[The Washington]

She looked up briefly when Brin made made her announcement, but then returned her attention to her drink when she heard what it was about. "Dead god. Indeed." She chuckled, taking a small sip from the glass of white wine she'd been nursing for the past half hour. "How absurd. What do you two think?"

She looked up, blue eyes peering past her glasses and the short bangs of her brown hair, at the two people who sat at the table with her. Unlike them, she was dressed very sharply, very formally. Her outfit resembled a military dress uniform, like something an admiral might wear, albeit without the many badges or rank insignia. It was a crisp, white shirt with golden buttons down the front. Atop the shoulders were decorative pads bearing a symbol and a name; a golden hawk clutching a sword, and underneath it, " Glorious Hakoda Empire. "

She looked to be in her mid thirties, though in truth she was older than that, while both of her companions seemed barely in their twenties. Both of them had an identical uniform, if it could indeed be called such. A black, tight-fitting, full-body suit, textured rather like rough leather, covering them entirely from the neck downwards. The organic shapes of their youthful, athletic bodies was broken only by the smooth, rectangular metal plates on the backs of their upper arms, lowers legs, and on the back of their torsos.

Indeed, the two looked fairly similar, almost but not quite like sisters, down to their lightly tanned skin and ruby red eyes. The easiest way to tell them apart was their hair - one had short, boyish, lavender-coloured hair while the other had long, straight, yellow-blonde hair tied back in a lengthy ponytail - or the weapon they each carried on their hip: a scimitar for one, a rapier for the other. But then again, perhaps the best way to distinguish them was their attitude.

"Sounds like it could be fun!" Said the blonde, eagerly, grinning as she patted her rapier. "You know, like spooky treasure hunt!"

"Hoshi..." Said the lavender-haired girl with the scimitar. "Don't be ridiculous. There isn't a treasure, there can't be. Gods don't exist."

"I know that, Miyuki! I'm not being ridiculous!" Said Hoshi. "But maybe they just think it's a god and it's actually something cool. Like a weapons cache or an old bunker. What do you think, Hana?" They turned to the crisply dressed woman sitting with them, who just chuckled.

"I admire your optimism, Hoshi." Said Hana. "Once Fourteen and Fifteen arrive, maybe you two can join them."

"Oh! Maybe!" Said Hoshi. "But I want to go shopping first."

Miyuki just rolled her eyes, and said nothing.

Not entirely dead.

[The Washington]

Brin considered Cyrus' answer and was satisfied, deciding that she liked him, even if she didn't believe Kito's response translated into "nice to meet you". Nice to meat you, maybe. Brin filed the hesitation that had caused her questions under probably just not a people person, which she could sympathize with. Suela's eyes, however, widened in delighted curiosity when Cyrus mentioned his bond with Kito, and she was about to bombard him with questions and inquiries.

Lia and Krul's entrance spared (or at least delayed) this fate, however. Suela said, "oh, a pleasure to meet you as well, Krul Diode and Lia Astell! So many inquiring minds all of a sudden; I must say, I'm really starting to look forward to this."

Brin just shot Krul a look that said, don't worry, you're not the only one who thinks this plan is crazy. Then she gave Lia another look over. She was still a bit skeptical, but it sounded more and more like she could handle herself.

Then Brin looked over the group that had started talking about them, the woman in the military uniform and her two presumed subordinates in outfits that looked alarmingly like something Qal would come up with. Brin couldn't quite make out everything they were saying, but got the gist of it. They looked capable, but something about the gold-haired one rubbed Brin the wrong way. She seemed too eager, Brin supposed. The same was true of Lia, Suela, and maybe Cyrus, but they were scholars and academics. The thought of an eager soldier suggested two things: inexperience or psychopathy. Then again, Brin reflected, maybe the blonde was just glad to be on leave or something, and Brin being terribly unfair.

