A Brilliant Man
However as Wilma slept, the library perhaps on its own generated a trio of books next to her bed.
Each one was written in English despite originating from a time before English was even conceived of.
Of Aecthon The Brilliant, The Ancestral Alqobia, and Unwitting Servant of Naught.
Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.
An Ordinary Oddball
After a few hours, Wilma was feeling well-rested and refreshed, so she pushed the covers off and got up. Combing and braiding her her again, she noticed that there was a fuzzy outline of three books sitting on the drawer next to her bed. Huh. Those weren't there before.
Putting on her glasses, Wilma lugged all three of the books to an armchair by a window and decided to start reading The Ancestral Alqobia.
"Alqobia" was apparently the Weaponmaster word for the lands where they lived.
This was going to be interesting.
Edited by JumpingFruit on Oct 22nd 2018 at 5:08:57 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Not always was Alqobia the land of Weaponmasters, Emotion Based Weaponry, and the Hub of the World Barge Fleets. Long ago, it was a world composed of a single city, stretching across its whole surface. This city of Divinidad was the pristine, highest achievement of any civilized species.
The people venerated the Titan Gods who provided them with thought and motion. The Premier-Scientist Aecthon the Brilliant was highest of his kindred. In all things did he achieve great knowledge.
But one topic did vex him.
What came before the materium? What existed before?
Aecthon was given no answers by the gods, who deliberately left the answer vague and unknowable. He took it to be a secret they did not want mortals to know.
So he created the Gig Abrodian, a great device which was capable of slicing through the fabric of reality to give account of what lied beyond.
Aecthon, making use of the ten most powerful psychics of his time, did open a great hole in the sky, yawning bright red and spilling black mist.
And from this hole in the sky did ruin descend.
Aecthon the Brilliant became Aecthon the Fool as a ruinous Anti-God lurched forward. Divinidad was annihilated in mere moments, and only through decisive, last moment action was universe annihilating catastrophe averted; Gig was established, but Alqobia became a deadly world, submerged in the mists of the Strange Energy Universe beyond.
The surviving people of Divinidad were enslaved by the Great Emotional Embodiments, made to toil for their "racial sin."
Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.
An Ordinary Oddball
Interesting...!
That was all Wilma could think as she read the first book. She remembered what little information she had gleaned from talking with Ranvald.
So then later the Weaponmasters rebelled against the Emotional Embodiments, but to sate their grudge further they started to hunt Godlings like me and gods...Hold on, isn't that just perpetuating the idea of "racial sin" further?
Whatever. I'm not thinking about that too hard. On to the next book...
And then Wilma reached for Of Aecthon The Brilliant and started reading that.
Edited by JumpingFruit on Oct 22nd 2018 at 5:42:00 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
AKA Nixer
The Library
“'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.”
This quiet yet nonetheless jovially sung tune echoed through the Library's bookshelves before its owner became quite literally apparent—Cheshire appearing as only a head over Wilma's shoulder as she studied over the strange new books; his body completely absent.
“Hmph. What a droll set of writings. You'd think they'd come up with something more cheerfully put. Like; ‘Aecthon the Brilliant became Aecthon the Oopsie as a very rude Not-Good-Thing meandered forward. Divinidad was made perturbed in mere moments, and only through decisive, last moment action was a universe off-putting hiccup averted; Gig was established, but Alqobia became a naughty world, in the frothy clouds of the Most-Unorthodox-Not-Quite-Heaven beyond.’
The cat seemed about to say something more, but appeared rather taken aback by his own mangling of the text for a moment or two. After a sufficient pause, he cleared his throat, and continued in a more meek tone:
“On the other hand, Alice is doing much better. She says she'll be up in but a moment—but between you and me, she's not really a fast-waking person–”
“Hello again, Ms. Wilma.”
“Oh, my word! Alice, we were just speaking of you!” Cheshire exclaimed, somehow managing to smoothly recover even though he was visibly startled. Alice's suspicious glare upon him soon caused him to stumble again, though, and so he just quietly excused himself and vanished away once more.
“...Cheshire, you are a queer little thing...” Alice murmured, before shaking it off and flashing a small smile to Wilma. Yes, the girl's more advanced age was even more apparent now that she was up and about, and her features had somewhat lengthened in terms of her face most prominently. She was back in her normal, brown dress—however it was starting to become a little small for her now. A side-effect of her physical maturation, undoubtedly.
“I'm very pleased to inform you that Wonderland is recovering nicely! Though I'm still amazed that this isn't Wonderland... it most certainly would live up to it and then some...” she said in a quite pleased tone, trailing off as she brushed her fingers along the Library's pillars. “The Hatter's all fixed up, thank goodness... and Cheshire's as right as rain again, as you clearly saw...”
She paused, taking a deep breath and wringing her hands together as she struggled to say the next few words without having them overwhelm her. Still, despite her efforts there was a small tremble in her voice, and her gratitude was so potent one could practically photograph it.
“And... I suppose it is all I can say but thank you... a-and I know Chess already said so but you've really, truly done something wonderful for me... I... I don't think I can even begin to... to...”
