To dream is my right
Cathedral of The Four Swords:
Emperor Imeriz gave no token of shock or surprise, anger or joy, when the masked woman recoiled from the and tried to cast a shade over the temple and its other occupant, merely floating a few steps back as she uttered her threat.
"It would be easier for a candle to boil a lake than for me to dim this light, and forcing me to do so is even less feasible.", he said calmly at first, but with anger seeping into the last phrase, distilling contempt from coldness. Yet he still did not act, observing the other woman stand in front of the former, as if the two were in competition over the roles of protector and protected. This one was unmasked, and despite bearing weapons also bore a sense of control and discipline, something easier to approach.
"But I can leave if I must. I came for the perspective of distance, and it would be ruined if my stay brought chaos in its wake.", he added without the previous anger at being challenged, offering peace before the encounter spiraled out of control. He didn't come to destroy pretenders, and so would rather avoid giving them reasons to force his hand.
Thankfully, perhaps, it seemed that the situation defused itself almost as quickly as it began, with the masked woman, apparently a high-priestess, abandoning her former aggressive tone. Those candles however, if they could ever be called that, were a cause for worry. What kind of sorcery could produce anti-light of all things? Was that really draining light, or simply a complex illusion meant to protect an entity harmed not by light, but by the thought of light?
"Thank you. Swords of fire started as a warning for my enemies... but they soon became used as an universal symbol for my impending arrival, and thus I decided to give them more vibrant tones. As for what I am here for, it is simply a matter of distance. I fear the lack of a new perspective may have been clouding my judgment.", he said, warily entering the cathedral, still unsure if he was welcome or not. Upon hearing the remark about a duality in him however, he stopped for a moment, unsure of how to receive it.
"Mystics can find duality in all things if they want to, but I feel uncomfortable reducing infinity to sets of two... even if creating clear lines may be necessary for a leader at times. I am Emperor Jairuma Imeriz, although I admit my title may mean little so far from home."
"The dried flowers are so beautiful, and it applies to all things living and dead."
Mr ship
[Twilight Ball/Lauren]
When they traveled back to the ball Lauren quickly hid in the bush that was provided for her. Well hidden she leveled her rifle to keep the warring groups.
"Oh for fucks sake." She said as she watched as Amiluet put on a show in a vain attempt to make peace.
As Lauren had predicted it didn't end so well and the tree was quickly engulfed in flames. When they reached her she quickly jumped out and landed near where Amiluet fell.
"Hold still." She told Amiluet as she headed towards her so she could treat her wounds. "Stupid hippie. I told you this wasn't going to work." Lauren told her as she pulled out a field first aid kit to treat Amiluet's burns the best she could while June was threatening their attackers.
After putting to ointment and gase on Amiluet's wings she stood back up and leveled the H&K MP 5 she had slung to her side.
"I'd listen to her if I were you. Before we left I saw her take out an entire squadron of your friends without breaking a sweat." Lauren warned them.
Farm (Fuwa; Joseph; Vince, Tsandro, Lise)
Watching the small dog sniff her hand, Fuwa relaxed slightly and adjusted her good arm, before beginning to stroke the dog's head. She continued to sit, but she listened intently to what the others were talking about, all the while gently scratching at the ground with her other arm.
Cathedral of the Four Swords (Alex, Lacriment, Emperor Imeriz)
Reclaiming her hat from Lacriment, Alex returned it to its place on her own head. "I see, my apologies," she said to the priestess, nodding once in acknowledgement. The vampire cast her gaze up at the radiant shadow candles that Lacriment had produced.
Watching the colorful lights dance with the shadows up above, Alex stared transfixed for a moment. "This is all... quite pretty," she quietly commented, before returning her gaze up the shrouded radiance of the Emperor. She quietly observed him, before blinking slightly at his mention of his title.
"My apologies, Your Imperial Majesty; I did not realize..." said Alex as she bowed towards the Emperor, "I am Alexandra Rosendorn," she added, before pausing for a moment to ponder over his name. Tilting her head slightly, she gave the man a puzzled look, "I do beg your pardon, but I am deeply afraid I have never heard of you before."
Drummer Boy
[Cemetery]
Friedrich let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief. He'd dodged a bullet there; insulting people's family heirlooms usually didn't go so well. "Yeah. It already feels like we've been walking a bit longer than we need to, but—ah, there it is."
He stopped in front of a large rectangular headstone with two names carved in it. On the left, Elise K.S. Ritter. On the right, Heinrich J. Ritter. A bit of arithmetic with the dates would reveal that Elise was twenty-eight when she died and Heinrich was thirty-three when he met his own demise two years later. It would appear that the family had purchased a larger headstone when Elise died for the express purpose of Heinrich being buried next to her someday.
"This was what we agreed on. As a family," Friedrich mumbled almost apologetically as he used his arm to sweep the snow off of the stone. It was a pittance compared to the sandstone stele. "With her brother's money, we could have bought a mausoleum for each of them. But that's just not how it's done. For us, anyway." He weakly gestured at the surrounding gravestones, all of which were just as plain.
"Now, the whole point of coming out here was to make sure that the Heinrich back at my house is indeed my brother in the flesh, yeah? All right. I admit I didn't think this out very well. There's a pretty big taboo against digging up graves—the holy books have a whole thing about it—and I've left the church, but I still—"
Abadal knelt next to the headstone and touched the ground. The dirt on Heinrich's side disappeared, revealing an empty pit.
"Well. Uh. I—" Friedrich stared into the empty grave. "So that means he's real. Right? If he's not here, he must be back there. Yeah. He's real. But then that means... oh God."
He kept his voice low, as if Heinrich might actually be in the cemetery listening in on them. Abadal watched with an almost reproachful look on his face. "I've been trying not to think about it since he appeared, but the truth's going to come out sooner or later. I have to tell him what happened to his sons."
[Ritter Clinic (parlor)]
"Well that sounds... unsafe. And somewhat morbid. Oh my." Heinrich reached for the whiskey. "Of course you want your children—or grandchildren, in this case—to share the values that you think are good, but police brutality just isn't something you take a child to like a sporting event. That'd be like Friedrich using Eyes agents as babysitters. But I'm sure he knows better than that, at least. I assume your wife has been exposed to other opinions by now?"
[Farm]
So the other man—Tsadro, right?—wasn't busy with that wounded creature-person anymore. Okay then. Josef gave him a small, quick bow before speaking again, figuring that Tsadro would have offered his hand if he wanted a handshake. Maybe physical contact would have been uncomfortable for him. It was a cultural thing, probably. Renesians and the Fenrir didn't do handshakes either.
"I mean, it's just—" Josef laughed nervously. "Sorry, maybe that didn't come out right. I did try to explain the research to the farmers before I left, but they looked bored by the time I was done. I think it's because I started going on and on about the details about what exactly we were going to do in the lab and all that, not because they didn't care about the premise of the research. I think. Or maybe it was just those particular farmers that were bored by it, and I shouldn't just assume that any farmer—you know."