Suela was significantly less skeptical of the people who were signing up. She'd liked Cyrus immediately, and while she still wasn't sure what to make of the 'wolf' thing, fear had given way to simple curiosity. Lia reminded her of a younger version of herself, curious and eager, and Suela couldn't help but hope this path went at least as well for her. Still, there was a tinge of worry; in many places, Suela's homeland shamefully among them, it wasn't easy for a curious and intelligent woman to carve out a place for herself. Krul she more or less looked over as a capable warrior, trustworthy but not somebody she'd actively seek out for talk.

edited 16th Aug '15 7:45:31 PM by KillerClowns

[The Washington]

Figuring that Suela and Brin would have something to say to the other pair, Cyrus took the chance to sit down and began powering through his breakfast. Funnily enough, he ate more ferociously than Kito. But they were both paying close attention to what was going on around them, even as they devoured their food.

I might be overthinking it... Cyrus timidly began.

You probably are, but go ahead.

I think it's odd that Krul is speaking instead of Lia, and the way he's speaking rubs me the wrong way, too. If he's "merely" a warrior-slash-bodyguard she must outrank him. And that's not to mention their differences in clothing and bearing. Furthermore, "this girl over here" is no way to talk about your superiors. That makes it sound more like... no, that's too cold of a way to talk about your child or ward. I just don't know! The only sign of Cyrus's concern was a slight frown as he looked up from his food to glance at Lia, trying to read her while Kito tilted his head at Krul. His goggles made it almost impossible to tell where his eyes were looking, while he could still clearly see an amber-tinted world. Thick bangs hid his furrowed brow. I should probably keep my mouth shut for now, huh? Could be a cultural thing. What do you think?

Just keep observing. And didn't he say something about being interested in your "machinations?"

Oh! Right! Maybe I've already waited too long to answer... he'll think it's weird... ugh! He tried to smile at Krul. "Is there anything you want to know in particular? It'll help a lot if you're specific, I could go on for hours...." His voice was even thinner and more tremulous than it was previously.

The last battle's curtains will open on stage!

[The Washington]

While Krul was asking for the sake of conversation, his trained eye simply could not let him left Kito out of his sight, or at least his peripheral vision. The sudden arrival of the new group caught him off guard, but like Cyrus, they seem to bear no ill intent. Earlier, Krul caught something about the wolf being bound by the soul to this boy. "While I suppose calling it your 'machination' was more than a bit demeaning, I wish to inquire on this 'Wolfram' you spoke about." he said.

"I thought you'd ask about the weapons right away." Lia wryly commented. She sensed that the conversation would not be amusing to listen to; too many alchemists she had met loved to boast their potions about nothing. More than that, she was wondering about specifics of this 'looting a dead god's corpse' idea Brin pitched to the entire saloon, beginning with the unknowns, "What exactly is that?" she pointed to the sphere and the cube of stained glass.

[The Washington]

I'm... really confused? Cyrus nervously adjusted his goggles. "Machinations" means something like scheming, right? Why would he call you that, Kito? Well, at least Lia's saying things now, that's good, right?

I thought he was talking about the machines you built, so I'm not exactly too clear on it myself. I'm willing to bet that he simply misspoke. Anyway, I think this would be more fun if I talked to him. May I...?

Don't make this like last time.

I assure you it will be nothing like last time.

The Wolfram's eyes turned from amber to dark brown. The human briefly flipped up his goggle lenses to show that his irises had turned gold. A very careful observer would be able to notice, in the brief time that it was exposed, that this part of his face was rather soft and feminine.

"Cyrus has consented to switch bodies with me," Kito said quietly. The human voice was much stronger than it was when Cyrus was occupying the body. "This should be sufficient evidence that I am an intelligent being, at least. From now on, no matter which body I occupy, could you address me directly? Cyrus will relay my answers to you. So, get to the point already and ask away. I don't plan to stay in this body for very long. We're both more comfortable in our own bodies, and people tend to like Cyrus better anyway."

You're... doing better than last time, but... you could be nicer. Uhm, a lot nicer. Cyrus kept his ears pricked forward, but his mouth was open and relaxed, as if trying to cancel out the effects of Kito's scowl and assure everyone that everything was fine.

The last battle's curtains will open on stage!