Without anything else to say verbally, Alice simply gave up and approached Wilma, wrapping the other girl in a hug that would get across so much more than her stammering speech ever could.
“...Just... thank you.”
Edited by Enirboreh on Oct 22nd 2018 at 2:20:09 PM
bork
An Ordinary Oddball
There was a very pregnant pause when Cheshire finished his parody of the text before Wilma burst out in helpless giggles, a few tears streaming down her face from the hilarity of it all.
"Th-that's one way to make a bad thing sound better," she chortled, before finally managing to stem the stream of laughter which had overtaken her body.
She responded to Alice's hug eagerly, patting her on the back lightly. "Eh...well...don't think too much of it. It's my good deed for the day and all that. And you don't have to call me 'Miss.' It's too stuffy and we're friends. Or at least I hope. Just Wilma is fine," she babbled with a slight blush.
"Science, magic, and other unexplainable things all come together in Easton. Just don't peer into too many dark corners, deal with evil and other such problems when they arise, and you'll be fine."
"Most other superheroes in Easton probably live by the same mantra..."
Wilma's face darkened for a moment as she thought about the Anti-Creator and how it was a problem that probably too big for Easton to handle.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
AKA Nixer
The Library
“Oh. Good. I was rather hoping you'd allow that. I'm usually a stickler for all things proper, but it wouldn't be right to entitle you so formally after all that! Thank you, Wilma,” Alice said for one last time, a broad smile upon her face as she stepped away to glance at the writings.
“...Hm. And judging by this, my broken Wonderland wasn't the only one of these 'dark corners' you planned on recklessly jumping into,” she mused in a decidedly neutral term, before turning to her. “I'm... unfamiliar with the concept of a 'super-hero', but I am familiar with the latter half of it and its meaning. I can most definitely say you're an everyday hero with the most abnormal of abilities, and so if that is the definition, I can most definitely get behind that. And... perhaps I'll even be of some use to you. Just don't expect consistency. Arguably Wonderland's most prominent attribute is that it isn't a stickler for even its own rules.”
With that, she stepped away a little, planting a brighter inflection into her voice as Cheshire appeared in an ethereal swirl upon her shoulder.
“Well. Quite an eventful day all around! And something tells me it is far from being over. If you are searching for something, let me tell you a lesson dear Chess taught me quite a while ago now; if you don't know where you'll be ending up, there's no real point fretting over the journey. Just keep walking, hm?”
bork
An Ordinary Oddball
A book suddenly spawned on Wilma's lap, and she handed it over to Alice. "Well...what's going on now is a bit of a sordid tale, really..."
The title of the book showed the Lurker's group of heroes fighting the forces of the Anti-Creator. The drawings looked like they belonged in a medieval manuscript.
When Alice read the book, it would catch her up to date on everything that led up to reveal of the Anti-Creator. It started with the fight against Angra Mainyu and told the story of Dexter and Matten's task force struggling against Azi Dahaka, as well as the story of the Dream Team working to dislodge the Dream Eaters.
And then it went on to tell of the Lurker, and how it managed to survive and come back to warn of the Anti-Creator. The final tale was of what transpired on Kayden.
Profiles of every hero and villain involved were in the book, and even the NJI was included—they would join in the fight later. Proper context was provided and in all, it was a very interesting read.
Wilma, meanwhile, continued reading Of Aecthon The Brilliant.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
AKA Nixer
The Library
Alice raised an eyebrow at Wilma's description, but nonetheless accepted the book and moved to sit down with it. Her face fell as she looked through it, and soon Cheshire appeared—looking over her shoulder with what began as a mere curious glance but soon became one significantly more invested.
“...Well, it looks as if you've been quite a busy lot already...” she murmured, seemingly entranced by the pages. “And this all really happened as written? Curious... and sayings of such scale as well—I can barely fathom it...”
“Yet by what we've seen already, it must be true,” The Cat pointed out. “If your mind can conjure up such horrors, surely reality could conjure up much worse if it was so inclined. Your Wonderland is already leaking into the outside world, I don't know if you've noticed.”
Alice glanced at him, as if suddenly realising it, before nodding in faint acceptance. “That is true, yes...”
Alice was quiet again for a while longer as she flipped through more pages of the book, until her attention was drawn to the casualties. The strange creature that reminded her somewhat of a faerie in her utter strangeness that had perished in battle and made forgotten. She shuddered at the mere thought of it, and was immensely relieved when she reached the part stating that she was later returned to the land of the living.
The other events listed—the so-called 'Dream Team' and later the events surrounding what she understood to be an entirely different world (apparently so remote it didn't even reside in the same space as theirs—which she found incredibly mind-boggling) started to sink in how truly frightening this opponent of theirs was. He not only targeted worlds, he targeted entire realities—existences wiped out willy-nilly according to whatever sick self-gratification inflamed him in the process. Already she had assigned the term 'irredeemable' to this malevolent and repulsive creature. She had had the displeasure of knowing a few men with that sort of manipulative attitude and false ploy of intelligence and class. Yet still not intelligent and classy enough to accept humility. Disgusting beings they turned out to be—and this one was looking to be no different.
