Fwomph
Marcus plucked up an apple and took a bite of it while quirking his eyebrow at the question of heirhood.
Lie. They won't understand truth.
"Don't really know what god chose me to be their champion. Might not even be a proper god at all, just one of those vague spirits? Whatever."
Good enough I suppose.
Halfway through the apple Marcus twitched a bit, eyes flicking over to Emma. Her presence caused a conflicted shudder through his body and he couldn't identify why.
Paul was still watching the group. An interesting mix, and he could feel his "guest" stirring and shifting in response to each as if He was turning to face them. it was an odd experience. The wilderness fellow seemed affable enough, and His loner tendencies saw a kindred spirit. A brief vision of a fleet young woman with a bow and arrow sped across his mind.
The circus man had made him narrow his eyes when he appeared, and he and H had both frowned at the pomp and noise. Everyone else seemed fairly normal. Well, normal-ish, and he started to relax. He even stepped forward to introduce himself.
And then the new girl moved into the group and Paul felt H stiffen. His body moved backward (H almost NEVER took control these days unless it was delicate work or a serious fight) and he saw his hands shift and the hammer come up. It rested on his shoulder (16 pounds, fiberglass and steel) with a good baseball grip. Muscles tightening, Paul heard a scrape as one foot moved back. His mouth opened, and he felt/heard his own voice came out, but lower and rougher than normal. "Who are you?"
AKA Nixer
Naomi Hughes
“Th-Thank you...!” Naomi gratefully responds to Leon as she's given her share of rations, promptly scoffing them down in a manner almost desperate before she catches herself and forces herself to eat slower. She notices some of the others having a similarly unnerved reaction to Emma, and swallows hard—especially when Paul raises his hammer, to which she moves to intercept him with a cautioning expression and a firm look on her face.
“Easy, please. I think it's affecting everyone, but she still hasn't done anything. Maybe it's her patron...?”
Is patron even the right word...? Either way, that demon's unnerving me too. But we can't be at each other's throats so fast.
bork
Up on Melancholy hill.
"Ezro!" Elijah chirped in with a little laugh as he bit into the deer jerkey that was so kindly offered to him from...What was his name? Leon? He nodded his head and chewed it idly for a moment before swallowing and it was then and only then he realized just how hungry he was.
But that was for another time.
His eyes twitched over to Emma and felt every single synapse of his body light up then and there, and he stared at her for a moment longer than the normal person would have considered normal before he looked back down.
Big surprises in small packages. He'd need to keep an eye on this one.
"Ezro the Lord of Festivities tends to...shine out of me more than comfortable. To the point I don't even know what I was like before I became the Sacred I am today! But I imagine it must have been..." And his gaze turned a bit more...lifeless, discolored for a moment, and his tone matched but the smile never left. "...Boring."
And then he popped back into reality and shook his head.
"But I'm here now as the embodiment of the life of the party! Things do really work out in the end, huh? Apocalypses notwithstanding, of course."
Is it selfish that I'm happy as we pass the setting sun?
The Light That Blinds
Amos
"Thank you," Amos said coolly, taking his handful of rations. He would've taken more if he weren't certain the other Sacred would have his head.
Then another girl—Emma—came up to the group and introduced herself. Amos took a look at her and felt his spine stiffen, a warning bell softly ringing in his head. He pushed it down, though, and held out his hand. "Pleasure, Miss Emma."
The others seemed about as on edge as he was, if not more so—one man pulled out a hammer and rested it on his shoulder, demanding to know who this girl was. Amos raised his eyebrow again. He got the feeling he'd be doing that a lot.
"She just said her name was Emma. Learn to listen." He took a few steps towards the large man, looking him in the eye. "And please put the hammer away. We are here to keep peace, are we not?"
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Where am I? What's going on?
Emma
Emma was pleasantly surprised at the offered hand, since she had already resigned herself to being disliked, and shook it enthusiastically. Maybe this wouldn't go so bad after all.