The Tipsy Toad

Wolfe looked at Chloe. A family of treasure hunters? That would explain the comment she had made before zapping the local yokel. He completely understood why Ammolite had asked the girl's age, she certainly didn't look old enough to be in a pub without a parent or guardian.

Kris didn't think Chloe looked like she was from these parts, either, despite the cowboy themed clothing - it all looked too much like a costume to her eyes. Give her a couple of pom-poms rather than a sword and it would make sense. "Yes, we're off-worlders," she pointed at the others of her group in turn. "Teri, Peggy, James, Karl and Wolfe, and I'm Kris. I'll let our new friend introduce himself as I wouldn't presume to speak for him."

"Sounds like an unusual line of work," said Teri. "Sounds like a lot of hard work and no guarantee you'll hit paydirt."

[The Tipsy Toad]

Ammolite was grateful that Kris let them introduce themself.

"It's singular they," Ammolite quietly addressed Kris before turning to Chloe.

"I'm Ammolite," they said, once again turning their right hand to show the green, yellow and orange scaled pattern on the back of it.

"I concur," Ammolite said in response to Teri's comment, "I myself am a bit of a treasure hunter, though that is only because I have," they paused, "Associates, who were willing to point the way."

That treasure hunting had lead to a cave near the sea filled with all sorts of artifacts and 'shinies' resting like a dragon's hoard.

Note to self: Pick less edgy username next time.

[main street > general store]

There wasn't much to suggest that this was, in fact, where Tsadro Oriyand intended himself to be. For one, his manner of dress looked to be an odd blend of cultures. The rough-hewn shirt with sleeves rolled past the elbows that buttoned off-center, dark trousers cut maybe a touch too close for trudging through wilderness, and short boots seemed normal enough even for townsfolk. The same could hardly be said of the drawstring pouches tied to his cord-belt, the opaque white linen veil whose length placed it somewhere between head garment and cloak, the necklace of glass beads and nearly palm-sized wood discs he wore around the veil, and, oh, the man wearing the clothes.

His premodern-esque height could have been said to be consistent with his more stereotypically exotic choices of fashion, if not for his equally stereotypically Nordic-esque features and inhumanly pale coloring. The rest of his hair couldn't be made out from under the veil, but there was little to suggest its hue didn't also match his skin, whatever amount of it was still perfectly monochromatic white and free of the bright, blended tattoo inks that coated his muscled arms and trickled up his neck.

In stark contrast to his other tattoos, the only mark on his face was an outline of a stylized sun encircling his right eye, as dark and sharp as fresh henna paste. His eyeliner, used at home against the glare of the sun and here against dust, had only just started to smudge. As it was one of the few areas of contrast against a face that almost matched the pure white veil around it, it still served to highlight that his eyes were almost as pale of the rest of him. His husband used to say they were a little purple like his heart; Doctor Acquati and his ex-girlfriend said they looked blue like the veins nearby, but who else ever got close enough to tell- or care?

The ambiance was not quite what Tsadro expected. Doctor Acquati instructed him to not be too alarmed if everyone, even beings you've never seen before, seems to be speaking your language. Here, the Mialian clashed wildly with a town that looked somewhat... Porintic? He turned his head away from the street and blinked; Porintic cities tend to be dusty. But the clothes reminded him of Eneris. And someone was playing music of some kind that he could only guess was from a visitor. But wasn't everyone a visitor? Doctor Acquati described it as a fast-growing town in response to some temporary condition. The world-rifts were his first guess, as odd a reason as that sounded. Who were they to judge what people did with their time, he said.

Could eyeliner wait? He supposed so, as he had already drifted some distance from the street corner. Why was he drifting? Drifting wasn't something he did. This time, he cast his mind out; its central point wasn't too far away. What sort of instrument could sound like that? His best guess was a bird of some sort. And it just happened to be coming from one of the buildings. He could touch his eyeliner up and search in peace, too. An odd music choice for a store, in his opinion.

Tsadro parted the doors, which to his surprise sent a bell ringing. The shopkeeper greeted him loudly, to which he offered a nod.

"Man of few words, eh? Don't forget to speak up if ya need me!"

