Wasteland (Miyuki and her shadow, Celso, Half)
Half looked over to the one behind Miyuki. She seemed to be the least troubled by his presence. Perhaps relatedly, he could now tell that her nature was clearly distinct from the others, perhaps even a little like his own.
"That," Half said to Celso, "is difficult to answer. 'Half' is the only name I have been given; though my predecessors have been called many things. As for what I am, the thing is I technically shouldn't exist yet. The one who will become me is in this world, yet I have become separated from him."
Half was about to say that humans did disturb him, but thinking back, the ones here were different, still "damaged" in some way, but more natural all the same. "If I may return the bluntness, when I see the creatures of the world I see victims of terrible wounds. But I also remember them seeming like they were treated by incompetent doctors who only made things worse. Speaking in metaphor, that is. I do not see the second aspect with you or your friends."
You say I am loved, when I don’t feel a thing. You say I am strong, when I think I am weak. You say I am held, when I am falling short.
Drummer Boy
[Farm (inside barn)]
The tea tray hovered an inch or so above the crate and bobbed up and down slightly as if trying to decide whether or not to shoot upward, just to be contrary.
"Yes, Dr. Ritter has made what I believe to be similar remarks," Seilaan said as she made the water orb fly straight into the air, daring the wyvern to follow. "Mostly in response to people who go around touting the lessons learned during hard times as reasons why other people shouldn't be complaining about their own hardships. His life has been one unfortunate accident after another, I'm afraid, and I'm sure they've taught him many things, but at what cost? As for whoever just appeared behind me... there are many... many Renesians who could be described that way. Could you be a little more specific?"
The figure appeared again, shook their head at Vince, and vanished.
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
Ruins
Unaware that any of the others had understood anything he had said, Reynardo was moving on, but out of the corner of his eye he saw the all-too-familiar movement of a creature drawing a weapon. Rey paused, then sniffed the air. His senses were much sharper than that of a human, and that included the life-preserving ability to tell silver from other metals. What Salaam’s pistol was carrying seemed to include typical rounds; or, at least, not silver ones. Granted, no one had come prepared to deal with the supernatural, but at least Cira and his tutor were familiar with it.
As Salaam laughed, Rey turned around and laughed as well, as if he were in on the joke. He retracted his fangs, then tilted his head at Salaam. “Can you, now? Do you have with you a weapon other than that pistol, such that you can kill the walking dead?” He gestured around; unnatural shadows still flitted among the crumbled buildings here and there, although these were still not the malevolent enemies Rey was expecting, just long-dead townsfolk.
“And even before they were dead, they were undead, just like me. There are precious few things that can ‘handle’ such creatures. But, as I say, I am like them, just a touch more alive. So, if you would like to test your hypothesis, señor…”
He held open his black jacket, and turned to face Salaam directly, a dark grin on his face.
“Shoot me.”
edited 15th Mar '16 5:32:20 AM by savlamar
[farm, inside barn - Vince, Seilaan, two wyverns, a horse and foal]
How 'bout no. He re-extended the arm and held the tray down, which was probably good as the wyvern with Seilaan made liftoff to give chase. The one with Vince decided it wanted in on the fun, too, and flew off to at least grab a midair bite of water before the other tried to go in for the kill, diving and grabbing the water with its talon.
As soon as he looked up, the person reappeared, just to shake their head at him. Vince turned his hands up, in a 'what the hell?' sort of gesture, but he wasn't even sure if they stayed long enough to see it. With any luck, given his knowledge of Earthen Asian cultures, the white garment was probably burial dress... an ancestor? Asian cultures were big on ancestors, as he recalled.
He looked back down at Seilaan, pausing to think. "Ambiguous gender, comparatively tall, thin-faced, and... " He smiled nervously, stifling a chuckle. "A bit of an attitude?"
edited 15th Mar '16 6:30:40 PM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Park - Fawn, Dragon Girls, Phoebe, Nick, Michael
Fawn stood back up as introductions were made and she smiled happily at Nick's and Michael's reunion. Though with how surprised Nick was upon seeing him, she wondered if in another world... No, for now she shook that thought of and instead said, "This is great! But I have to ask. Michael, what did you mean by what you said when you first appeared about how everyone just leaves and are scared by this place?" She remembered him saying that way earlier and was confused then and still confused now. Fawn would have asked earlier but had forgotten.
"Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?"
To dream is my right
Ruins:
Terim:
"Gentlemen! Gentlemen! Please, lets not come to blows!", Terim said, walking between the two men. Not yet, at least.
"You are Rey, am I right?", he said turning towards the undead. "You said I was a weakness, and I do understand where you come from, but I was in fact trying to preserve us. Did you not hear what Cira was planning? He was thinking of distracting those creatures who are after us by calling even older and greater shadows from beyond! He, who could not keep his cool before someone like me".
"Those ancient shadows never held me prisoner for weeks and gnawed on my brain for years.", the boy spoke, raising to his feet. He tucked away his flare gun, at least, so maybe the words had made their effect on him. Terim was actually starting to like him a bit, after those years. Not enough to accept sharing a body with him, but enough to not kill him after he got his own body.
Stepping away from Salaam and Rey, he gestured to the ruins. "There are many ways a ruin can be haunted by the unliving, at least where we come from, and Cira is most used to ones where the dead linger as shadows and imprints, almost untouchable by weapons. If those vampires still depend on singular bodies, vessels, phylacteries or anchors of any kind, then Cira could slow them down with some work and I could re-shape the dreamscape so we could run away and maybe take something of interest with us.".
"You could only do that if you had access to the dream's parameters, if this dream works like the dreamworlds Izengui projected.", Cira said while tucking his long hair under his jacket. "And doing so would open you up to psychic influence. The last time you did it, I killed you with the shadows of your victims without even being sure of what I was doing."
"Yes, you did.", Terim confessed, gritting his teeth. Maybe he would kill the boy one day. Probably not, he would have better things to spend his time on, should he get a body. "But that trick gets worse as your hands get dirtier. And those vampires are much dirtier than me. Plus, my only regret was letting you kill me, and it is a rather mild one for a dead man.".
"What about the parameters? You need to know the map before you crack it."
"Who was Izengui's apprentice, you or me? This dream is not pre-coded. It takes its parameters from its visitors, and I think at least one of them knows the general layout of this place.", Terim said, turning his eyes towards Rey.
Cira nodded slowly, reaching for his flare gun. His expression seemed to soften, but that didn't mean it was safe yet. "I see."
"That is what I mean! Now, Rey, how do you think those vampires would react to feeling all the pain they felt since the day of their births all over again? We just have to find an important landmark and make sure those creeps are all packed together. Cira, you only have one shot, so use it well!"
Cira:
Was Terim the Red actually trying to take lead of the group?
True, he stopped a disaster in potential, and it made sense for him to want them to survive, even being the bastard he was, when his own life was on the line. But still, he was a dangerous liar. What if the deceitful devil struck a deal with the dark demons to take them to a trap?
However, he did know more about working on dreamscapes than Cira. He always dealt more with memories and shadows. And even after years of practice, he couldn't deal with Terim revealing his shameful secrets. No, he had to crumble, show his weakness, become useless. And what now?
No. He wouldn't let Terim take hold of his life again.
"You are assuming that your plan will work, and that Rey would trust you enough to share his mind with you. Which I wouldn't recommend.", Cira said, stepping closer to the other three. Skepticism, sowing of doubt. They couldn't let down their guards around Terim. By making him a possible danger, they were more likely to move into his hands.
In his right hand rested his flare gun, while his left hand was extended, palm upwards, tingling with numbed pain. A thin, short cut opened in it, and the blood turned into small black flames as it left the wound. Some display of power, to remember them he was needed too. And to make sure they believed him, if he had to appeal to fear later. Yes, fear. Although they probably couldn't see it, those small flames, barely bigger than the ones from a candle, had a depth far greater than their earthly dimensions, and showed within things he dared not to see.