“I will accompany you and whomever else you take in this faceoff,” she suddenly declared. “This one needs to be taught many lessons before I'll be satisfied with him. Needs to be put in his place—and by the most humbling of means. Being extinguished in part by a girl not even of age would contribute to such ridicule of his supposed 'stature'. That and the guilt which I hold needs to be pinned on something... and this thing I won't even apply individuality to above the level we give to clumps of dust beneath the bureau will most certainly do.”
She clapped the book shut with an air of finality, and stretched—her dress once more shifting into her Wonderland variant as Cheshire snorted in amusement.
“Excellent, Alice. So vengeful of you. You make a cat proud,” he congratulated with a sneer.
“On the contrary, Chess. I feel nothing of the sort. Barring mild irritation that this flea has been so tricksy. And how appropriate a sentiment—capable of spreading so much death, yet ultimately of little meaning! I don't think he'll even be remembered for so long. Left behind in memory like all of the other bugs we've squashed in our time.”
The Cat blinked at this rather long-winded set of cutting remarks, before shaking his head in disbelief.
“And that is with a lack of vengefulness. I'd hate to see you wrathful.”
“A mutual sentiment, Cheshire. Now you know how I feel regarding you.”
“Charming.”
Edited by Enirboreh on Oct 23rd 2018 at 8:19:23 PM
bork
An Ordinary Oddball
"Reality Is Unrealistic," Wilma declared as she turned the pages of her current book, Unwitting Servant of Naught.
Looking up, she looked Alice in the eyes just to emphasize her next point.
"I can't stress this enough—be careful. As you just read in there, the Anti-Creator's minions completely trounced the Lurker Squad. And then Kayden was relocated with the help of an alien goddess, and we barely managed to escape."
"Speaking of Kayden, I wonder when and where it's due to end up. Jumping Bean and the Lurker predicted it would end up 'somewhere near Earth,' but for what value of near?"
"Let's just hope it doesn't land on top of Easton, that'd cause a politicial nightmare...though the housing crisis might be solved by inviting everyone to live in the Library..."
The Library rumbled in agreement with the last statement. It was feeling lonely and wanted patrons. Having a lot of people in its walls would be a great morale boost.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
AKA Nixer
The Library
“Even around a flea there's a risk of contracting disease,” Alice dismissed with a wave of the hand. “And besides, that little cavalry did some damage. We simply need more men. Versatility over plain stopping power, hm? Brains intermixed with brawn. In the same package, that might help. And if members are redundant or not as effective as their peers in the areas specifically needed for; leave them. Hide them. Honour doesn't matter against an insect—nor does it against a powerful tyrant. All that matters is winning. The concept of cowardice can be promptly escorted to the door, thank you very much. It is useless to push ones in dire situations. Simply find one willing and quit bothering over it.”
“And have you been in combat, Alice?” the Cat droned.
“I fought the Jabberwock, and that was easy enough. Why do you ask?”
“There's a difference between fighting an animal and fighting a thinking creature. I'm sure you know that.”
“I most definitely do, I'll have you know. Which is why it is prudent that we don't dawdle when it comes to gathering troops...”
While the two of them were bickering, a tremendous shuddering was occurring in the Library—the epicentre seemingly directly below their position. A distant, unearthly scream could be heard, and the shelves were being rocked so much that the books were quite literally flying from their housings and landing a good few metres away on the other side of the room. Despite this clear emergency, Cheshire and Alice remained completely unbothered—save for a brief glance towards the goings-on before returning to their argument as easily as if it were simply a rainy day outside. Alice's mug of tea (which had mysteriously manifested at some point during their conversations) didn't even spill and remained relatively level.
“...Oh... do go see what all that fuss is, Cat. I can barely hear myself think,” Alice finally said, prompting Cheshire to huff and vanish into thin air. Shortly after he left, the rumbling abruptly stopped—issuing a curious noise from Alice but nothing much else as she relaxedly sipped at her tea.
A few moments later, the Cat reappeared; looking quite flustered.
“There's a planet in the basement.”
Alice's mug shattered in her grip.
bork
An Ordinary Oddball
"Oh!" Wilma exclaimed, putting down her current book. "That'll be Kayden, I expect. Let's go and prepare the welcoming committee..."
And she hopped down from her armchair and opened a door, which had stairs leading down, down and down. She opened a second door at the end of the long stairwell, which lead to the basement.
The Library felt that it had to give Kayden a taste of what it was like to live in Easton and promptly manifested neon lights on the basement ceiling, arranged into Kaydenite words that were large enough for everyone to read.
YOU ARE NOW IN EASTON. MORE PARTICULARLY, YOU ARE IN THE BASEMENT AT EASTON LIBRARY.
I AM THE EASTON LIBRARY. YES, A SENTIENT BUILDING! ISN'T THAT FUN? I CAN MESS WITH THE SPACE AND REALITIES CONTAINED WITHIN ME, BUT THAT POWER COMES FROM MY MISTRESS.