He flipped the crown of his veil off his head now that he was indoors, revealing silk-thin hair with a hue that left his hairline hard to distinguish from his skin. It had to be quite long, as it was bound in a complex folded style that required only a small mother-of-pearl hairpin near the bottom of his head. He watched the shopkeeper act and gesture with growing incredulity. "You can't hear that?" he hissed in a reedy accent, emphasizing the t's, and s'es, as they would soon find. Amazingly, the shopkeeper went silent, as both of their gazes followed a girl, idly browsing the wares.

It was possible one close by could notice the soft ebbing of the aither that stirred constantly and periodically within his heart and the near-treble undertone of his implants, even when he had no intention of casting, even when catnapping in the quiet of night, but which here beat slowly louder, higher, for one of his first encounters with an offworlder. And she looked Earthen, where the creeping stench of iron abounds. Of course, he should have known.

edited 5th Mar '16 3:02:55 PM by CrystalGlacia

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."

General Store

The store was simultaneously very interesting for Saya yet a bit more boring than she was expecting. She had half been expecting the store be full of things that she didn't even have words for, and there were indeed a few things that she didn't even have a word for. Quite a few more things she was familiar with, but presented in a way that was foreign to her. The amount of items that were also present back home, however, was considerably higher than her first guesses.

She was somewhat disappointed, though at the same time given that most of it seemed to be geared towards supplying travelers it would probably be very useful indeed. Of course, she wouldn't be able to buy anything now. Knowing what was in here didn't change the fact that she still didn't bring any money or items she could trade. The best she did was fill up the store with strange music that was probably confusing the proprietor or any other customers in here.

Sure enough, she soon noticed that nearly everyone in the store seemed to be giving her an odd look, shopkeeper included. It was as if they knew she was the source of the strange music. Well, the shopkeeper at least probably would've determined that she had something to do with it once it started playing upon her arrival, but everyone else had no way of knowing that. Of course, all the attention could've been from a simpler reason. Maybe she had something on her face?

She wiped her face over with a hand just to make sure it wasn't that, before responding to all the stares with a shrug and an odd look of her own.

"You do know it's not polite to stare, right?" she asked.

edited 17th Aug '15 8:19:31 AM by Yomegami

Icon by Civvi the Civilian!

[Railway Street]

A new batch of arrivals exited the now departed train, and among them was a man. This man strode purposefully off the station proper and into the road, halting right on the edge of Main Street. He wore what one would assume a cowboy wore; a loose white shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, with an unbuttoned leather vest. Said shirt was tucked into blue denim jeans, tight against the man's legs and buckled with a thick belt, stylized buckle included. The outfit was topped off with long and pointed boots, fitted with honest-to-god spurs, and the eponymous cowboy hat over his unruly brown hair. The man stared off into the distance before him and drew a polished six-shooter from a holster. He hoisted the gun up, pointed straight to the sky, and pulled the trigger. The effect was diminished when the gun failed to go off. And by the fact that the 'man' wasn't even old enough to drink.
"Telleeer!" He whined, spinning on his heels to face his companion, a much taller adult in a dark overcoat pacing a few feet behind the boy. "You give me an old-timey gun, and it doesn't even shoot? You ruined my entrance!"

The boy's companion, Teller, sighed out a small breath of air and ran two fingers over his mustache; a nervous gesture. "I'm more concerned by the fact that you expected a loaded weapon in the first place." He took several long steps until he stood in front of the teen and glanced down at the map he held. "Now, Jeffrey, I shall book us a room at the hotel here-" He pointed to the location marked and continued, "-while you see what you can discover about this place." Teller folded the map up and slid it into a pocket inside his coat before hurrying off to his own task, leaving poor Jeffrey alone.

Just thought I'd get my characters in here before I go to sleep. Feel free to interact or not, I'll move them to their places tomorrow anyhow.

[general store / main street]

Tsadro moved toward her, close enough for her to hear him speak in his normal, near-hushed tone, and tried gesturing for her to be quiet. She finally quit talking after adding an obstinate word, then as soon as he was sure she was paying attention, gestured to his ear. He was even careful not to breathe.