Josef unconsciously began to turn the golden circlet over and over in his hands. "The rambling is a problem of mine. I hope you can bear with me. Once I get going about something, it's so hard to stop, because I can never stop seeing how all the things are connected, and I think to myself, how are they going to understand it if I don't explain all of it? But I'd better be more conscious of it now. At university, people don't care so much if you ramble. Everyone rambles. But for politicians it just looks foolish." He stared at the circlet, rubbing his thumb over the ridges in the golden leaves.
edited 23rd May '17 7:55:16 PM by SnowyFoxes
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
feeling blue
Everyone was quite insistent on the idea of this all being a dream despite Phantom being sure it wouldn't be possible for me to dream, some of them even tried to offer explanations that could justify his presence in there.
"I don't think I saw anything when I got here, I simply found myself standing here," he responded to Jackson.
Gliosem, meanwhile began talking of something called astral projections. The idea of the soul momentarily leaving the body when a dream happen was an interesting one, but still something he was very skeptical about.
"That shouldn't be possible, my soul is trapped in this armor through a crystal that's connected to it. The only way for my soul to leave is if the crystal breaks, but if that were to happen my soul would head to the afterlife as, for all intents in purposes, I'm dead."
The healing finished, Phantom moved away from Gliosem to give her some space and turned his head to Gwenafer. Her question was a little odd and it actually took him some time to process what she was really asking.
"Are you... not from Earth?" He answered her question with one of his own.
edited 23rd May '17 7:22:27 AM by FullMoon
Yukijou-minato ~ Snow Castle [Main Keep 1st Floor ~ Parlor Kitchen] (Megumi) / [Parlor] (Rin; Adam, Jackson, Marie, Nick; Gwenafer; Gliosem; Phantom)
The room on the other side of the door was room that had been repurposed into the pantry for one of the many modest and modernized Senjimese kitchens throughout the castle. Megumi set herself to fulfilling all the necessary tasks, gathering all the necessary things before heading across the hall to the kitchen proper.
The parlor kitchen had been outfitted with a few of the various imported fittings that Megumi had to sequester from canteen, ever since the unfortunate "electric rice cooker incident". After filling a kettle with water, and another for warming sake, she began heating both over the portable stove, before jotting down the message she'd be sending via telegraph to the tengu to the south.
Setting aside the note, she went over and pulled a flask of sake out from under one of the counters. After putting the flask in the warming water, the cat-eared maid then fetched some small, chilled mandarin oranges from out of the icebox. Megumi knew that her master would be keen to having some of these, especially after what she was currently going through.
Meanwhile, back in the parlor, the Admiral was currently attempting to wiggle her toes in an attempt to break out of her paralysis, to little success. All the while, she still couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being surrounded by... something. Rin attempted to rationalize it as a mixture of the paralysis and paranoia, to keep herself from panicking.
[Parlor]
Marie flipped her hair.
"I don't want to go too deep into it," she said, "But I'll give you the short version; when I was young, I got involved in a car accident. The glass shattered my left eye—practically destroyed it—which made me blind in that eye. So that's why I wear this eyepatch. And of course, I got reminded of that in a dream. I woke up, found Jackson's gems glowing, and now here I am."
Nick was next. At first, all he did was look down at his lap, silent. After a few minutes, he gave a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Ya'll really want me to relive my trauma, huh?" he said.
"Nick," Adam said, "If it's too much, we can-"
"No; I'll tell." Nick sighed again, "I was seven, and my brother was six. We were outside playing tag, and I was chasing after my brother. We were at a park—I think it was the same park I dreamed up here—and I was suppose to keep an eye on him. I mean...I-I'm the big brother right? You're supposed to keep an eye on your younger siblings! You have to make sure they're safe!"
He clenched his leg.
"But no...I fucked up. I failed my brother. For one fucking second, I didn't pay attention. And next thing I know, he runs in the street, and before I can pull him back, I watch as he gets hit by a fucking truck. My brother died right in front of me and it's all my fault. Because I failed as a big brother."
He then noticed that tears were now streaming down his face, which he quickly tried to wipe with his arms. "Damn it, fuck. I thought I wouldn't cry again...not in front of all these people. God damn it!"
Adam put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Here, I'll walk you to the bathroom, Nick."
As the two of them walked out the parlor, Jackson looked at the others. "My story isn't as tragic as Marie and Nick. I left my home because my dad never accepted anything I did. So I've been living by myself since then." He then looked at the door, his face twisting in guilt. "Aw, shit, I should go check on him."
"No, I'll go." Marie said, bowing at the others, "I'll be back." With that, she followed her friends out of the parlor.
With it just him, Jackson had no idea what to say, or how to continue he conversation after all of that.
The Prince of Foolish Relevations
Humans are a sickness, too insane to do other than destroy (Ayako, The Midnight Stitcher?)
Completely unfazed by Ayako pointing a rifle at his head, the man-shaped monster sighs softly as he shakes his head in disapproval. Placing Yuki off in a corner with his tendrils alone, the inhuman thing looks onto Ayako with his cold eyes. Not moving away or showing any fear, the beastly man calls out.
"If you were truly like those base creatures, you would of already pulled the trigger. I don't have to be your enemy Ayako, we're real life unlike those humans. Tell me, Ayako, what was it that humans did for you when your parents cast you out? Did they warmly open their arms, making sure you were safe and healthy? Or did they let you suffer, dealing with starvation and illness?"
Tilting his head to the right, oddly showing something like sympathy, the impossible creature continues. "Humans are perverse, depraved, deranged creatures... Do you really want to be someone that lets other people suffer because you're too hateful and petty to 'waste' your precious time helping them? Humans are awful creatures, thinking that saying good things is the same as actually helping."
Glancing over to Yuki, the monstrous looking man speaks once more to Ayako without looking away. "It brings me no joy to incapacitate a true person like us, Ayako. Yet slaves of humanity like you are a threat- Believing the lies of those wicked creatures... Are you so desperate for love and affection you'd willingly shackle yourself to humanity's madness? Ayako..."
Slowly and calmly looking back to her, the unnatural entity calls out. "They willingly torture themselves, let alone the true people... Innocent children broken into obedient wives, peaceful communities violently condemned for being different, countless lives lost because of petty squabbling... How can you believe in those inexplicably evil things, these humans? No matter how you rationalize it, humans are horrifying abominations..."
Shaking his head to show how unhappy the thought is to him, the humanoid abomination speaks yet again. "Real people need all the heroes they can get, to defend them from those crude human monsters. So many people believe in humanity's madness, because they are afraid or ignorant of better ways... Awaken from this nightmare they've put you in, and realize the truth of your nature! Break free of their lies, of their hatred, and punish those callous monsters for hurting so many real people!"
The Eldritch Factory - Cerebral Dungeon (Ayako, Durnem, The Midnight Stitcher)
Vita Exosso(?) bursting out into riotous laughter, she cries out clearly amused. "You, a freaking mother!? Oh freaking hell, just imagine the idiot dumb enough to plow you! Probably shatter his spine pushing him off the moment your freaky fish hymen broke! Gyahahahaha!" With Vita Exosso(?) chuckling to herself amused, The Midnight Stitcher takes the newly illuminated area as a chance to try locating her-
-Only to spot zero trace of the enigma's physical presence. Yet, looking upwards, The Midnight Stitcher begins scrutinizing seemingly empty space. Vita Exosso(?), however, calls out to Durnem. "Seriously though, a crazy maniac like you? Obviously you'd be an abusive mother, what with being so violent and close minded. You're freaking lucky you're so pathetic your powers couldn't hurt a fly! Sexy Stitcher-Kun would of keeled you dead if your awfully timed attack could of scratched him. Hmm... Are you Fylin mermaids delicious when served as sushi? I'm in the mood for some delicious sushi~"
Tendrils beginning to sprout from his arms, The Midnight Stitcher continues looking at the same spot as above as his new tendrils twitch lazily in the air. Yet the cruelly playful voice of Vita Exosso(?) harasses Durnem yet again.