SPEAKING OF HER, SHE'S GETTING HERE AS FAST AS SHE CAN.
OH, AND ENJOY THESE COMPLIMENTARY PAMPHLETS AND GUIDEBOOKS!
And then various pamphlets and guidebooks to Easton, all in the Kaydenite language, rained down. The Library spitefully tried to drop a particularly thick guidebook on the head of the Council member who had bullied the Lurker.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
AKA Nixer
The Library — Basement
The planet seemed to fit inside the indescribably vast space despite all possibility—its housing so colossal it might have been considered a realm by itself. If that weren't enough, there was a faint glimmer off in the distance behind it—a twinkling against the blackness where the walls faded away into the foggy distance.
Lœ—that is, the entire star—had also been transported.
And by that logic, it wasn't a stretch to assume that its moon had as well. Not that it was visible right now. It was most likely behind the planet.
Nonetheless, the sight was akin to one the ISS might have been witnessing at that very moment regarding Earth. Except this view was a little more pulled back, and Kayden looked a little... barren. Though one would realise quickly why. The sun was as aforementioned behind the celestial body—any sightseers would have been staring right towards the unlit, uncivilised side.
Though there was a small pinprick of... something moving about in its atmosphere. Very quickly, too—at least in relation to the sheer size of the planet. It almost looked like an aircraft.
Well, it looked more like a comet from this distance, but that was the only rational assumption to make.
Kayden — Aentolin Plaza
When Kayden had left its home, their calendar had proclaimed the year as being 4523. Considering how Kayden's years were ten times that of Earth's, that was a much bigger number than one would think. And this was not even considering the planet's actual age—one could only guess if it was older or younger than its similar counterpart based off of the vagueness regarding it's inhabitants' previous generations.
But Lœ hadn't merely transported the world; she had vanished it. Taken it away to a realm entirely segregated from conventional existence simply so it could have the time to lick its wounds. And when it had done so, she had taken it back into the only other place she found to be safe enough.
Which was apparently the Library's basement. Deities work in mysterious ways. But whatever the case, the point was this; the planetary year was now 4525.
A two year difference might not have sounded much. But this was relative to Kayden. In Earth's viewpoint, twenty years would have passed. And no matter how one ages differently, one can't deny that it makes no difference to the fact that a lot more gets done in two decades than a mere tenth of that. It would be frankly impossible not to have that be the case.
As such, Kayden in general was looking... better. Not in its prime, but functional. And while certain cities had damaged pride, whatever inhabitants not killed in the slaughter that had occurred had managed to slowly but steadily rebuild. The damage to the Equator Wall had proved to be a bit of a hindrance to that, however. Namely in that even the most high-class of cities such as Aentolin were now hazard zones.
It turns out that without that simple structure, many of the aristocratic locations were fairly undermanned. Sure, they had warriors and armies—but their enemies could mimic their own to a T. Paranoia was reigning, and the Houses had locked up shop. Segregated themselves from the outside world out of fear for their bloodlines.
Aentolin had become a sparse wasteland.
Indeed, the soldiers of the city found themselves no longer cowering behind a wall in relative comfort, but now hiding within limiting buildings with equally limited resources. Missions weren't a common, organized affair now as much as pitiful scrabbles for survival. In a way, the walls had not broken down, but merely closed in.
The Altürgone had claimed Aentolin. Now, the Wildlands extended beyond the dark side of the planet. For the beasts roamed right outside their doors.
Edited by Enirboreh on Oct 23rd 2018 at 3:30:39 PM
bork
An Ordinary Oddball
Wilma opened the door to the basement to find a thin rippling sheet of energy holding back the vacuum of space that was on the other side of it. The door was also floating in empty space.
And the other side was vast. So vast.
Wilma stared for a long time, and managed to make out what she thought was the outlines of stone walls and rafters at the edges of the blackness.
"Woah..." she gasped. "The Library's outdone itself."
The Library rumbled in happiness.
A magazine spawned on Wilma's head, and she only barely managed to snatch it before it fell. Reading it, she gaped even further.
"20 years? 20 years!?" Wilma made some startled gurgling noises and further exclaimed, "But I just got back here a few hours ago!"
"...Oh well...I guess nothing's really impossible in the Library..."
Cue further overjoyed rumblings from the Library.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
AKA Nixer
The Library — Basement
“Apparently not.”
This voice occurred from directly behind Wilma, and was sounding so shocked it was barely above a whisper. It seems that Alice had caught up with her. Somehow. Despite not having entered in the proper way at all. It was as if she had just appeared.
Actually, that might not have been far off from the truth. From the way she was standing, it looked as if she had walked in a straight line and stopped. And judging by her facing, she apparently had done so from the wall opposite the actual entranceway to the room.
Naturally, she seemed oblivious. And if Cheshire—now positioned on her shoulder again—had indeed noticed, he paid absolutely no mind. It was not every day once saw an entire, full-scale planet and its local bodies with their own eyes. And for these two, it was nearly beyond their comprehension. Wilma at least had known what Earth looked like before; Alice and Cheshire only had estimative maps and globes to go off of.