Open space for the song to change or do something in response, if you wish

A moment of pure song and nothing else passed, as it seemed not even dust motes felt the need to stir.

"Is that not yours?" he said with not a hint of uncertainty.

How would something of that sort even begin to work? And... why was she hiding it? Was she merely ignorant?

edited 17th Aug '15 6:52:51 AM by CrystalGlacia

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."

The sleeper slept the more peacefully than he had in ages. If he'd had the conscious mind to know that, he probably would have tried to savor it for longer. He'd sit by his own bedside, shushing and glaring away anyone who dared to try and wake him. He'd will the pillows to be softer, fluffier. Always cool to the touch in a hot room, and just warm enough in a cold room. He'd will the blanket to be silky, enveloping, insulated, poofed up, hot, cold, ever-changing to suit the sleeper. He'd will those shut eyes to remain shut forever. A proper sleeping beauty, resting in blissful stasis.

Trust me, he'd say, this is enough. What you've got going on in there is better than what you've got going on out here.

He'd struggle to speak over the rumble growing beyond the walls.

You don't want to wake up to this.

Trust me. he'd say again, racing to stop the cracks from forming upon the walls. Rushing to patch the holes forming upon the walls. Desperately trying to stem the tide from flooding into the sleeper's room.

You don't want to wake up to this. But by that point his voice would be faint over the rumble. The cracked walls were shaking, crumbling to bits with the growing furor of the rumble. The room was flooded, and the flood was growing higher. The bed of the sleeper was sinking.

Trust me.

The roof fell apart. The walls fell apart. The rumble became deafening. And the sleeper was all alone.



[Desert]

He awoke to a loud, growling, metallic sound. He had no clue where it was coming from, and even if he did, he'd have no idea how to describe it to someone else, fact of the matter being that he had no idea where he was hearing from.

It was hard to see, especially with his eyes closed, but when he tried to open them he was greeted by an angry bright light, savagely set on burning its way into his retinas. Even through the skin of his eyelids it was irritatingly bright. It made him feel like a tunnel dweller, surfacing for the first time in years to a sun that was less beautiful than what memory suggested.

The sound had moved past being unusually loud and well into the territory of being uncomfortably loud. Even more, it seemed dead set on growing into the range of terrifying loudness.

He managed to settle into a comfortable squint long enough to let his eyes adjust, though he still couldn't see a whole lot. However, it was enough to remind him that he had a mouth; a mouth that he wasn't making any use of. So... why not?

His eyes refocused downward, hoping to find the answer. They closed. They opened again. He found another question. What the heck was he looking at? It wasn't his mouth, he knew that for sure, but rather the absence of his mouth.

Before he had the time to continue slowly gathering his thoughts, more pressing events dragged his consciousness away. The growling, pounding, metal sound had settled happily into terrifying territory, had built a grand castle there, and was now headed full steam straight towards him.

His eyes shot open, and he rolled over with a splash, just in time to be caught under the shadow of a giant, roaring beast. It rattled above him far too close for comfort, raining down a shower of dust and brownish-orangeish dirt that clung to his skin and clothes, wet as they were. He cupped his hands above his eyes to shield them from any further stinging dirt rain, and rolled back out from under the beast's shadow.

When he unshielded his eyes and finally got a good look at his surroundings, quite a handful of things became clear. First off, the beast was no beast at all—at least not one born of nature. It was a long train, passing over a wooden bridge that seemed far, far too small, considering what it was propping up. He'd barely be able to stand at full height underneath it, if he so chose, and he wasn't particularly tall. For a few seconds, as he watched the train pass over, he was dead near certain that it would collapse the bridge and he'd have a face full of premium grade train wreckage to chew on. But those few seconds soon became many, and the bridge still seemed to be doing its job adequately enough.

The bridge itself hung over just about the muddiest river he'd ever seen; one that he was still submerged in up to the knees. It was a not-particularly-refreshing brown-orange color, as if the river flowed with pumpkin juice instead of water. And it was impossibly murky, so much so that he hadn't been able to see an inch of the rest of his head while it'd been below the surface.