And then a very large man readied a very large hammer to smash in her very vital head. Even as Naomi moved to defend her, Emma flinched back and a thick tentacle burst out from her skin, right below the shoulder, moving to defend her head. "Ow! Fuck!"
"I'mEmmalineGorschet! UnlessYouWannaKnowWho'sSacredIAmButIDon'tActuallyKnowThatMyself! IKindaDoubtIt'sAnyoneGoodThough,WhatWithTheTentaclesAndTheTeethAndTheReactions!" The words spilled out of her in a panic, almost too quickly to comprehend.
Edited by PossiblyQuiteInsane on Jan 9th 2021 at 3:50:45 PM
Anyways Here's Darude Sandstorm
Subway-Abeyance
Ingratiated amongst the displaced was someone wearing a heavy purple coat with their hood up. They tried to keep their distance from others, but found the subway much too crowded. Shifting uncomfortable as they leaned against the wall they discretely ate from an old can of beans. It didn't taste like much, or anything really, but it kept him going. He thought about offering the can to a nearby girl who was obviously hungry, but decided against it. The beans had been in his possession for a little over a week. Just enough time for it to become "tainted". Perfectly fine for him to eat, however.
He noticed a group of people gathering. Whoever was running this show had sent a call out for Sacreds to come here. For what reason was unclear. He didn't even intend to be here for that. He only meant to stop by to get some supplies and helping with a few things before he left again.
Although...
He sighed, although his face didn't changed expression. He just opened his slightly and pushed air through it. It was more like lightly blowing out a candle than an exasperated sigh. That's what sighs have become for him. He hefted his packed hiking bag onto his shoulders and made his way over to the group. Maybe if he helped them he could get a little bit more food so he could spend time away from people longer.
He walked up to the group and said nothing. Didn't even introduce himself, he just stared off into space and waited for something to happen.
GIVE ME YOUR FACE
Alan
Well it seemed introductions were coming well enough along and people weren't acting up for the most part. He kept himself out of the discussion of who the patrons were considering letting it be known who his was could be...disadvantageous. It was certainly not in his plan to just let everyone know everything now——
And then one of the people who joined the group suddenly raised a hammer to swing at the young woman named Emma. Alan knew it was probably a mistake to get involved, and indeed it seemed like others might be getting involved already.
Alan noted there was an instinctual aura of something detestable to her, but Alan wasn't someone to attach any value to instinct or immediate response. Less gut reaction more contemplation.
Seeing as Emma and Naomi were already at work, he let the shadow hand he generated to try and intervene dissipate out of existence. Stepping forward, Alan stated, "I...cannot believe I even need to say this outloud. But I believe we should refrain from trying to cave in a young woman's skull at first meeting."
Edited by NickTheSwing on Jan 9th 2021 at 2:47:19 AM
Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.
Paul's eyes flickered to Amos. "Yes, I heard that she is "Emma". But we all of us here know there are names and Names." His eyes moved to Alan. "And she isn't a girl. We're none of us what we appear to be, are we? We're living sheaths for swords." He lowered the hammer, though, and stepped forward, nodding to Setsuko respectfully. Paul shook his head, feeling himself in control again. H had retreated to ponder. He held out a hand to Emma, pushing down a wince at her strange aura. His voice was softer now, and richer. "But that doesn't mean we can't be polite. I'm Paul."
Edited by Booky on Jan 9th 2021 at 2:58:34 AM
Breath of the Sun
Setsuko
So many new friends. Setsuko beamed, seemingly unaffected by Emma's weird unsettling air. Wukong had been thoroughly unimpressed by whatever eldritch aura the girl was emitting; given the Monkey King could terrify demon lords, it made sense he wouldn't be afraid of any kind of monster.
Besides, Emma seemed nice. So when the big hammer guy showed up, Setsuko stepped in front of him, reaching to grab the long metal pole on her back. She didn't draw it, not yet, but made it clear she'd fight him if she had to.
"Just because she feels weird and has tentacles and stuff, doesn't mean you should beat her up. You should only beat people up when they deserve it." Setsuko admonished, wagging a finger with her free hand.