Of course, Kayden was no Earth, but the sight was still breathtaking for them anyway.
“It's... i-it's beautiful,” Alice managed to stammer, outstretching her arm towards the distant world in an awe-filled state. “I've never seen... oh! Is that movement?” she gaped, finally spotting and pointing at the thing slowly drifting across the atmosphere before clearing her throat and forcefully lowering her arm back down. “Ahem. Do forgive me. It's rude to point. But still... that is extraordinary...”
She stared at the beautiful sight for a while longer, only dragging her gaze away when Cheshire suddenly piped up on a rather informative note. “It seems like—whatever that object is—they're approaching. Though judging by the sheer scale, it could take quite a while. Plus, there's a terrible draft. What say we go back upstairs for some tea while our new involuntary lodgers get settled in? I'm sure a planet of people can handle themselves well enough.”
“Oh, all right,” Alice huffed, turning on her heel with a hint of reluctance. Truthfully, she would have been perfectly okay with watching the planet more—but she had to admit that blatant gawking at something so far away that it wouldn't even concern them for a significant part of the day seemed a little silly. That and the possibility of scaring some poor astronomer to death with their dropped-jawed faces. As entertaining as that thought was—
“Oof!”
Okay, ouch. When had that wall gotten there?
“Oh, poor nose! Don't drop off on me now! Wait a moment...” Alice trailed off, halting in rubbing her bruised sniffer in favour of looking over at the offending end of the room in utter confusion. “Then... how did I get here...?”
“Questions beget answers. But only when logic is concerned,” the Cat suggested. “Try again—just don't think anything of it.”
“I did; and now my face hurts,” she pointed out with a scowl. Cheshire merely huffed.
“Because you weren't thinking of what you wanted to do over some silly image of your face being stared at through a telescope. And yes, I'm part of you—I'm very aware of your idle thoughts,” he preemptively interrupted, suppressing the urge to further his already wide grin at her blush of embarrassment. “Now, for the last time—try again. No distraction this time.”
Grumbling under her breath, Alice stepped back away from the wall a couple paces, got her breath under her control, closed her eyes—and sprinted forward, praying for the sake of her dignity she didn't simply bounce off and be sent sprawling in the other direction. It would be bad enough in front of Wilma, but considering there was a whole planet watching—
Focus! her mind suddenly snapped, derailing that useless train of thought in favour of focusing on what she was actually trying to do. Shoving all idle fantasies out of her head, she concentrated on the main lobby of the Library; the smell of books, that deliciously musty feeling in the air...
She impacted the wall—or rather, seemed to meld right through it—prompting a startled “Oh!” from her as well as a spread of roots engulfing the surface she had just rushed right through. There was a pulse from the wall at the epicenter of where she had passed into it, and the vines spread outward seemed to puff out vibrant petals.
There was a pregnant pause—before a familiar, wide smile manifested from where she had entered, grinning with its all-too-humanlike teeth straight at Wilma; the flowering roots around it beginning to slowly recede as if on cue.
“Ignorance is bliss for some. For Alice, it begets blessings. My advice: if ever you are in need of her delusions to be more... palpable, encourage the blurring of that important line we all have that distinguishes what is real and what isn't. Because imagination is finicky for some—acting on its own accord rather than its owner's wishes. Alice is simply a more... literal example of that...”
The grin widened, even as it started to fade around the edges. The vines were long gone by now. A shame, really—they had brightened up the room considerably. Barring the literal sun in the distance, of course.
“See you up top.”
And with that, the grin fully vanished.
Edited by Enirboreh on Oct 24th 2018 at 5:45:22 PM
bork
An Ordinary Oddball
Wilma climbed all the way back up the stairs, huffing and puffing when she finally got to the top.
She climbed back into her armchair and handed the magazine with a ruined Kayden on one half of the cover and a somewhat "fixed" Kayden on the other half to Alice.
"So, apparently Loe stowed Kayden away for 2 of their years and 20 of our years...And more things have happened..."
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
AKA Nixer
The Library
“And then stuffed it in your basement for whatever reason,” Alice added as she leafed through the magazine. A history person she usually wasn't, but she could make an exception both for necessity and a genuine intrigue regarding the novelty of an alien planet. “And what a funny little set of languages as well. All looks dreadful on the throat, though. With these... 'glottal warbler' things or without, I doubt I'd be able to speak any of them. Mother most certainly wouldn't see the char—”
She cut herself off quite unintentionally by a lump in her throat, which snapped her to attention as to the train of thought that the memories begot. Discreetly brushing away the wetness from her eyes, she continued on as if it wasn't notable.
“Well, anyway. I'll have to try and wrap my head around this time discrepancy we have. At least it's a fairly round number—just add a zero onto whatever they say their age to be. Assuming they even count age the way we do. Do...” she paused, looking up at Wilma quite suddenly. “How... well-versed are they regarding our culture? I don't want there to be any unfortunate mishaps, is all. I'd rather not offend them due to a misunderstanding.”