The sight of the river jogged his mind back into gear, bringing very important memories to the surface. He had jumped into a river, he had lost consciousness. Fortune had brought him here. Here washed up on the banks of a muddy river, below a moving train, in the middle of...

Trying hard—for the time being—to ignore the mad pounding of the train beside him, he scrambled out of the river, clawing his way up the side of the river bank and onto proper ground. One quick look around told him all he needed to know.

...nowhere.

Thinking quickly, he crawled all the way out of the river bank and looked to the train again. It seemed unusually long, but by that point it was almost entirely across the little bridge that he'd been sleeping under. It looked like a passenger train, which didn't leave a lot of space for unplanned and unannounced boardings, but he thought he saw some potential handles and footholds to cling to for a while, at least until he ended up somewhere that showed a little more sign of civilization. The railroad had to lead there eventually; it was just a matter of hanging on and not getting tired. The train wasn't going too fast. It was just a matter of running a bit to get up to speed, lining himself up, getting a grip, and pulling himself onto the train. It was doable. Very doable. Run, grab, jump, hang on. That was it. One hundred percent.

He laid there, belly on the ground, watching as the last railcar rolled over the bridge and began shrinking slowly into the distance. It was a pretty funny idea, at least.

Slowly, he dragged himself to his feet and walked over to the now vacant stretch of railroad. Even that once thunderous sound had faded, and continued to fade until there was nothing left to hear except his own thoughts. Looking both ways several times beforehand, he took a careful step onto the railroad tracks directly. Then he turned to face the same direction as the train that he had so eagerly planned to throw himself at. Without much in sight, ahead or behind, he began to walk.

edited 7th Apr '16 3:06:00 PM by Ryuhza

this place needs me here

The Tipsy Toad

Kris nodded, understanding completely. "I apologise," she said softly.

Peggy looked from Ammolite to Chloe and back again. Treasure hunters? That sounded like exotic and exciting work.

Now that the situation with the girl seemed to have been defused, Karl returned to his stool and placed a reassuring hand on top of Peggy's. She looked at him and smiled.

James gradually relaxed now that it seemed that Chloe had gotten over her outburst.

Shoot me dead, Snowy Foxes. Apparently 'machination' doesn't mean what I thought it did.

[The Washington]

Cyrus (or rather, Kito) wasn't lying. Even without the switched eyes, Krul definitely noticed the different air the person now carried. "I believe you, and I will address you as the intelligent being you are." he said, taking Alba's earlier advice into heart.

"I'd be interested in the magical devices you may have on your person, or more exactly, what you have to offer as a weapons researcher." Krul said, giving the wolf (which he presumed to be Cyrus) a glance.

[Hotel]

Alba had promptly booked two adjacent rooms in the fourth floor for tonight, a two-person one for himself and Krul, and a single one for Lia. Apparently, the hotel staff decided he had booked the rooms early enough to entitle him to the hotel's complimentary breakfast, which he enjoyed heartily.

Alba contentedly moved to the first floor of the hotel and slowly sat on a bench near the entrance. The sky was clear and blue, the heat didn't bother him at the slightest. Musionians rarely ever consider the natural conditions of nature, such as weather, as an inconvenience.

"Lia's magic doesn't work, but that because she relies on the power drawn from the world. However, how about mine?" Alba thought. From his suit he took out a rolled-up brown parchment barely bigger than his finger. Another finger quickly slid on an exposed width of the paper, giving himself an intentional paper-cut. A dot of his blood touched the parchment, and Alba threw it on the dusty ground in front of him.

The parchment suddenly caught fire. Alba moved his fingers slightly, and the fire danced in the air according to the gestures he made, leaving the oddly unburnt parchment on the ground. "It worked. Interesting." he said. Alba then closed his palm, prompting the fire to cease. "This shouldn't." his palm opened again, now facing upwards. Nothing happened. After concluding that his levitation magic (which, then, was relying on Lia) failed to work, he sighed.