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Alan
"Yes, she is, and I will not allow one to so callously and suddenly raise hand or weapon against her again with such scant provocation." Alan didn't really care that Emma had tentacles or that she was given this odd aura. She was doing nothing of harmful intent to anyone, and Alan was not about to just sit back and listen as someone acted like that.
He looked at Emma and stated, "I am Alan, and if you ever need any help, feel free to call upon me." Well, it was always good to get into the good books of someone with such interesting powers and potential. Whatever her patron was the fact it had such an effect was...promising.
Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.
The Light That Blinds
Amos
This talk of "names and Names" made no sense, and Amos couldn't help but be annoyed at the "sheaths for swords" comment. He might've had a devil's blood, but he was still Amos. Still, the hammer had been put away, so he supposed that was good.
"Well, the past ten minutes have been..." He paused, searching for the right word. "Interesting. I do hope our time with the Peacekeepers proves less volatile."
And even if it doesn't, I'll be long gone by then.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
AKA Nixer
Naomi Hughes
“Is that who you are? A sheath for a sword?” Naomi found herself saying, her eyes glancing over to Paul a moment and seeming to reflect a variety of colours in the backs of her retinas which somehow had no visible source. “You're more than a tool, now. You're in Union. Don't forsake your previous self—cherish it. In this way, cherish this Union too. As adverse as it might seem to you. We're all Unified.”
The strange reflection faded, and the woman again became meek in her posture, but she didn't seem to deny her own words. After a few seconds casting her gaze every which way, she managed a small smile—though it seemed to be at nothing, as she was staring blankly down at the floor.
She backed away from Paul then, and back alongside the group as a whole—if not a tad behind them so as not to be stared at. A newcomer had arrived, she noticed, and as such she quietly made to approach him—a friendly smile on her countenance, but also naturally wary to an extent as she extended a hand for him to shake.
“You made it. Well done,” she praised in a warm tone, referring to the act simply of getting here to begin with. “Did you have a... rough trek here, or...?”
bork
Anyways Here's Darude Sandstorm
Subway-Abeyance
Abeyance just stood there as the group talked around. They weren't giving him much attention, which was good because it made it easier for him to not think about them too much. Thinking about them would cause the badness to build up. There was a brief rise in tensions as one of them raised a hammer but it was quickly dealt with.
Then suddenly Abeyance had someone offer a handshake. He looked at her with an emotionless expression then shook it gently.
"I have been given the name Abeyance. What have you been called for anyways?"
GIVE ME YOUR FACE
Subway
Leo took a step to the side as a tentacle suddenly burst from Emma's shoulder, moving to intercept the hammer in the hands of a very large man. Shit, I was kinda joking 'bout Cthulu... he thought, watching Naomi speak with up and try to calm tensions. The fact that there were quite a few other Sacred willing to defend Emma despite the unsettling feeling she was giving off was heartening though. "Well, glad to see things aren't goin' ta turn into a scrap before talks even start." He sighed. "Not many folks really willin' to talk things out nowadays..."
Movement off the side drew Leon to another Sacred joining them, Naomi once again taking the initiative to greet them. "Peacekeepers approached me the other day lookin' for help, so I came to hear what exactly they needed." He replied to Abeyance. "I assume y'all came here for the same reasons."
Fwomph
Marcus finished off the apple, pocketing the core and looking around to find a question to answer.
"The railway folks sent out a bunch of messengers and well I need supplies and a safe place to sleep so... Yeah, might join up..."
Then, after taking a good look around at some of the others, he noticed the skinbursting tentacle.
I suppose the elder ones deserve champions too, dread what their vision for the new world would be...
"Well that's... Od-"
The Black Butterfly: Welcome contractor, to my Velvet Lounge. I forgot to do that joke the first time we talked, so I thought now's a good a time as any. Better late than never!
-The laugh of the bartender is a low bassy rumble that causes high-pitch vibrato chimes to emit from the glass of the tumblers full of dark liquor placed evenly along the counter-
The Black Butterfly: Anyways, thought I'd let you know that I've noticed some of your new friends are my old drinking buddies. But... Well don't trust them, I don't know if they gel with our plan for the Grail, mkay? But hey, maybe it's an in on getting them to trust you, dig?