Kayden — Interim
Taking inventory was something of an acquired hobby Kyxe had gained. Not out of want, it should be noted. Keeping regular track of their stock was something Rine absolutely insisted on doing. And for once, she could admit the sense in his apparent compulsion in performing the most amount of tedium in as short a timeframe as possible. She used to chalk it up to anxiety—pressures from his upbringing causing him obsessive behaviour—but now she could understand where he was coming from. It was still paranoid, sure—but it was helping prevent unpreparedness in the case of an unexpected crisis. Better to be high-strung than dead.
And as if Lœ found humour in reinforcing that last point, she almost ended up slaughtering her valen when he stumbled in the room.
Yes, it was with an accompanying gasp that Rine collapsed into her view, prompting her to jump nearly three feet up in the air with surprise and come dangerously close to skewering him then and there. Thankfully for his internal organs, she caught herself—and as soon as she saw his state, she hissed in sympathy. Immediately, she dropped the pad she had been using as a checklist in favour of rushing over to him and helping him stagger over to a nearby surface.
“Tifa has'la jæl'ga,” (I can walk,) he quietly protested, but she wouldn't had anything of it. With a rather rough shove, she forced him to sit—causing him to wince slightly as it aggravated a couple of his wounds.
“Kyxe—”
“Pont'uçi,” (Rest,) she interrupted, before moving out the room—most likely to find medical supplies. As soon as she had left, Rine drew out an exhausted sigh.
Two years. Had it really only been that long? Because if that were truly the case, things had gone spiraling out of control at lightning speeds. With the wall damaged, it had sparked paranoia in the Council (honestly to the surprise of no-one). The difference this time is that the panic had been warranted. Altürgone had bounded across the empty lands separating the cities and made a beeline for their people. Apparently some instituted a martial law. Others were faring much better thanks to their defences. So it was only ironic that Aentolin was amongst those worse off.
At the very least we're not Lunara, he mused. The official-unofficial rival of Aentolin was no less than deserted. That is, of whatever few stragglers the invading Altürgone had decided weren't worthy to be brutalized for whatever reason.
And so soon after promotion.
Indeed, officially Rine was now General Rine Anok—and his valen had eventually obtained the same title only a short time later. In fact, Kyxe had been catching up to him at an alarming rate. That noticeable gap in strength between her and he? Gone for good.
Because Kyxe had not only lost her mangled organ in that battle (what should have been a distant memory now with everything that had happened since—but for whatever reason was still as potent as the day it occurred), but also had gained tremendous damage to its immediate neighbour. “At least it's balanced out now” was her too-cheerful quip on the subject—while she had been wired up on a hospital berth with half of her abdomen missing. By Lœ it was agony to see her that way—and the pain had gave way to cold, hollow numbness at the report later given to him.
“I'm afraid the damage is... irreversible. It is simply impossible to continue living without these crucial organs.”
“Not that I question your expertise, but she has lived with one deformed beyond usage for much of her life—”
“Yes. One. A single, unusable organ isn't fatal inherently, no. But have you stopped to realise how much pain she's been in? I have three words for you: ‘imbalanced strain discharge’. I'm sure you've heard of it...”
“I... only briefly. I knew she was hurting, but not to what extent...”
“Excruciating agony, Rine-vastrrass.* I'm surprised she didn't walk bent over double most of the time. Those medicinal items she was on—they were mandatory for her to even stand upright, let alone fight.”
“...And so if two were missing...?”
“Plasma production would be overloading her internals. In her state, her body is desperately trying to keep its overall temperature correct and is only exhausting itself in the process. I'm not sure... I'm not sure how long she'll last, frankly.”
“Give her mine.”
“...Give her... what?”
“My Kenlœ organs. I have two to spare. Give her mine.”
It had been... a reckless action. The procedure wasn't even a procedure rather than a first-time experiment. But if Kyxe perished, then... he wasn't sure what he'd do. His companion for decades had been his grounding force—his nigh-perfect opposite keeping him in check for all this time. For every poor decision or blatantly overreaction he had displayed, she'd been there to hold him back and remind him that he wasn't some clockwork thing. And in return, she too had gained a friend—a fact that still shocked him to the core whenever she spoke of it. It seemed so... wrong, in a way. It made no rational sense.
But then again, the breed of 'rationality' he had been raised on wasn't exactly proving to be the most reliable now. Barring an almost compulsive display on his part to keep things in order. Which was sometimes useful, but rarely not irritating.
Ultimately, it was of no matter. Kyxe had been encouraging him to break away from his forced-natural state as a rule-stickler, and he'd be damned if he didn't put the effort in to see her smile. At the very least it was more rewarding than the typical neutral stare he usually received. And usually returned in full.
Yes, he had realised how much she had truly meant to him. And while they were (at the moment) way too busy to take the ‘next step’ so to speak, the two knew exactly where the other lied. Kyxe wanted to draw out his repressed compassion and his lust for life. He wanted to do all that and make her smile.
Though honestly, the one he'd received after they had both awakened from the operation was certainly one to beat.