The wind blew the parchment further away from where he threw it. "I suppose I had to pick it up myself." Alba said, standing up.

edited 17th Aug '15 3:31:35 AM by FlowingCotton

[GENERAL STORE > MAIN STREET > GENERAL STORE]

The rather warmly-dressed man watched the events unfold before him. The mystery of the mysterious song looked like it was about to be solved. One other person spoke the question that might've been on everyone else's mind.

Deciding to let the stranger handle it, he left the store.

Outside were more...stereotypical visitors. Full-blown cowboy gear, the whole nine yards. When the younger one suddenly drew a pistol, he stumbled, eventually high-tailing it straight back in the store and diving under the windows.

What was even stranger was that no bang came. As such, he slowly lifted himself up, just barely enough to look out the window.

[MAIN STREET]

The elderly woman watched the scene with the cowboy-like pair with visible amusement, chuckling at the young man's attitude and slight brattiness.

Approaching the young man, she entered the conversation.

"You're certainly dressed for the occasion."

edited 17th Aug '15 5:43:29 AM by TroPartner

[The Washington]

So Cyrus was answering questions about the connection. Suela immediately found a spare page and began to scratch down notes. Encountered two individuals, wolfram and human, claiming connection of "souls". Able to "switch bodies". Implications fascinating. (I pray for their sake they are not found by the Elasane.) Note: a wolfram is a large mammal. Current one is the size of an unusually large boar, furrier than a camel, akin in shape to thaumavore but possessing a tail. She made a note to make a proper sketch later; her description would probably not help an artist trying to depict the creature.

First, she had Lia's question to answer. "Ah, these! The portal devices! The dead gods, before their demise, wove a series of 'portals' by which their chosen followers could travel instantly across the land. There are a number of stories about them, but I've been convinced by the curious appearance of the one called Qaisar, the man who brought us this," she pointed the old Persian book, "that the portals are real. These are the tools by which they are opened and closed; most are as dead as the gods, but I'm told the ones here still work."

"And," Brin said, "that they'll be able to get me back to Republic City."

Suela then cleared her throat and turned to Cyrus. "Now, this may be a very unpleasant question..." she paused, then decided a more cautious approach was called for. "Actually, I should probably explain it first. I've been doing a lot of research lately. With the information coming I've found in historical records and the archives of Elashu, I've become convinced there is no such thing as the 'soul'." Brin cringed at this; it was clearly a topic she and Suela had argued about. "That it is at most a useful abstraction for biochemical and mathematical processes within the nervous system." She looked between Cyrus and Kito. "As you can imagine, I have many questions for you, given your claim. Few, if any, are pleasant... I'll be doing quite a bit of poking at concepts like the 'self' and the effects of brain damage. Among other things. If you'd rather not discuss those sorts of things..." she paused, clearly hoping she wouldn't have to fulfill this offer, but ready to out of basic civility and decency, "just say the word and I'll let you be." Aside from passive observations, of course.

Brin shot Cyrus a sympathetic wince — Suela's obsession with the nature of the soul (or lack thereof) was positively unhealthy, in Brin's estimation. Even her quandaries about "universal moral truth" were preferable to that line. The questions she'd had about Republic City's spirits and the Avatar Cycle had particularly left Brin with a headache. Someone like Zaheer or Tenzin might have been able to answer them, but not a barely-educated beat cop like her. Brin also made a mental note to pull Suela away as necessary, and to ensure the rest of the group was properly operating as a group.

edited 17th Aug '15 6:17:05 AM by KillerClowns

[The Tipsy Toad]

Ammolite nodded at Kris to let them know they accepted to apology.

"You seem curious about the treasure hunting thing," Ammolite said to Peggy with a small grin on their face, "It is dangerous and I have my personal reasons for going on such adventures, but I have compiled quite the pile," they meant that literally, "Of artifacts, tomes, coins and shinies."

"Actually, let me show you one."

Ammolite turned toward the Terra Nova group and laid their right hand steady in front of them, the scaled pattern on their hand glowed as a red Bident emerged, surrounded by a white light. Ammolite grabbed the artifact and laid it on its side on the bar table to display.

"I have no particular name for this thing, but I found it half submerged in lava. I had one of my fellow explorers grab it, since she's immune to it."

Note to self: Pick less edgy username next time.