"Although... it is slightly less likely to end with me possessed by dark spirits than my idea. If any of you have torches, candles or lanterns, light them in this flame. I still haven't met any being of shadow that couldn't be harmed by it." . In fact, he was sure he would be able to incapacitate all of them, should he wish so, if they heeded to his advice. Useful, if he needed to run away, but most of all, assuring. You are not free if you don't control all within your reach.
Stepping back and covering vision of the flame with his left arm, he added "but don't think it is safe for the living, and don't look into it for long. Especially you, Rey. It inflames dark memories, and came closer to destroying me than some of my worst foes. And it also didn't get any weaker with my sins, Terim.".
"And Salaam, shoot Terim if he tries anything funny. In the head, if possible. And shot him some more after he falls.". Considering the warlock's circunstancies, that wouldn't actually be of any help getting hid of him for long, but at least the possibility of pain should make him think twice before stabbing anyone in the back.
edited 18th Mar '16 11:23:17 AM by EternaMemoria
"The dried flowers are so beautiful, and it applies to all things living and dead."
Mr ship
[Clinic/Henry]
Henry shock Ritter's hand and looked out the window then back to the two. "Well I have no regrets. If anything I've probably had this coming for a very long time. I just wish it was only happening to me and not innocent people who had nothing to do with this."
With that Henry went outside and slowly approached the bomb. As he got closer there was no question it was one of his own pre hydrogen bomb designs that never saw the light of day, which raises the question of what was it doing here if the design was never used. He'd have to figure that out later however, he thought to himself as he reached the bomb.
It was sticking out of the ground like it fell out of a bomber. Thankfully that worked in his favor though for the hatch to get to the core was on the side rather than the typical warhead method his former colleges prefered. He took the cufflinks out of his shirt, put them in his vest pocket and rolled up his sleeves before looking for the hatch. Carefully he put his hands on the cold metal of the bomb and felt around for the hatch. When he finally found it he opened it up and saw the uranium core and the clockwork detonation mechanism. He took a deep breath and sighed. "Here we go."
Starting to sweat and shake he slowly and carefully put his hands into the bomb feelling around the mechanism to remind himself how it worked. As he felt around memories started flying back at him, from the Manhattan Project to the "Dirty Harry" bomb he designed and tested. Memories that he tried so hard to forget but eventually realized it was best to let them stay and learn from them instead. After a bit more of fiddling he got a pretty good idea of how to disarm it. He'd have to take out the uranium while being careful not to set of the mechanism by accident.
Wiping the sweat from his brow he carefully reached his hands back into the bomb. First he disconnected all the wires surrounding the core, next he then gently moved some of the mechanism parts out of the way. Once they were clear he reached towards the core. He got what felt like a good grip on it and started pulling at it. It was a little heavier than he was anticipating but he could still manage it. He managed to get it loose and started lifting it.
As it was beginning to lift it the pain from his broken ribs started to kick in again. "Shit not now." He groaned in pain as he accidently knocked apart of the mechanism. As he hit a part it started activating the other parts.
"SHIT!!!!" He screamed deciding to throw caution to the wind and started yanking the core out. He yanked at it as hard as he could and it started to come out. "Come on!!!" He yelled putting all his strength in one final pull.
The core got loose and came out causing Henry to fall back as he holding it in his hands. This was just in time too for the uranium bullet that would've hit the core causing the explosion shot out just as he got the core out.
Henry looked at the core in his hands and heard the bullet fire as he laid back on the ground. He took a second to process the information and stood back up holding the core above his head. "Ritter!" He called out to the cabin. "Can you put a shield around this so we don't get radiation poisoning?"
[Forest/Lauren]
Lauren was getting nervous at this goddess and her question about Henry. She knew from experience that she wouldn't be able to hide much from her, but that didn't mean she couldn't try.
"No not necessarily. He's been punching holes in reality left and right for fifteen years now and has been getting increasingly paranoid that some higher powers might not like that." "
edited 16th Mar '16 10:41:44 AM by Mrship21
[Park]
Micheal frowned.