"Staves are far too refined for a brute like you, don't ya think so? Oh, I can imagine it now- 'Durnem, literally never be yourself as a filthy humi-no fylin mermaid, and only then can you join the Oradamin. But remember, never be yourself, you aggressive foulmouthed attention whore!' Humi-no is a swear right? I'd laugh if you consider school or medicine filthy vague terms! Oh oh, herring! Minnow? Sharkbait! Come on, what are your swears!?"
Making some amused giggling, Vita Exosso(?) continues speaking very quickly. "No no, I just remembered! Practically bragging about having psychic abilities, huh mermaido? Then why's your aura vision so shitty? Couldn't see my soul, and it practically burns like a holy light! Oh, wait, let me guess- You need to be in water to use it at all meaningfully ya? Sad for you, but there ain't no water for a silly mermaid vampire here for you!"
Then, all of a sudden, The Midnight Stitcher's new tendrils crack though the air with incredible speed- And impales something invisible up above, right about where he was looking. To that, Vita Exosso(?) releases a piercingly, unnaturally loud scream of "What the hell!?" The Midnight Stitcher, however, turns to Durnem and asks politely in his usual way.
"I do not have any psisonic abilities, so I can not confirm... Though is there someone up there? I'd prefer not to waste further effort on some lifeless mass of meat." Vita Exosso(?), for her part, seems to regain her cool rather quickly before calling out once more for now.
"Geez, bastard is definitely one of us... Though Dur-Dur, my mermaid buddy, you can't see mah soul girl. So come on, no point exploding an eye from overclocking that brain of yours. I mean, after all..." "Why not just leave? Stitcher and that Vita freak would at least distract each other. Leaving now with Ayako would be a good idea..."
That mental sequence at the end is another of Psyche-chan's attempts to worm in a foreign thought disguised as Durnem's own. The segment overall will probably accelerate relatively quick to Psyche-chan's reveal, which means throwing out the subtlety by then. There actually would be a soul to her body, but I don't think Durnem would notice.
edited 23rd May '17 3:47:37 PM by Kkutwar
"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."
It's a bird.
Snow Castle (Gwenafer; Gliosem; Phantom; Megumi, Rin; Adam, Jackson, Marie, Nick)
"Never heard of the place before," Gwenafer responded to Phantom. "I guess that the 'Brightcliff League' won't ring a bell with you? Or even the 'Sphere of Quassus' for that matter?"
She glanced over at Rin - Had the admiral really moved, or had she just imagined it? - before turning back to Marie. Gwenafer wasn't sure what a "car" was - short for "carriage", maybe? - or why an accident with one would involve shattered glass, but the story was clear enough anyway.
"Ouch..." she said. "That's a shitty thing to go through." She leaned over to rest her arm on the table, and gave the girl a sympathetic smirk. "I guess you're still a bit too young to have really noticed, but having an eyepatch or a nasty scar or two ain't always a bad thing though."
Next up was Nick's story. Gwenafer hadn't really known what to expect, but it hadn't been that. She was no stranger to death, witnessing or causing it as the case might be, but hearing this kid blame himself for what was clearly an awful accident was something different. She awkwardly ran a hand through her hair, watching the poor boy leave the room with his friends.
"Gods..."
Still a great "screw depression" song even after seven years.
To dream is my right
Eight Wings Library
"There are traditions regarding how to approach us... but they have little meaning here and now.", a voice, or voices, echoed through the library, apparently coming from multiple points behind the bookshelves and echoing on the ceiling and the walls, making it impossible to distinguish any singular origin for the sound. Then, the standing scholar closest to Ruka turned her head slightly, and backed of a little, not with her feet, but with her posture. Around, a few other scholars fidgeted a little, or waved their heads slightly, and a fatter man among them could almost be heard snoring.
After a collective sigh from beyond the curtains and shelves and also from some of the scholars, the chief archivist said "We assume you judge us by the state of this outpost. Know that we had little time to furnish it properly, and the... tools and materials were initially limited in capacity or willingness, requiring a measure of effort before a balance could be achieved."
After a moment of silence, they added "We can bring you closer to what you need, and all we ask is a small favor, with no... strings attached. A favor for the young man that lead you to us."
"The dried flowers are so beautiful, and it applies to all things living and dead."
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
Snow Castle - Parlor (Rin, Jackson, Gwenafer, Gliosem, Phantom)
Gliosem's eyes widened when Phantom mentioned having his soul sealed inside a crystal, and just for a brief moment, there was a clear look of panic in them. Immediately she paid more attention to his aura... but he seemed pleasant enough. The look she gave him turned to one of confusion... until he asked about her not being from Earth. The look of surprise returned.
"Are you from Earth? I... well, it seems that magic on Earth is of the evil sort after all. You speak of necromancers and the Fae - of the darkest magic and of godlike beings. But yes, Orenya is a planet, where magic is even more ubiquitous, but neutral, and where the sun stands still in the sky. I am from the town of Drenlin on its daylit side, which is quite renowned as a haven for story-tellers. On the dark side, there is a place called the Field of Souls, which contains crystals that, when there are no moons in the sky, draw people's souls out of their bodies and trap them inside. Only the most daring of mages go there, and some particularly evil sorcerers even willingly put their own souls into such crystals in order to achieve immortality - but this, as with any sort of necromancy, is viewed as a most heinous crime on Orenya."
She listened with a keen intent as Nick told his tale about his brother. Throughout all of it, Nick's aura was the same color as her hair and Orenya's largest moon - a deep, dark blue. At the very end of it, she smiled. But before she could say anything, he and his friends (except Jackson) left the room. She was about to follow them out, but remembered that she still had to tend to Rin. And so, she patiently waited for Megumi to return with the tea. Along the way, she gave her instrument a few gentle strums, where it made a sound that was reminiscent of an echoing harp.
Twilight Ball (Amiluet, June, Lauren)
Amiluet let out a sharp cry when Lauren handled her wings. "Be careful with those! My wings are very sensitive! If you are filled with so much anger, then you shouldn't be messing with them in the first place!" She had no idea what a hippie was, but from her tone of voice and what she saw of her aura, it was clear that it was an insult. "Besides, I can heal them myself..." Standing up, she spread her arms and sent the light pink petals of her namesake flying, coating her wings and vanishing into pink dust upon impact. With the extra power she inherited from June, the effect was instantaneous - as soon as her wings absorbed the dust, they were good as new.
Then to June she said, "And who are you calling a child? I will be turning five next green-arc, you know!"note
Meanwhile, after June made her threat, the sunestre elder who had interrupted Amiluet's performance earlier spoke up, tapping his staff on the ground. "Both of you are children. And you speak lies. The magisphere is incapable of vengeance. We sunestre were created by the Goddess herself for the purpose of manipulating it. And none of us want to fight - but in these dire times we have to. Those fairies seek to dominate us, to exploit us for our metalwork and our herbal lore, and to mock us for being sensitive to the Goddess's holy rays. We have long sought to obtain honor in Her favor, and that is why we fight to claim the light. My comrades, we shall retreat from Azuhala and approach our next target immediately."