Screw the newfound lack of ‘efficiency’ the Anok had preached to him. Kyxe wasn't about to die on his watch. And who cared for the fact she was now of equal strength to him? This was no competition—if anything, he was ecstatic to say they could fight together on shared ground.
Who cared for the ugly scars from a frantic-yet-somehow successful doctor? Who cared for the new lack of mass in his stomach?
Who cared that he had literally given away part of himself? He had made his valen smile.
Edited by Enirboreh on Oct 24th 2018 at 10:56:48 AM
bork
An Ordinary Oddball
"Well..." Wilma said thoughtfully. "From what I heard from the Lurker, they're used to strange things, but then we have to ask which scale of strangeness they're measuring it with. They know about Easton, and they want diplomatic relations, so they must know about some of our customs."
"But frankly, an invasion of Alturgone and an animate coat-oracle are nothing compared to, say, your solar system being in a nonsensical Library, or...everything that's happened in Easton, really."
"I don't know how they're going to react to being in the Library's basement, or the casual way we treat things that should be absurd..."
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
AKA Nixer
The Library
“Judging by this, it looks as if they're having their own problems,” Alice hummed, before sighing and clapping the book shut. “Oh, no matter. By how you're going on about Easton, I'm sure we'll have an abundance of powerful fighters on our side simply by the quantity of them in the population. Though truthfully, it'd probably be best I better get to know the city I'll be fighting for personally now. Most I've seen of it has been snippets and back alleys. Speaking of, there's practically a whole other city betwixt those buildings... at least according to all the evidence of squatters and the like that I've seen...”
She trailed off into a grimace as she looked down at her dress—dismissing Wonderland's overlay to return it to its true, tattered self. “Plus I could do with a new dress. It's gotten rather soiled after... oh dear me, 150... 154 years or so? That makes me... around 166 years of age now,” she realised in a rather dull, depressive tone, peering down at her feet and noting that her spontaneous growth spurt had obviously affected more than just her dress. God they hurt right now.
“My god... and to think Chess has been out on his own for over a century and a half... I shudder to ponder on what he would have been up to for all that time...”
“Wandering here and there. Keeping you alive in memory until I felt as if you had faded enough from public memory. It is the year of detachment, Alice. These things that used to be beloved are now feeling tired out,” The Cat informed. “Your story has been done many a time before—and most likely will be again and again. But right now, the world's in a bit of an odd place. There's no... natural affection, I suppose,” he gestured vaguely with his paw, before slumping down so his chin was laying on the table. “Sayings encouraging argumentativeness and conflict as a form of ‘balance’, what I heard. I'd say it's a new development, but... well, it's all rather circular, isn't it?”
“Quite. Now, are there any clothing shops around? I'm feeling rather claustrophobic in this ratty old thing,” Alice asked Wilma—only vaguely acknowledging the Cat's musings (much to his irritation).
Alice notably sounded a little more clipped than normal—which was quite an achievement considering how snippy she could be if she wanted to. This was mostly because as much as she was repressing the feeling, she was honestly rather frightened at how much she'd grown overnight. True, it was much more reflective of her current mental state—but nonetheless jumping from the body of what was barely a teen up to that of a proper young lady was more than a little jarring. And that was excluding the hormonal issues. It would certainly take her a while to get used to.
Edited by Enirboreh on Oct 25th 2018 at 4:36:02 PM
bork
An Ordinary Oddball
Wilma was just about to recommend Alice to a few clothing stores when her parents walked in, still in their bedclothes.
"What was that?" asked Paige.
"It felt like an earthquake," said Wilhelm. He was obviously covered from head to toe in tribal-style tattoos that appeared to writhe on his skin.
"Oh! That was a planet, its moon, and its sun materializing in the basement. And this is Alice. This is my mom and dad," Wilma giggled nervously. "She needs a new dress."
"So it's normal Easton Library stuff. Figures," yawned Wilhelm.
"Here, try on my old dresses," Paige said, lugging a cardboard box over. "We're about the same size, so they might fit you."
Wilma's parents went back to bed, and Wilma opened the box. Lots of modest dresses were inside.
"This is probably for the best. Most women's clothes nowadays have ridiculous necklines," declared Wilma.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
AKA Nixer
The Library
Alice politely curtsied at the sight of Wilma's parents, offering them a smile with a hint of apology mixed in. She hadn't even considered them. Still, they seemed accepting enough. Though she supposed they would have to be, if they were living in such a strange place as this. It was either that or go mad—and she knew where she personally stood on that scale.
“Oh believe me, I noticed. Standards of dress have changed quite a bit, it seems. The casual wear is decent enough, I suppose—though I find it somewhat detracts from that 'elegant dignity' aspect. But arguably the formal dresses are something unfit even in privacy sometimes. There seems to be a contest on how threadbare a woman can get before having no clothes at all!” she stated with more than a little disgust as she sorted through the options of dresses. Remarkably kind of Wilma's mother to offer. “Though I will say I enjoy the variety, at least. You get tired of seeing the same style everywhere. Ah—what about this one?”