"Everyone wants to leave the park." he said, "They think it's too scary, because of the fog. But it's not scary if you don't think scary thoughts!"
Nick wanted to tell his friends the truth, about how Micheal shouldn't even be here, talking to them right now. But another part of him just wanted to just pretend that he wasn't in the dream world. He wanted to keep his brother as long as he could. From this very moment, he didn't want to think about why he was sent here. He just wanted his baby brother again.
"How long have you been here?" he asked.
"A long time." Micheal said, smiling again, "Hey! How long have you guys been here?" He was referring to Nick's traveling companions, but not to Nick himself.
It confused him greatly.
[Farm - Exterior (Mazra, Min, Varris, Caleb)]
Mazra raised her eyebrows. "Huh? I'm speaking Modern Basic Corinarchi. I just assumed that my translation software was working on whatever you're speaking."
Although, she supposed - now that it had actually been brought up - would that actually work in a dream? Though of course by the standards of lucid dreaming, this was really coherent. Maybe it wasn't even actually a dream, at least not exactly.
She decided not to bother worrying about that right now. "Sure, I guess I can show you my teeth." It was an extremely strange request, but it couldn't hurt. She opened her mouth widely for a few moments, displaying teeth that were quite clean (though not ridiculously so) but otherwise completely unremarkable for a human of either Terran or Corinarchi descent. (Ten thousand years certainly wasn't enough time to change that).
Huh, wait. She closed her mouth, then spoke again. "In my universe the Archons are an ancient alien race who uplifted the qrtxians. Well, that's the name they use now, it's probably not real."
The hum of the field-sword seemed to intensify in volume for a moment, bringing Caleb's question to her attention. "No, it's a field-sword. A derivative of force-field technology, you know? So it's actually not that much like a sword at all, I guess. But Imperial Paladins have always used tech-swords of some kind, so the name stuck.
"And sure," she continued, "it can be dangerous to the user. But most weapons can." I think. "That's why you need special training to use it."
She listened as he spoke, then tapped a fingernail against her jaw. "No, I'm not hearing any difference..."
Drummer Boy
[Ritter Clinic]
"Taking care of it, Henry. Good job out there. Do you know any way to safely dispose of that thing? Otherwise I might just stick it in a box and use a rune circle to keep it from fucking us up."
Friedrich reached into his waistcoat pocket for a cigarette. "Welp. That was certainly something. You can come out now, Violet."
The goat stuck its head out of the door leading to the kitchen.
"Good girl. Well, Iveya, how do you feel about living with the knowledge that you laid your soul bare before two strangers and a goat?"
[Farm (inside barn)]
"Uhm... that sounds like Ren Yangchao. Probably got bored and wanted to see what was going on here." Controlling the water orb was a good excuse to not make eye contact. Despite the wyverns' best efforts, it remained intact, absorbing more vapor from the air to maintain its size even as they bit into it. "They're an ancestor of mine whose soul was fused a sentient energy mass and is now a pseudo-god. I've made a contract with them that allows them to use my body to regenerate, and I get a lot of magical power in return. Only physical bodies can regenerate energy, you see. If Ren Yangchao stopped making Witches, they'd slowly disappear."
Seilaan didn't notice Ren Yangchao standing behind her again, leaning on a spear and looking outside. "With only one other exception, dead Witches' souls as absorbed by the Elder the made the contract with, but somehow, even a thousand years later, Ren Yangchao is still distinct from the rest of the Elder. It's like having an irritable, immortal great, great, great... great... great, great grandparent who sometimes gives good advice."
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
It's a bird.
Forest (Demo, Lauren, Moreena)
Instead of responding immediately, Moreena gathered up her form, collecting her tendrils into the rough shape and size of a human. The rather unique properties of this strange world made what she was about to do somewhat easier than usual.
Around and within the goddess, things started to grow. Bones, muscles, oddly shaped pitch-black organs, and eventually skin. Within a few seconds, her form had turned into that of a tall and slender human woman with long black hair, albeit one with a pair of smooth, slightly curved horns rising from her temples, completely black eyes, and disturbingly pale, corpse-like skin.