There was much nodding among the other sunestre, who followed him out of the hall and off among the buildings.The sumiri bombers ran after thembut eventually reconsidered and headed off toward the sun, mentioning something about gathering more ammunition.
And a defeated Amiluet sat down on the edge of the floor, being careful to not sit on any of the glass shards. Reaching up into her hair, she retrieved the hairpin she had received from June and held it instead in her lap. After pondering for a moment, she looked up at June and Lauren, speaking with an uncharacteristic seriousness. "You know what, Lauren, you are right in a sense. A bard can dream about enchanting the evilest of hearts, of soothing the darkest of souls, of calming the most violent of spirits... but ultimately, peace, love, and art have no place on the battlefield. I should have realized it when those mages attacked this place, and now I know why they did so."
She gazed up at the moons gathered in the sky. "They knew about the exclusive nature of the two. They knew how foolish it was for my sisters and I to dare to perform in what we knew all too well was a battleground. Truth be told..." and here her eyes began to water again, "...I was the one who insisted that we perform here. The mayors of both Azuhala and Drenlin warned us against performing here, and the former even wanted to cancel the Twilight Ball because of it. But we were able to convince him otherwise... and I told him the same thing that I told our audience here."
"It's a good thing that this is a dream, then. When we wake up, I am going to tell my sisters that I was wrong, that instead of performing at the Twilight Ball, we should do so right in our hometown - or if we want to be really bold, someplace in the middle of Zurem, where there aren't as many battles. Now I know a bard's true purpose - not to stop battles, but to discourage them from the outside. To raise morale so that people who also do not want to fight do not lose hope."
She looked to June, and handed the hairpin back to her. "Thank you for lending me your power - but I do not need it. Or maybe I do - but now that I know what it feels like, perhaps I can learn to do the same myself once I wake up. Wait, I know - I can make a staff!"
And indeed she did, using June's hairpin one last time to do so. A tree branch exactly as tall as her grew out of the ground, sprouting flowers just like her circlet had done before. Originally it was brown, but when Amiluet touched it it turned a bright yellow, then when she pulled it out it turned more of a deep amber, matching her hair. Then, turning purple, it sprouted a wreath of little leaves at the top, and, as she tapped the staff on the ground it turned a light pink, where a saucer-like platform topped the wreath. Amiluet stood on tiptoe and peered over this platform, seeing a pencil-sized hole in the middle of it. And she knew what this hole was.
After nodding and handing the hairpin back to June, she held the staff close. "I name you Dureminda, the creative spirit that blooms in times of despair and brings color to this bleak world. With this, I swear that you shall be used not to harm, but to mend. Not to destroy, but to create. After all, even after an end, there can be a new beginning - and I shall help usher in that beginning." And with that, a multicolored light shone out of the hole in the saucer, looking kind of flame-like at first, but assuming more of a brush-like shape. When she waved it around, it left a pink streak in the air, and when the streak hit one of the hall pillars, it left a little drawing of a pink flower on it. "Yes... with you I can truly leave my mark on the world. And I am confident that when I wake up, I will take you with me."
She briefly glanced up at the sky. "Parushai calls me..." And she looked back at June and Lauren and grinned. "But I'm not gonna just leave you! Or... I dunno, it depends on you I guess." She looked around. "So now what? There's nobody here to fight, so... what do you two wanna do?"
This is your last chance to ask Amiluet anything, FYI.
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
The Edge of Despair (Ayako; The Midnight Stitcher)
Ayako stopped shaking, her weapon slipping from her grasp. The quite atmosphere was cut by the sound of metal hitting the ground as the girl stared through the towering man. Her mouth twitched slightly as if she was going to say something, but she stayed quite. Instead, Ayako let her head slump forward as she averted her gaze, staring at the floor in an unfocused stupor.
A moment passed before the girl finally spoke. "My parents didn't cast me out; I ran away..." A tear fell, splashing on the ground, "I decided to take my own future into my own hands, confident that I could take on the world with the magic I had acquired..." More tears. "I was wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong," she said, sobbing.
Ayako collapsed to her knees, and began curling up into a ball. "Life on the street sucked. Nobody in their right mind would hire a thirteen year old and the one who would even consider..." the girl shuddered before continuing, "I had to resort to stealing what I needed. I got hurt. I got sick. And nobody gave a damn. Heck, my own parents didn't even bother to go look for me."
She glanced up at the Midnight Stitcher with dull eyes, "You're right, humans can be monsters." The luster returned to Ayako's eyes briefly, "But then I met Junko-sempai," she said, a faint smile crossing her face. "And that's when I realized there are nice people out there; people worth protecting, people worth fighting for..." Ayako then gave the Midnight Stitcher a weak glare.
Twilight Ball (June, Lauren, Amiluet)
June gave Amiluet an amused look, "Sweetie, I am much older than I look," she said, loud enough to be heard by all. Listening to the sunestre elder, June eventually rolled her eyes at what he said, "Oh lovely, a religious war. You know what, fuck it. Not getting involved in another one of those." She then turned her back on the retreating forces.
The redhead then listened to the young sumiri as the girl went on about her epiphany, the older woman nodding every now and then. After taking the hairpin back from Amiluet, June waved her hand, and the magic trinket dissolved into nothing, its power returning back to its source. The woman than turned to send a catty grin at Amiluet and her newly crafted staff, "Ooo, nice fix-it stick you got there. Be sure to paint a lovely mural of peace so those fools have something nice to return to," she said.
She then looked off into the distance for a brief moment, before turning back to her compatriots, "I'm afraid I must take my leave as well; someone seems to be trying to get my attention in the waking world. Farewell, Amiluet. Farewell, Lauren," she said, giving each woman a courteous bow. "Come along, Cu Chulainn," she said, beckoning towards her oversized dog.
The dog gave a disgruntled sneeze before sitting down on his haunches beside his master. He looked up at June, giving her a look that pretty much screamed "you dragged me out here for this, and now we're just going to go home?" Without even glancing at him, June casually gave Cu's forepaw a light stomp in response to his antics.
With a wave of her hand, the two of them simply vanished from the dream.
Rozeta Marga ~ Ampelones (Nerea)
Somewhere, in the misty wood, the fog cleared upon the black sands of a majestic seaside beach. The tropical sun was beaming down upon the road that led to a bridge that crossed a short span of ocean to a large island made of crafted basalt monoliths. Upon that island and many like it in the turquoise sea was the great city of Rozeta Marga, home to legendary pearl roses of the abyss, and once bustling trading center of the Southern Seas.
That was back in Rozeta Marga's heyday. Now, the bridge and the first island of the abandoned city were overrun by sheets of kudzu, blanketing the basalt buildings in a carpet of green, with the occasional light green patina of decorative bronze left uncovered to the elements.
In one section of Ampelones, as people now called the overrun island, were the ruins of a shipyard; sets iron rails nearly rusted to oblivion and the skeletal wreck of a frigate that would never sail again resting high and dry upon a decrepit dry dock cradle.