The dress she had picked out was an earthen green in colour, and somewhat reminiscent of her current style barring the fact that it was actually in one piece and made from more updated fabric. Much to Alice's relief, the neckline seemed to stretch partially up into a collar. The skirt itself didn't reach the floor either, which she was happy to see. As much as she preferred her modesty, she'd rather like to move.
(Though honestly, her preference for this more covering dress was less out of latent Victorian social views and more out of shame for her skin. The burn scars were still present on her, after all.)
Holding it up against herself, she turned to Wilma to show her. “What do you think? Not too plain, is it?”
bork
An Ordinary Oddball
"It suits you," Wilma said decisively. "And it looks good on you."
"I'm just going to...turn around for a bit...so you can change," she added, turning around so Alice could change.
She covered her eyes and edged around a bookshelf.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
AKA Nixer
The Library
“If that's your preference,” Alice nodded, but she was hiding a grin. As soon as Wilma had moved out of sight, she momentarily shut her eyes—The Cat manifesting nearby when she opened them again.
Alright, Chess—let's see if I can get a handle on this ‘Wonderland leaking’ business. You found anywhere?
Yes. There's a couple of contemporary clothing stores as well as some charity places relatively nearby. I've managed to preemptively select the other items you need. I do hope they're in your tastes.
Well, you are part of me—so I'd be disappointed if they weren't, Alice pointed out, before looking to make sure Wilma wasn't peeking in any way. And in terms of monetary resources...?
Untouched. Stashed just where you left them, thankfully. If you'd like, I'll fetch it while you're in the changing rooms. That way you can purchase the items on your way out.
Fair plan. Let's hurry then, Alice nodded, dismissing Cheshire with a wave of her hand. Glancing for one final time over to the bookshelves where Wilma was, she once again shut her eyes and attempted to clear her mind as much as she could of any distractions.
Alright. Just don't think of the specifics. Only the essence. As soon as you know you're there, run. Come on, you can do this...
With a slight gust, Alice's form seemed to split apart at the seams; dispersing into a swarm of multicoloured butterflies that seemed to evaporate in the air after they had reached a certain height. The dress, too, had come with her—though intriguingly only after a short delay. Perhaps carrying objects was trickier rather than simply transporting your own self. A working theory, but plausible enough.
Clothing Store
Alice was rather surprised to find herself in the middle of a shopping rack—but she soon scrambled out of the hanging clothing and into the aisles, much to the confusion of those around her. Looking around, she spotted a glimpse of something furry—only to grin at the sight of a surprisingly neat and folded set of clothes (barring a dress of course) waiting for her on a shelf opposite.
You've outdone yourself, Chess.
Briskly walking over, she snatched them up, before making a beeline for the changing rooms. She was on good time so far—she just needed not to be too fast lest she rip the new clothes by accident. And the strange looks she were getting soon died away. Easton and all.
The Library
Not but five minutes later, Alice remanifested—this time by walking through a couple panels of bookshelf like they were a set of double doors. She looked quite flushed and short of breath, but nonetheless satisfied—since she was now clothed in a new set of shoes, a considerably brighter set of stockings and a matching tunic, as well as the dress gifted to her. Plus she was a few pou– dollars lighter, but they weren't exactly genuine gains anyway. For the brief time she had spent wandering the streets of Easton, she'd had to have given up a few of her qualms and good citizenship just to get a bite to eat. Something she was admittedly only mildly guilty for. That in and of itself was worrying, but she'd rather not explore that aspect of herself at the moment.
“Oh–! Erm... you can look now!” she suddenly remembered, drawing herself out of her thoughts and resisting the urge to facepalm. And here she was supposed to be keeping a tighter reign on her daydreaming. She could only hope she wouldn't be as careless as before.
Unconsciously, she tugged at her collar at that thought—and a shift of something putrid occurred in the upper rafters of the room in response.
Edited by Enirboreh on Oct 25th 2018 at 10:28:54 AM
bork
An Ordinary Oddball
Wilma poked her head out from behind the bookshelf, and finally stepped out to clap.
"Cool beans, you look fine," Wilma said with a smile.
And she bent down to open a trapdoor on the floor. Below the opening was Kayden and the pinprick of moving light.
"They're still not here yet," Wilma observed.
And she shut it and opened it and shut it and opened it and shut it and opened it—
—And shut it again.
"This is not helping. I'll just stop..." Wilma said sheepishly, edging away from the trapdoor.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Wilma heaved a sigh of relief, wiping away the blood on her face with her newspaper hat, which she'd turned into an impromptu handkerchief. She too seemed older and more mature—her face was a little more gaunt, her hair was a little more stringy than before—but that was no doubt the result of taking on a portion of Alice's guilt.
There was still the threat of her falling to Madness in the future, but it felt muted and dull. For now, there was a kind of tired triumph.
"You're very much welcome," she said to Cheshire. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll also be cleaning up and heading to bed."
And she did exactly that. Finally crawling under the covers after an exhausting day fighting the Anti-Creator's forces and helping to save Wonderland, Wilma drifted off into a deep, healing sleep.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.