Finally, an elaborate black dress (which seemed rather unpractical for a walk through the forest) knitted itself into existence around her.
"This has always been my favorite," she commented mostly to herself, while cracking her knuckles and flexing her neck a bit.
"He said he had quite a bit of fun with you too. That boy never told you his real name or job did he? I'm not surprised he didn't, considerin' yer status and all."
Moreena chuckled a bit. "I suppose you could say that," she answered, before switching to a more serious tone. "And no, he didn't. Whatever secrets you might have are still safe."
"No not necessarily. He's been punching holes in reality left and right for fifteen years now and has been getting increasingly paranoid that some higher powers might not like that."
"Oh, I see," Moreena said matter-of-factly, returning her attention to Lauren. She gave the woman a smile full of slightly too sharp teeth.
"In that case, it isn't really me he should be worried about, as long as he doesn't punch a hole in my Domain of course. There are worse things than gods out there, after all."
Still a great "screw depression" song even after seven years.
[Ritter Clinic]
Iveya was actually quite embarrassed, but endeavored to hide this behind a mask of dismissive boredom. "I will deny everything, of course," she said. Theoretically, she could also wipe their memories of the incident... but that would be terribly rude. "For my mother and sister, it would not be news. And my countrykin would be quite unlikely to take the word of an outlander over that of a Mage of Amu. In short," she shrugged, "I may as well have just confessed my sins to a courtesan. Though I'm afraid," she smiled semi-apologetically, "neither of you are quite handsome enough for the job." She supposed they could maybe take advantage of their (by Uelane standards) exotic appearances; some people were into that.
"So, nuclear weapons are appearing, and I still do not know how I will get back to the Sands. Dead gods..." she looked down at nothing in particular in dismay, then looked up at Friedrich. "Friedrich, can you spare a woman some whiskey? I will understand if not, but..."
edited 18th Mar '16 8:43:22 PM by KillerClowns
Outside barn (Min, Varris, Mazra, Caleb)
"Alright," Caleb said in response to Mazra's explanation, "I thought 'field-sword' meant it was used in warfare rather than law enforcement or personal defense. No civilization on Lina Yula that I know of could produce much with non-eidolon based force-fields. Mind if I ask what combat situation it's meant for?"
Caleb expected Mazra probably didn't know what he meant by eidolon, but maybe thair absence was a quirk of the dragon's daughter's world, so he waited for her to ask about it before explaining.
You say I am loved, when I don’t feel a thing. You say I am strong, when I think I am weak. You say I am held, when I am falling short.
[farm, inside barn - Vince, Seilaan, two wyverns, a horse and foal]
The older horse that had been looking around was spooked by the flying ball of water, choosing to hurry into a stall and keep its head down.
"And amplified magic, don't forget that." Vince had to admit the pronouns confused him a little. Ren Yangchao was agender? That was a concept, even a thousand years ago? Part of him kind of wanted to see if he could have a chat with Ren Yangchao, but if they were truly agender, he had no idea what form of address to use. All of the ones he knew, short of 'Kosin', which probably wasn't even accurate here, were gendered. And he got the feeling that Ren Yangchao was the kind of person who would get offended if he used the wrong one.
Eating a candied cherry, Vince watched the foal sniff and try to examine the ghostly, spear-wielding figure, growing increasingly confused the longer it tried. "Sounds to me like they've managed to remain so distinct through the strength of their personality. I'm guessing they prefer other Renesians as hosts?"
In fact... Ren Yangchao just sounded like an Aitherionian ghost to him. Most ghosts lose their minds and need to be dispatched by exorcists because their souls become contaminated by ambient aither. A ghost could potentially avoid this using something like this contract system, but he had no idea if it could be done under Aitherionian natural laws, not to mention the fact that their souls would probably mix together anyway. And there probably weren't any tangible benefits aside from that for the ghost.
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Forest - Lauren, Demo, Moreena
At Moreena's reply, Demo could only shake his head and chuckle.