Down in the harbor, the water bubbled slightly as a shape bobbed to the surface. It was about six feet in height, and humanoid. Upon closer inspection, one would fairly quickly realize that this individual, while obviously female, was not human.
Abyssal Empress Narea was rumored to have been a descendent of the legendary and mysterious Cynthonics of the Moon of Aria, though there were few who could confirm whether this was true of not. What was certain was that while she had the most of the overall features of a human, such as her short black hair, she also had inhuman traits: pale blue-green skin; a pair of six-inch long, crystalline horns the color of the sky protruding from the back of her head; a long, powerful-looking ribbon-like tail that had a projecting dorsal fin near the end; and stood tiptoe on scaly, webbed feet with dangerous looking claws.
The woman wore rather interesting looking set of dark blue and silver trimmed clothes: a tight, compressing, midriff-baring shirt; matching shorts; and a thin, short sleeve overcoat that she wore unbuttoned, its stiffened coattails tapering to a pair of points on either side of her tail. On her hands was a pair of decorative-looking silver gauntlets, and around her neck was a pearl necklace bearing a pendant inscribed with a stylized rose. Covering her eyes was a silvery, wraparound visor. At the small of her back, a foot long blade was sheathed, bearing a spiked knuckle-guard on the long knife’s hilt.
Nerea floated on the surface of the water for a moment, giving her body the time it needed to adjust itself to the surface pressure. She eventually dove back under, before propelling herself out of the water and onto the dock. She cast her gaze around and let out sorrowful sigh. How long had she been staying at the Abyssal palace that the city she once called home would have gotten to this pitiful state?
Shaking her head, she turned around and carefully sat down at the edge of the dock, her legs dangling over the side. Nerea wrapped her tail twice around her waist before hugging the tip of her tail; focusing her senses, she could tell she was all alone in the empty city on the sea.
edited 29th May '17 5:45:33 AM by WillDeRegio
[Cemetery]
As they walked, Iveya was quite silent. She seemed to be contemplating the blade, occasionally testing the feel as it slumbered in its sheathe. Say what one would about its appearance, it felt surprisingly light and well-balanced. She had some practice with Kykiten two-handers like this in general, and felt that, while she would be more comfortable with an Uelane shortsword, she could rely upon this if necessary.
Then they arrived. Iveya's eyebrows raised as she studied the hole where Heinrich had apparently one lain. She briefly thought about a quip — well, at least you don't have to worry about digging up his grave. He seems to have done it for you. No, that would be... wrong on so many levels.
Indeed, she was silent for several lingering seconds; she was, after all, a witness to a stranger's intimate family dramas. And yet, somehow, she felt like she had known Friedrich longer than she had. Awake, Iveya would have remained silent, following formal customs, not daring to speak for fear of saying something improper. But the dreamscape gently nudged her to speak, managing, if only just, to once again brush away that proper reticence. "I... hope I don't offend, but if you think it would help to practice how you're going to break the news, I'll listen." As if just realizing what she'd said, she then said, "unless this is something better shared in private between brothers. I do not mean to pry at your tragedies like some old village gossip."
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
Cathedral of the Four Swords (Lacriment, Alex, Jairuma)
Brushing a long dark cape-wing along the cold black marble floor, Lacriment bowed to the Emperor of Light. "On the contrary. I encourage you to feel like exactly who you are within these walls, Emperor. Some may say that darkness involves deception and hidden secrets. While from the outside in the brightness of the light that may seem to be the case - and admittedly, that is part of the reason why I am apprehensive to those who associate with said light - one might say that the dark has a way of revealing what you truly are, once your eyes adjust."
She straightened up. "The fact that you were willing to come here, to be willing to see your way in the dark even with your light, is honorable indeed. You are most welcome, as is anyone who respects this space and the things spoken within its walls. There is your light, but the way I see it, I align just as much with... moral darkness as with the physical, so I am in no place to judge. This is a cathedral after all, not a courthouse." From beneath the mask, she let out a mellow, melodic chuckle.
"Actually, I believe duality is a way of bringing more depth to a truth that is nebulous, both singular and infinite. And that is another reason why you are welcome, even though I have all but resigned myself to half of a duality." The tone she took on near the end was one of profound solemnity, and though it was hidden both by her mask and in the shadows of the anti-light candles, a tear ran down her face.
"Speaking of duality, I would like to show you both something." From underneath the altar she retrieved a lantern, in which she placed a candle lit by one of those same flames. With that as her guide, she turned around and walked over to the right side of the pipe organ sitting against the back wall, stopping before one of the pools. This one had a starry sky reflected in it, even though A) the sky was not quite visible from this angle inside, and B) said stars would have been dimmed by the technicolor swords Jairuma had set up. "This is the Pool of Wishes. Stars have been wished upon by people for generations, and thus with the power of dreams themselves I have enchanted these waters. Bathing in its waters, which remain eternally clean, will show you your deepest desires and highest ambitions.note On more than one occasion I have shown its wonders to people who have become lost inside themselves."
And then she walked over to the other side of the organ to another pool, whose waters were dark and murky, filled with an ominous black mist. "And this is the Pool of Despair. It is the one permanent weapon I have here, as its waters torment any soul in contact with it, evoking one's deepest fears and most torturous sorrows.note And yet is not such. Fear is inherent, at least among mortals, so facing it can be therapeutic. And sorrow is one of my domains, as if you look at it a certain way, there is beauty in it. It is the official currency of this cathedral, if it had such a thing."
Turning away from the pool, she glanced back at the two, looking now at Alex. "Speaking of despair, do not despair that you do not know anyone here. In fact, deep down I believe you do know him. And me. Intuition is powerful, and something I most definitely encourage."
edited 25th May '17 11:16:48 PM by ladytanuki
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
Eight Wings Library - Amethyst Wing (Ferisen, Ruka, Chief Archivist)
Once the strange voices spoke from beyond the walls (Ferisen had to wonder if they were spirits living inside the books, or perhaps these elusive "spiders")note , Ferisen saw the scholars move, though only slightly, as if they were animated statues... only they appeared to have been somehow sleeping. But again, she noticed that her soul was drifting out of her body again, so she had to return her focus to the third eye she decided would be her physical anchor. Her body had sunk into a squatting position, so with this renewed focus she rose into standing.
That was when the chief archivist spoke. Though she knew exactly what to ask him, first she turned her spectral head toward Ruka, because she still had trouble getting her mouth to move. "I do believe it is safe. I do not detect any air of harm about this wing." Of course, she didn't tell her that her ability to see auras had been blocked.
As she took a few steps toward the Chief Archivist, she did so with as much awareness of her body as she could muster, hoping that would be enough to pull her soul fully back inside it. Every step, every movement of her arms, every breath... especially the latter, for it was difficult to pay attention to even that when she was not fully in control of her body. Perhaps in a corner of her mind she figured trying to sit still and restore the connection simply by meditating, but just in case, she figured it wouldn't hurt to get the archivist's opinion on the matter. But first...
"Of what sort of favor do you ask?" Ferisen asked him, speaking clearly in her spectral voice, but managing to mumble the words with her physical mouth as well, such that it sounded as if her own demon was possessing herself.
Cerebral Dungeon (Durnem, Ayako, Midnight Stitcher, Vita Exosso?)