-Even behind the mask, the smile is toothy and sharp-
"Whatever, guess we're just spinning our heels till the hanchous get here. Wait that sounded wrong... Whatever, blame the— wine? Whatever this bottle is."
Edited by Pentigan on Jan 10th 2021 at 12:25:09 AM
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
Where am I? What's going on?
Emma
Emma... wasn't sure what was happening. This wasn't a new feeling. In fact, it summed up most of her life of to this point, and especially the last three weeks. She was happy all these people were rallying to protect her, even if she couldn't quite bring herself to trust most of them. Something about their "patrons" didn't quite sit right. She was also happy that she wouldn't get her head caved in with a hammer. She didn't know if she could survive that, and with how fucked her insides were, she was a little afraid that she could.
She got out of her defensive stance and shook Paul's hand. "Emma. But you knew that. Uh. No hard feelings, I guess. You're not the first person to threaten to kill me... glad I didn't have to defend myself this time. I really don't like fighting. And... thanks for sticking up for me, all of you."
With a distinctly unpleasant noise, her tentacle retreated back under her skin, leaving a large hole through which one could glimpse other tentacles, eyes, and teeth shifting around haphazardly. She knew from experience the hole would take about ten minutes to fully close up. She also knew that giving it time to heal with her tentacle still out would've been a bad plan. If it healed around her tentacle, retracting it would be just as painful as pushing it out.
About as soon as Emma fully allowed herself to relax, her stomach rumbled. Which was wild, because she was like 95% sure she didn't even have a stomach.
AKA Nixer
Naomi Hughes
“More or less the same reason as the others. I was out scavenging when a Peacekeeper messenger found me...” Naomi nodded, noting Abeyance's odd mannerisms and backing off slightly. “I was already... I didn't have a lot of food, and I was kinda... alone before now, so I was just happy to see a friendly face...”
Emma soon caught her attention again, and though the disgust was pervasive in her, Naomi was nothing if not determined to make things right. Noticing the eldritch woman's discomfort, Naomi made to approach her once more, lowering her tone to a cautious whisper as she looked over the hole from where the tendril had come out.
Don't look at it.
Shaking her head, she glanced up at Emma's face instead and forced a tentative smile onto her own.
“That uh... that wound. I can probably heal it. Do you want me to... try...?”
Assuming her... god(?) doesn't interrupt somehow...
Edited by Enirboreh on Jan 9th 2021 at 2:39:37 PM
bork
Anyways Here's Darude Sandstorm
Subway-Abeyance
"I see. The Peacekeepers."
He went back to starring off into space and trying not to think too hard about the people around him. Although Emma retracting her weird tentacle thing did catch his attention. Too much of his attention, actually, as his influence started to spread to her. The presence within her seemed familiar to him. Something like the colour within him. Kindred spirits?
He shook his head and tried to distract himself, feeling his influence retreat from the tentacle girl. The one with the hammer had nearly clobbered the tentacle girl. the aggressive type, Abeyance thought.
Food was mentioned by several people, Abeyance didn't pay attention to who specifically.
"...I would like some food. I have just eaten, but I'd like a little extra to take with me when we're done here."
GIVE ME YOUR FACE
Subway
"If ya need some grub that'll keep, I got just the thing." Leon handed some dried rations to Abeyance as well, pausing to flash an amused look at Emma when her stomach growled, not seeming to notice the food he had placed in her hands. "...If yer worried about the food, I promise it's safe. Jerky's a mite on the tough side, sure. But it ain't gonna make ya hurl." He assured the girl, popping a piece of dried meat in his mouth to prove his point.
Moving back to the crowd, Leon was surprised to hear the Horned God communicate with him once again.
Caution. The Nomad...foreign power. Nature's predator.
Leon was surprised at how talkative the Horned God had been today. Who, Abeyance? Ya mean he's got a horror in him too? Once made t' go against yer domain?