"He's a good lad, but he's got a few screws loose. You probably wouldn't recognize him now," he said.
At Lauren's explanation of her husband's plight, and Moreena's reply, he looked over.
"She's right you know. If you want to enjoy your blissful marriage fer much longer, ya better convince him to retire early," he said.
He lifted his mask, took another swig of his bottle, and let out a refreshed sigh.
"Or just hire somebody to take care of all those cosmic nasties for ya," he added in as an afterthought.
the cutest lizard
[Farm – Exterior (Min, Varris, Mazra, Caleb)]
When Mazra opened her mouth, Min leaned in a little closer, peering intensely at her teeth, examining them from a variety of different angles. They were so… flat. “That's sooo weird,” she muttered, squinting. “Weird... but neat.”
Min nodded and stepped back, apparently satisfied with her investigation. “I guess I can see why they'd look like that, though, given what you've said about your universe. But in my universe...” She opened her mouth wide, revealing two small fangs at the top of her mouth, where her canines would normally be. (Beside her, Varris mimicked her expression, showing off an almost identical pair of fangs, albeit slightly smaller.) “...humansh haff teef like theesh.”
She closed her mouth again after making certain Mazra had gotten a look at her teeth, rubbing her sore lips. “They're just vestigial, though. It'd be really impractical to actually use them for anything, aside from just looking cool."
At the mention of Archons, Varris's eyes lit up. “Aha! So there's another similarity between our universes!” Then he paused, considering the rest of what Mazra had said. “I mean, our Archons aren't aliens. They're more like the exact opposite, because they were the first beings to exist on our planet after it, uh, started existing.
“But 'Archon' is also mostly just a title in our case. There's nine of them, and their job is basically to maintain the Current, so the tides keep running, the mountains remain elevated, the sky stays above us and the ground stays below us… The idea of a world without the Archons is just so… utterly bizarre. You'd be laughed at for even suggesting it. Something needs to be there to make order out of chaos. Right?”
Min nodded solemnly, her smile fading away. There it was again – that same sinking feeling of dread she'd felt before. Talking about this subject here seemed like a very, very bad idea. She'd have to choose her words carefully. “The Republic of Leric's Archon is Aster, who lives in Greyvale, like us. But it's not like I've ever seen them. They just stay up in Skyline all the time, doing whatever technological nonsense it takes to make sure the Current doesn't shit its pants and accidentally destroy the city. Or… whatever.”
Min shoved her hands in her pockets, her eyes narrowing. “But it wouldn't hurt Aster to give a shit about the rest of us every once in a while, you know? I'm sure the other Archons' cities are perfectly fine! I've heard Clearden and Newbrook are beautiful, especially this time of the year. But Greyvale needs help, and it feels like Aster doesn't even care.”
Gave them our reactions, our explosions, all that was ours For graphs of passion and charts of stars...
Drummer Boy
[Farm (inside barn, Seilaan heading outside)]
"Their descendants, specifically." Seilaan felt bad for the horse, so she decided to let the water stay still a little above the ground and let the wyvern drink. "Most members of the family inherit the resilience that allowed them to remain an independent entity, though to a lesser degree. Technically, you're not wrong about it being the personality, since your soul and personality are—never mind. It's close enough."
She looked outside. "Hm... I think I'm going to stretch my legs a bit, but if you don't want to, I'll be back to keep you company again, if you'd like."
Ren Yangchao watched her wander off to the group outside the barn before turning back to Vince. "It's good to see her relaxed for once." Their voice was quiet, but commanding. Vince would place it as feminine-sounding. "I haven't had a chance speak to another immortal in a very long time. Mikio and I get along well enough, but only having one person who can relate to you gets a little... eh. It occurs to me that you may not have dealt with an inflexibly genderless person before... Seilaan did not explain this to you, but the surname 'Ren' also functions as a gender-neutral title, as well as a few other things. So you know a little about my nature. How did you gain eternal life?"