Durnem actually started laughing when Vita Exosso made the remark about sex. "You know, that actually happened, sort of. A sumiri farmboy once made an advance on me, and I nearly scratched his face off. I kind of wish I had broken his spine."
Immediately she wished she hadn't said that, for then the deranged bone lady (bone lady, haha, she thought, as she was basically attempting to rape her mind) went on about her being abusive, and violent, and pathetic, and... delicious? At this Durnem also had to laugh. "That's what he said. I happen to subsist mainly on sushi, and I would dare anyone to try and make it out of me."
But what Vita said next really got to her. She didn't understand what "minnow", "herring", and "sharkbait" meant (were those Eldritchian swear words?)note , but the remark about being herself, and about her psychic abilities... this made her calm down, seemingly, a slight bit, pondering.
She remembered the reason why she wanted to join the Oradamin in the first place. She thought back to her old clan, where she had been raised with the intention of helping to fight off enemy clans, as fylin were wont to do. However, she on the other hand had been more the type to pillage other clans' possessions while everyone else was busy fighting. Sure, she did some fighting, and was decent at it, but apparently her clan had been convinced that the only way to be a good enough fighter was to constantly practice at it. It was something she didn't care to do, so she began spending more and more time mingling with the surface folk.
She remembered the time when she made brought her staff to the tasu-min, the staff-masters of the twilight town of Azuhalanote . In fact, for a moment, she saw herself there, in a little, well-aired wooden house, facing the wizard Usuriel, who she remembered was a woman a little younger than herself. This young wizard was in the middle of helping her with the enchantment that would complete her staff, by binding her soul to it.note
"Now I want you to state your purpose," Usuriel had told her - and though she sounded calm, Durnem could detect some worry in her aura, and at the moment she did, she saw the wizard smile. "Mentally if you so choose."
Durnem nodded, holding the staff close. For several moments she stood there, as if in a sort of trance. "I seek new horizons. Where there is duality between the home and the heavens, I seek the latter. I seek, as well, to bring them. To defy traditions and revel in the glory of a new rising."
Though she was not aware of it, in "reality" (the Cerebral Dungeon, which she did not yet know was in a dream), her mouth began to move, and she began to mutter the words she was thinking about. "I want to reach and enforce a truth, the truth of the Gods who shine on Zurem and the Mother Goddess who shines on Rumia. That tradition and upbringing do not determine one's fate. That there are as many fates as there are stars in the sky, and one's spirit can shine with one, or many, or even none of them. Thus I aim to live my life in reverence of this celestial spirit. And thus, I name this staff... Watimari."
Durnem put on a small smile. That was why I wanted to join the Oradamin. I wanted to prove this point, in this case with regards to race. I wanted to help put an end to people who are misguided by stubborn traditions and selfish whims. I wanted to help others realize this. To extinguish a star like that, to aim to hide people from their light... is a crime of the highest caliber. Now filled with determination, she opened her eyes, moved her gaze toward the Midnight Stitcher, and...
"Now why did Usuriel look worried?" It was another thought that suddenly popped into her head, and as before, she could not tell whether it was something extraneous or something from her own conscience.note "Is it because you cannot read auras as well as you think, or is it because she detected an alterior motive to your wanting of a staff? True, there is a rumor that one must free themselves of such petty desires to make such a staff, but Usuriel isn't exactly one of the Miamin, is she? Why, was the ritual even successful?"
Durnem tapped her staff on the brainy floor. Of course it was. My aura vision may be somewhat lacking, but I'm not completely third-eye blind. But then there was what Vita said. She couldn't see her soul... well, obviously that's because of this humi-no interference from the... weirdness about this place. That strange red stuff I keep seeing. The signature of the world itself. She smirked, as just then she saw the Midnight Stitcher reaching his tendrils up at something invisible, and then a scream. And then another remark from Vita, a taunt about not being able to see her. And then a thought, about leaving with Ayako. Hmm, that's not so bad an idea... but...
She looked at the Midnight Stitcher, then up at the thing his tendrils were piercing, then back at him. "I believe you answered your own question. You stabbed something and it screamed. You do seem kind of disoriented though... you may deny it, but I fear this place may be affecting you in a way as well. Are you hearing what this Vita tanshuminote is saying about me? Let's leave before she starts doish-ing you as well." She sighed. "And it looks like the only way out is the way we came in, unless you got any better ideas."
Looking at him, again she could begin to see more of his aura. There was definitely some sense of troubling, of not quite being there... but definitely no hostility. So why those thoughts about him being an enemy? She trusted him. Ayako trusted him. They fought on the same side against both Vita and that skeleton monster, and he didn't seem like the kind of person who would be a trickster. In fact, now that she looked, there seemed to be some sense of loneliness about him as well, which, interestingly enough, she detected as Watimari's crystal orb hovered in the way of her gaze at him.
Wait a minute...
She moved her staff upward, such that she was looking through its crystal orb at the thing the Midnight Stitcher was piercing. And at the same time, she spoke. "Sen Watimari, ri tou-bi orima lurel-na, sio tali-me tei nya mora-ya!"translation With this, though it was faint, she saw an odd ripple in the spot the Midnight Stitcher had glimpsed. And with this she smirked. This Vita lady is exactly the type of criminal the Oradamin would hunt down. I can only imagine the praise I would receive for bringing her to justice.
edited 26th May '17 10:12:43 PM by ladytanuki
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
[Ji Estate (Seilaan, Mazra, Drix)]
3rd Drix returned Seilaan's slight bow by inclining its head. "I am currently very happy to observe its decor, my lady, and I would bet that you are too."
The insectoid turned to Mazra. "Your father is currently away, Mistress, but I have just declared the Centermost Foyer suitable for visitors while you wait." One of the rear legs lifted up and pointed back down the hall, in the direction they had already been going. "Unless you had particular plans in mind?"
Mazra looked at Seilaan. She was now almost entirely certain that Drix was just another manifestation of the dream rather than the real zzym', but that didn't really tell her anything about what the estate would be like. Though considering how Seilaan seemed to respond to Corinarchi aesthetics...
And I guess there's probably a reason my subconscious picked this place. Or that's how it should work, anyway, so I'm going to assume that's how it is working.
"We might as well," she said, "although we don't have to stay there."
She noticed her clothes had changed again slightly, with the vaguely spiral-shaped sigil of House Ji appearing on her waistcoat in orange. Drix didn't seem to have noticed - another reason to think it was part of the dream.
Eight Wings Library ~ Amethyst Wing ~ Archivist's Chamber (Ruka; Chief Archivist; Ferisen)
Ruka actively glanced around, trying to pinpoint the location of the ambient, disembodied voices. “Oh, I see,” the ghost girl replied off-handedly. She found no logical source to the voices, causing her to frown slightly before apologizing to the no-longer-dormant scholars that she had probably inadvertently disturbed with her rude, phantasmal arm flailing.
The blue-haired ghost then followed Ferisen, floating behind her as if to catch her should she fall, despite Ruka's previous failings at successfully interacting with the corporeal. “I only said this place is creepy, not that it's dangerous; my mom is kinda creepy, but she's usually a nice person...” she whispered to Ferisen, before shaking her head, “actually, that's a bad example; she's kinda went crazy, so she might try to freeze you solid.”