Parasitic rot...warping and decay. Can survive, but Nature wastes away.
Feeling the presence fade back to silence, Leon shook his head in wonder. Today really was a day of strangeness and discoveries. Well, at least there's no tree eruptin' from the ground ta wall off whatever's freakin' the Horned one out. No clue how I'm gonna calm everyone down from that scenario...
Where am I? What's going on?
Emma
"Wound?" Emma looked up in confusion at Naomi's offer. "Oh, this? Nah, don't waste your energy. It only hurts when they first break through, and I'm pretty sure bleeding out would require me to have blood. Besides, it'll close on it's own before too long. It's probably starting to get smaller already. Plus, healing it early might not fix my clothes."
Emma chuckled, starting to get more comfortable. "I'm not sure how letting it heal normally does fix my clothes. But I'd run out of outfits quick otherwise, so I'm definitely not complaining."
Then one of the others... Leon? Said something about the food being safe. What food? The- oh that was a bag of food in her left hand wasn't it. Emma gave him an embarrassed smile before popping a piece of jerky in her mouth. "Thanks."
AKA Nixer
Naomi Hughes
“...You can heal yourself? That's a relief...” Naomi exhaled, nodding briefly to Emma with a small smile before retreating with a slight sigh of relief. “If anyone else is hurt, though... I'd be happy to heal you. I know there's other ways, but... even if it's not the fastest, it's actually sorta... nice feeling.”
She flushes a little, shrugging her shoulders as she absentmindedly tugs at her hair.
“S-So I've heard, anyway...”
bork
Fwomph
"Don't see why you'd be awkward about the possibility that you've had to patch yourself up. It's a wild world out here in the city now, not like it's easy to avoid injury."
Marcus gave a broad smile and knocked back the last glub of booze in the bottle he had.
"Not sure how I avoided it, but hey. I am not looking forward to getting my shit kicked in~"
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Watching the Gathering
So quick... Nestan had been keeping an eye out for whatever could come through those tunnels in the wake of the Peacekeepers' announcement and open house. The monkey girl bursting onto the scene still managed to throw her even these days.
Nestan herself, remained doing what she had since the announcement. She kept her hood up and hovered in the side tunnels subtly practicing her channeling and observations. She was fresh from blending in amongst the subway refugees, dressing wounds, and mostly sending vermin to gather news. Rats and roaches were beneath notice unless they were dragging pizza down stairs. Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Subway
"Wouldn't be offerin' if I couldn't back it up. A little kindness never hurts once in a while." Leon chuckled as he reached into his large pack and pulled out some dried rations; a mix of dried fruits, nuts and jerky. "I got some nice deer jerky and dried fruits if ya want somethin' sweet or don't eat meat." He passed around a handful to the other Sacred who were joining in and just passed a share to the latest arrival- a girl in her teens- when a pricking sensation crept up his back akin to someone brushing a thorny vine against his spine.
Caution.
A warning from the Horned God, though more of an emotion than spoken words. Still, Leon was able to wrangle the intent behind it and frowned. What, ya saying this girl's bigger threat than murderous raiders an' beasts straight outta high fantasy? Ya half asleep or somethin'? He mentally questioned the normally silent presence, and received a reply in the form of mental images; a fruit with a pitch black stone, then a Datura flower.
Presence within. A power to be wary of.
Okay, now yer just being twitchy. I don't care if she's got Satan or goddamn Cthulu in her, the girl ain't done anythin' to be suspicious about. Look I'll keep the warnin' in mind, but take it down a notch, will ya? No response. It seemed the god had said his peace and returned to silence. Leon gave a quiet 'tch' before smiling back down at the girl and Naomi. "Sorry 'bout that. My own passenger decided to wake up an' chat alluva sudden. Didn't mean ta stare or be rude." He apologized to Emma. "I guess I'll chip into the godly talk next. Got some kinda primordial force 'a nature and wilderness in my soul. Don't know his name, an' he ain't telling me yet. I just call him the Horned God."