[Farm (exterior)]
Seilaan said nothing as she approached the others, hoping to catch the gist of their conversation and smoothly slip into it with minimal interruption.
[Ritter Clinic]
Friedrich snorted when she gave her opinion on his and Henry's physical attributes. "As Wilhelm puts it, skeleton faces are an acquired taste for most people. Poor kid got shortchanged by my side of the family, I'm afraid, but he's been doing quite well for himself nonetheless." The mantelpiece had a few photos of a young man who was presumably the one Friedrich was talking about; they greatly resembled each other. It didn't help that he had a habit of frowning at cameras as though they had mildly offended him somehow.
"And you know what? Great idea. Whiskey for all. Except Elise, because I don't think letting a goat drink whiskey will have good results." A large, unopened bottle and three tall glasses floated out of the kitchen. "It's time to party. 'Cause we ain't dead. Which is probably one of the best reasons to party, but let's drink responsibly and not make Henry's work in vain, shall we? Kinda defeats the purpose of all this."
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
(Park)
"We haven't been here long. In fact, we just met your brother here a few minutes ago. And yeah, it's not scary at all here. You just have to keep your eyes open and watch where you're going."
"That said, you definitely shouldn't be out here alone. What are you doing here, anyway?"
At that moment, Amy appeared, landing on the ground with a delicate touch. "Took you long enough to get back."
"Headwind."
"Ah."
edited 19th Mar '16 7:36:29 AM by daird
Forward, boys! For God's sake, forward!
[farm, inside barn - Vince, Ren Yangchao, two wyverns, a horse and foal]
He nodded at Seilaan as she headed for the door... and then Ren Yangchao finally began to speak. After being silent for so long, the foal jumped, freezing stock-still as it listened to their voice. At the other end, the older horse watched the water-ball slow to a hover as she left, and the wyverns land to share it for a drink.
Oh! He... wasn't actually expecting them to talk. Well, that solved the problem, 'Ren' doubled as a conveniently gender-neutral title. And they seemed like... they were born female. Alrighty.
He set his emptied teacup on on the tray, and retracted his psychic arms. "I contracted a parasite from a strange rock that seems, some three thousand years after the fact, to have fallen from the stars. Its arrangement with me bears some similarities to the contracts you form with your descendants- it gets a host that can cart it around the world unseen, and it keeps me alive and lets me use its powers while it reaches maturity. Except I didn't consent to it at all. Also, the more I use those powers, the faster it'll grow. There's no precedent for immortality of this sort occurring anywhere, or for that matter any immortality in humans at all, so we don't really know what will happen to me as it grows."
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
[Farm - Exterior (Mazra, Min, Varris, Caleb, Seilaan)]
Mazra studied Min's fangs, but without particular surprise or intrigue. Corinarchi were much less into body modification than a lot of other cultures, but still, fangs weren't that unusual. Though she hadn't really seen many in person, and of course from what the other girl was saying, they weren't a mod at all.
She looked over at Caleb as he asked about her field-sword, and lifted it a bit carelessly. "Close combat, I guess. Though it's sort of ceremonial too. Paladins still see action a lot, but not as much as fiction pretends sometimes." She frowned, and folded her arms. The colors on her waistcoat became a little washed-out. "Which is another reason why Father needs to stop being so unreasonable about letting me be one. I mean really."
She had no idea what an 'eidolon-based' force field was, or how (or if) it was different from a normal one, but she doubted she'd understand much more if she asked, so she didn't.
The fog seemed to be intensifying a bit. She brushed one tendril away from in front of her face and turned to look again at Min and the wyvern. "I don't really know much about the Archons in my universe, but they've got an Order thing going on too. But I think it's just a philosophy, or something. Yours sound almost more like gods than anything else."
Jerk gods. Once Min started speaking instead of Varris, things again seemed to take on a slightly tense tone. (And also became confusing. Mazra quickly stopped trying to figure out what these Archons actually were). "That... sucks," she replied, feeling it was a totally inadequate response but not sure what else to say.
Fortunately, Seilaan coming out provided a distraction, though not necessarily a good one since she was also high-class. Mazra waved, but didn't say anything.