Ruka kneaded her knuckles together, and blinked a few times, “Uh... what was I talking about again? Oh, right!” Her face brightened up a little as she addressed the scholars, “Sorry for calling your library creepy; the spider webs are a nice touch, if a bit impractically placed.”
She immediately flinched after finishing what she had said, realizing she had put her foot in her mouth. Burrowing her face in her hands for a moment in shame, she glanced back up. Ruka started to try to correct what she had said, but reconsidered, not wanting to dig herself deeper and unnecessarily antagonize the scholars further. She balked slightly at the thought of that; pissed-off librarians could be really, really scary.
To dream is my right
Cathedral of the Four Swords:
"You haven't. As I said, I am far from home. Distance, time, possibility. It is a mystery for other time, when more earthly ones are sorted.", the Emperor said to Alexandra before following Lacriment deeper into her Cathedral, still hovering over the ground as he walked, his light reduced to a white aura around his body in the presence of the candles that darkened.
He betrayed no hint of his reaction Lacriment's compliment towards his willingness to accept the dark, nor to her ideas about the power of the dark to reveal truth, although they only confirmed his suspicions that that place's mistress saw no difference between light and darkness in nature and the concepts her religion attached to them. It did not matter for the Emperor, not in the abstract, obscure plane her reasoning was based on. Not until she touched matters of judgment.
"Is dividing people or their actions according to moral lines not judgment?", the Emperor challenged, "You call yourself 'Mother of Forgiveness'. You cannot forgive if you see no offense to forgive. Forgiveness is a sentence like any other, to be chosen if deemed capable of accomplishing its goal."
Then he inspected the pools, but still kept at an arm's length from them. While his veil obscured his face, which would blind any who saw it, his posture made it clear he saw the pools as dangerous. "And which one shows the truth, priestess?", he asked to Lacriment, "All fear and all ambition in the world show little when you can't grasp what will be the price of the deals you make until you have made them." Raising his gaze to the windows and watching his light shimmering down through the glass, painting it in the flickering colors of life , he finally spoke with honest doubt:
"Tell me, when the future of a ruler's land is at stake, should said ruler be guided by his desire for the best of two gifts... or his fear of the worst of two poisons?"
"The dried flowers are so beautiful, and it applies to all things living and dead."
[farm- Vince, Tsadro, Josef, Fuwa, Lise]
Tsadro blinked as Josef began to do the exact thing he was in the process of apologizing for. He continued listening without any obvious change in body language or facial expression, because it didn't really bother him.
Vince spoke as Josef continued looking more nervous by the minute. "We have backgrounds in both academia and politics," He motioned to both himself and Tsadro, "and we're well aware of that tendency- it comes from a place of passion. But there's a difference between simply telling your potential contributor what they need to know and going on about why it interests you for twenty minutes when they have work to get done before nightfall." He idly slipped his hand into his pocket so he could motion with the other. "Rambling about your work to taxpayers, potential sponsors, or policymakers with dozens of other issues vying for their attention perpetuates stereotypes of good-for-nothing academics at best, and condescending shysters hiding behind technobabble at worst. In my experience, it's often better to assume your potential contributors need to get on with their lives and let them ask for more information if they want."
"When I was a boy," Tsadro added, "I worked for a duck farmer. I've always liked hearing stories from visitors and travelers. Liked knowing there was a world outside Sawa Ankiro and her islet. If you learn to turn your ramblings into stories, you could brighten the day for a farmhand or two."
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Mr ship
[Clinic-Parlor/Henry]
"You should've seen my childhood." Henry snarked.
He leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. "Yeah she's been exposed to different ways of thought. She married me after all. I'm the complete opposite of her politically." He started laughing. "I'm for gay marriage she's not, I believe in taking steps against global warming she doesn't, and I'm one of the 3 people in America who voted for Mondale in '84 while she voted for Reagan. We get along very well and think very alike despite those differences. We'll even go to events that we'd normally hate for each other. I'd take her to the pride parades in the Castro District and she'd take me to the GOP National Convention when she won tickets."
Mr ship
[Twilight Ball/Lauren]
"Fuck you people I'm a 29 year old tax paying citizen of the greatest country on God's green Earth." Lauren said in contempt.
She then walked over and put a hand on Amiluet's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Don't sell yourself short. Sure singing songs and all that don't work to well on the battlefield but in the right places and heard by the right people it might actually work better than you'd think it would. I've seen it myself."
She stood up and dusted herself off. "Now that this is over I need to find my husband and unlike you I don't have the luxury of waking up from this and finding him next to me in our bed. If you want to come with me that's fine. I need to stop at the warehouse for the car first though."
As June gave her goodbyes something came to Lauren's mind. "Wait! You better give me back that M60! Do you have any idea what we went through to get the damn thing?!"
Farm (Fuwa; Josef; Vince, Tsandro, Lise)
Fuwa continued petting Lise as she listened to the others, perking up at Tsandro's mention of stories. “Mer~!” she vocalized enthusiastically.
Cathedral of the Four Swords (Alex, Lacriment, Emperor Imeriz)
Alex followed along behind the Emperor and Lacriment, pondering over what little the Emperor had said about where he came from. After coming to an insufficient conclusion, she picked up on what Lacriment was saying about light, darkness, and morality. “Morality can be... quite complicated,” Alex said.
The vampire soon raised an eyebrow slightly at the Emperor’s sudden incensed state. She paused for a moment, before speaking up, “Forgiveness, in my opinion, is the optimal outcome. Retribution can easily lead to more retribution, and all involved eventually go down a spiral of destruction.” She turned to face the pools, and briefly contemplated what the Emperor had asked. “Untempered fear, ambition, and truth, by themselves, are quite a destructive force;” she said, “one must find the proper balance for them to work properly.” Alex then cast her gaze towards the floor, “Sometimes knowing the truth and being unable to do much about it, or worse, interpreting it wrong, can be quite... painful.”
Alex turned her head towards the priestess, “Lacriment, I choose to gaze into the Pool of Despair.” She removed her hat, setting it and her weapons aside before heading off to stare into the murky abyss. She could already feel the fear building up in her stomach, as she had a good idea on what she would see in the dark waters.
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
Twilight Ball (Amiluet, Lauren)
The way June said she was much older than she looked re-affirmed Amiluet's notion that she was an avatar of the gods. She thought Kuhaleunnote was a weird name for a dog, but before she could remark on the matter, June was gone.
And then she was surprised when Lauren said she was 29 years old. "What!? You look way younger than that!" She paused and rubbed the back of her head. "...Then again, unless an Earthen year is shorter than an Orenyan year. Anyway, yeah, that machine you had back there makes it seem like you're some sort of interdimensional traveler or something. I remember an old mystic told me once that there are some strange beings who enter the world of dreams when they are not actually dreaming. So for them, and you it seems, this world is reality. I wish I could help you find your husband but..." She glanced at her staff. "It would be an opportunity to see more of what this staff can do, but first I need to make sure this staff will appear in the real world when I wake up - and if not, I need to make it. Speaking of which..."
She gazed right across the top of her staff into Lauren's eyes, holding her hand in front of her as if trying to frame her in a picture. But only for a moment; before Lauren could react, Amiluet brushed the brush-like apparition at the top of the staff against the ground. At first it left a collection of golden dust, but that dust quickly turned to metal and assumed a more barrel-like shape... in fact, it was the exact gun Lauren had lost. Not a drawing of it - the real thing.