Aspie and 90's cartoon enthusiast
"Well, gee, I would really love to shoot Terim, believe me I do. But by law that would me I would have to eat a part of him, and, don't take this the wrong way, he isn't very appetizing." Salaam said, looking a Cira. "I appreciate the offer though." Although they probably couldn't tell it, Salaam could sense the hostility between the three humans, it was obvious, to him at least, that the humans were bidding for leadership. This was foolish, of course. It was in the best interests of all for the four of them to work together. Stupid human pride! Salaam's people never let such a base emotion get in the way of what needed to be done. Salaam sighed, you need them, remember. He thought.
edited 19th Mar '16 6:24:36 PM by Troperfrom95
Ya, I'm weird like that...
Attitude is prohibited
[Wasteland]
Abruptly, Miyuki took off running, headed straight for the city in the distance. Though, given the nature of the space that surrounded them, it would be easy for the others to catch up with her...
Not entirely dead.
Drummer Boy
[Farm (inside barn)]
"Interesting... how do you communicate with this thing, assuming you are able to? Did it tell you these things, or did you figure it all out on your own over the course of three thousand years?" Ren Yangchao went to pour themself a cup of tea. Instead of the dark brown, almost black liquid that Seilaan had been enjoying, the teapot gave her a yellowish green brew with a sharp, almost floral scent. They glanced at the candy packet. "That brand was created the year before I assumed power a thousand years ago, though under a different name. Amazing that it's lasted this long, very few businesses have. It was my children's favorite."
[Farm (exterior)]
Seilaan waved back at Mazra. "I was getting a bit restless. I hope you don't mind if I join you. Please, just carry on."
She seemed to be looking at Mazra's field-sword. Why is it so... fancy? Am I going to make an issue out of it?
Oh, it didn't have to be an issue. She could at least pretend to be subtle.
"Is that a ceremonial weapon? It's so pretty!" The tone of her compliment was innocent enough, but there was nothing to be done about her calculating gaze.
edited 19th Mar '16 10:24:38 PM by SnowyFoxes
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[Ritter Clinic]
Though she said nothing, Iveya grimaced visibly and unconsciously brought a finger near her cheekbones when Friedrich mentioned "skeleton faces". Iveya's own gaunt features, made grimmer by her recent lack of appetite, hadn't done her any favors in romance either. Her fault for bringing it up, she supposed; he'd meant no harm, she'd meant no harm, best to call it even. Still, she had been meaning to ask about that. While waiting for Friedrich to open the whiskey — as a guest, she wouldn't dare to to it herself unless explicitly given the honor — she said, "Friedrich, you are both a doctor and a mage. So you might know about..."
There was a subtle flare of magic from her, invisible to the naked eye but discernible to the magically sensitive. It was somewhat as if she had cast a spell, but she had made no motion to do so; the magic had worked of its own accord. Indeed, she seemed slightly unfocused for a moment, then blinked, shook her head, and said, "apologies, I forgot what I was going to ask. I'll tell you if I recall."
[Ruins]
The gall, the sheer unadulterated gall! How dare Rey insult me in such a manner, if I didn't need him I would rip his throat out without a second thought. Salaam could feel his hair raising even as the thought of Rey's dismemberment passed through him. Cool it. He thought to himself a corpse can tell you nothing Salaam never understood humans all that well, such odd creatures as they were. While yes it is true he had only ever met a few in person, he still didn't care much for them. But this Rey was something else, he didn't seem unnerved by Salaam's presence, unlike most humans who found his species unsettling to be around. Did human have optical membranes, because I could have sworn I saw Rey's
And then there was Cira, he was a puzzle in himself, if Salaam didn't know any better, he could have sworn that Cira looked like a human female. You can play detective later he told himself it is quite obvious that I need to show them who I am. Salaam pulled out his pistol. "I can assure you that whatever, or whoever, lives here, I think I can handle them". Salaam told the group, and did his best to mimic a human laugh.
Ya, I'm weird like that...