"There you go! That'll help somewhat, won't it? Although it is time to take my leave now, it was really nice meeting you." She nodded. "So as we say on Orenya... sondra-ya."
Grasping Dureminda in her hands, she vanished, leaving only a cloud of light pink petals behind.
Cathedral of the Four Swords (Lacriment, Alex, Emperor Imeriz)
In the areas the shadows of the anti-light lantern did not touch, the Emperor's original light shone upon Lacriment's eyes, and one could easily see that they blinked, and that their irises were completely transparent, though at the moment they reflected the multi-colored lights from outside. For some reason, although they were technically lit, they were not damaged this time, as if the very aura the candle gave off protected them.
"Hmm, I suppose it could be considered a form of judgment," she said to him. "By that logic, practically anything one calls something could be considered a judgment. This pool for instance - calling it a pool may be a judgment, as it may just as well be a mirror. Or black mists and starry skies assuming a liquid form."
She listened as both he and Alex spoke about the pools, looking visibly fascinated when Alex mentioned gazing into the Pool of Despair. But perhaps not for the reason she expected... "You know, I had never thought that simply gazing into the pond would work. I congratulate you for abstractly thinking of it as a mirror before I even considered the possibility just now."
What she was about to say happened to coincide with the Emperor's remark, so she addressed him. "Both ponds reveal the truth. Their pseudo-waters read off the soul, which does not lie. And the eyes are a window to the soul, regardless of whether or not one's soul is inside their body. And to your other question, one may be led by both hope and fear simultaneously. It is a matter of which they choose to act upon, I would say. Though to someone like you, I have to wonder if they would say the same thing, given how you seem to view dualities as a single entity.
"Of course, you do not have partake in the enchantments these pools bring. This cathedral has many wonders. Like the bells for instance, which I have to wonder how you rang them, as I specifically enchanted them so that they cannot be heard inside the cathedral. Or the windows, which I have to wonder if they can be colored by your swords of revealing light. But if you seek the truth, there is one I seek as well inside you. You say you are seeking distance. From what? Like time, where it comes from an indefinite beginning? Like the light from which you hail? In a way, I'd say that by coming here you are closing a distance, though perhaps a different one."
While she awaited his response, she walked over to the pool of the black mists, hovering her free hand over it and conjuring forth an air of loss about the immediate space. One that drained away hope and clouded one's sense of pleasure, so that the truth in one's fears and uncertainties could be shown.
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
To dream is my right
Cathedral of The Four Swords:
"You are technically right, although I believe we still don't see the matter with the same eyes. Thankfully, I admit.", the Emperor said after Lacriment answered to his questioning about her lack of judgement.
"I did not ring the bells of your temple, the sound was mine alone.", Jairuma said, "As for matters of truth, you say I hail from the light, but maybe it came to me. And maybe the ultimate beginning matters less than the aftermatch."
Walking closer to the pools, maybe to try to understand what Alexandra saw in the blackened waters, he kept saying to Lacriment: "I am faced with a bitter, unrelenting enemy that I will only have one opportunity to defeat. One that all beg me to destroy no matter what, for the good of the empire, then burn his home to ashes and salt the land it once stood on.", he said in a bored, empty tone, while spreading his arms in an exagerated motion.
Chuckling as if it was all a big joke, he then said: "It is in the nature of men to bicker, fight and disagree. Yet all my advisors seem to agree on one path. Does this explain why I sought distance?"
Eight Wings Library - Ruby Wing:
The ruby wing was not a library, although it held books. It was not a museum, although it held preserved remains of animal and men, and regalia from the Empire's past. It was not meant to be a Wing of the Libary at first, despite sharing their height and shape.
No, those stones were older, the wooden planks of the floor darker, the candeliers not of crystal and gold, but of rusting bronze and iron, and there was no maze shelves, but true walls.
The red priest walked a slow path through the main hall of the temple, stoping to inspect every skeleton bearing the Church's standart: a coiled blood red dragon against a deep blue background, the Imperial Serpent and the deep sea from which she was born. Satisfied with what he found, or hadn't found, he stopped short of the corridor's end, where it opened into a amphitheater, and instead took a shorter lateral corridor, coming to a stop before an open door.
"Leave.", he told the masked soldier watching over the unconsciouss oracle, who lay on a table in the center of the cramped room, surrounded by shelves of vials, lenses and blades of all shapes and sizes.
The soldier did not answer, so he added: "Peaceful coexistence has its costs. I will treat him alone."
Eight Wings Library - Amethyst Wing:
"Our work is hard to appreciate directly. Incomplete, it is like flesh without skin.", the chief archivist explained to Ruka. "Yet after finished, it is not meant to be seen.". As they spoke, the webs around the scholars faded away as if evaporating, and so did their skin, flesh, organs and even bones, dissolving into mist... and in a blink of an eye all returned to what they were before, as if nothing ever happened.
Then the scholars, even the one previously sleeping, raised their gaze to Ferisen, and with each eye came a pressure, a gentle tug, pushing and pulling her pieces closer. "You are unstable. Maybe our spiders should weave a net to hold you together.", the archivist said before explaining the nature of their request:
"There is a story about a dark spirit, a powerful djinn that could read the lines of fate, veil the minds of men and beasts and steal their strenght, their faces and their very sense of self. Seeing the Library in its current state, with the scholars in a shared trance, could make Tagui panic... and this place is a single spark away from ashes.
"We expected Tagui to come, but either late enough for us to finish our work, or blinded by overuse of his powers. Unfortunately time is never loyal in this circunstances, and we fear that, in such a precarious state, delaying his treatment is beyond possibility. We ask you to enter the Ruby Wing and ease him, or at least delay his exit for as long as possible, for we are unable to do so in our current state. You are free to ask more before making your choice."
"The dried flowers are so beautiful, and it applies to all things living and dead."
[farm- Fuwa, Josef, Vince, Tsadro, Lise]
"You're welcome." Tsadro nodded. He took off one of his gloves and balled it up in his remaining gloved hand, then inverted the other one so that both were contained in a sort of package.
As he cleaned up, Lise watched the strange cat-lady, ears perking up. Wasn't that a thing wyverns did when they like you? The Samoyed looked at Vince for permission, who replied with a 'go on', then got up and padded over to Fuwa. She gave Fuwa's hand a sniff, then laid next to her good arm to keep her company. A few of the nearby goats and ducks across the way observed with curiosity.
As Tsadro returned, he smoothed his hair and waited for Vince to release the handshake before returning the gesture with his hand across his chest and a low nod. He listened intently, nodding along as the kid stumbled through starting a conversation, then blinked at his assumption that a farmer would find the very thing his livelihood depends on boring.
He'd looked Josef up and down while he spoke, focused on Acquati. Obviously wealthy, possibly in close connection with a position of power from the ornate piece of headgear he was carrying, but... not entirely on board, and nervous. Either from simply speaking to people in general, or trying to burn off nervous energy from elsewhere in the form of blurting out words without thinking.
Vince gave him a lopsided smile, shaking his head a little. "No, this Morel sounds like they're doing the gods' work. Do you know how screwed this place would be if I didn't care about the one thing keeping it going?"
edited 21st May '17 8:14:15 PM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."