JANUARY TDM + SETTING UPDATES

[beleos]

BEARING FRUIT (NEW CHARACTERS ONLY)

It starts out as a pleasant dream. You’re in your favorite place, with your favorite people. It’s a moment of idyllic comfort.

And then, it goes wrong.

The sky turns dark above, and as you look up, you see the black expanse of space spotted with faraway pinprick lights of stars. Yet, they’re not stars. You’re certain. They’re watching you. A billion eyes all looked down, and they spilled forth as if the sky itself was a dam holding back those dark waters. You reach back to the people you’re with, but they’re frozen in place. Their eyes are black, reflecting only the expanse of dark eyes. Their bodies jerk, and convulse, as if controlled by puppet strings, reaching out to try to grip your hand, your shoulder, your wrist, but you know you should pull away. Something iswrong. If fingers or appendages meet your skin, there is a chill, that runs up your body, from the tips of your toes, up your spine, a full-body experience of wrongness. Would your loved ones feel like this, when they reach out?

So you run, even though you know you won’t escape it. You glance back and see it not overtaking, but consuming. The landscape around you is being devoured, and you can see it cracking apart. The world itself is breaking, and it cracks under your feet. You fall, and the billion eyes chase after you until the darkness swallows you whole. It's coming for you, it will not stop, it will not relent, and there is nothing that can be done. What a fool you were, for ever thinking you could escape. There’s agony as if you’re being ripped apart, and then—

You cannot see. You cannot feel. You simply are. Yet even so, impossibly, a woman’s voice speaks gently.

I’m sorry it couldn’t be saved. But, come, it’s time to wake.

Your senses come to you slowly. Are you here for days? Weeks? Longer? It is difficult to say. All that you are is inert, and still. You can feel parts of you that form, but they hurt, like your body is fighting through a layer of...something. Something that keeps you from a gentle regrowth. You feel a chill, next to your heart, and while your form grows, it also fights, trying to both find a form and fight against some darkness that clings to you, like it's trying even now to consume your soul. It has a taste of it, you can tell, though not enough to take from you. Enough to know you, and while your body grows, this darkness slowly, slowly ebbs away, as if it can no longer touch you when you are whole. Something protects you, a presence. You can sense it, just like you can start to sense the presence of others. Some are close by, you can tell, winking in and out of existence just like you are. Falling in and out of consciousness like you do, as you are all collectively regrown. A groaning, creaky voice hums in your ear, with breaths that thrum and hum, like a gentle summer breeze through the leaves, and it tells you: Try to reach them. Welcome their calls. Can you hear them? Through communion. Your emotions are laid bare, in this space. Will you allow them to project? Will you try to control them? Will you reach out to your fellow new bearers, and soothe their own worries, or exacerbate their fears?

Eventually, after a long time, you wake with a start, cradled by soft, velvety plants, and sticky with a sap that smells faintly of honey and iron, an acrid scent lingers, like the edge of rot that has been swept away. You can see the veins of the leaves that hold you, lit warmly and gently by what looks like a crystal embedded above you. Yet, it’s odd, because that crystal calls to you. When you reach out to touch it, it’s warm. Familiar. Important. You don’t know why, but you know you must hold onto this because now it feels wrong for it to be suspended in these leaves. So, you pull it out.

The light starts to fade, but only in time to see as the leaves cradling you immediately start to soften and crumble, and with it comes a torrent of dirt. Soft, loamy soil starts to fill the space around you in the dark as you’re buried. Or, rather, you already were. You reach out through the dirt desperately, and your hands finds a root, so you pull while you clutch that precious crystal so close that it almost feels like it sinks into you (in your panic, you don’t notice that it does). You reach out again, and this time, your hand hits open air, and plenty of sturdy roots around to grab.

From a seed you’re born, and like a sprout, you make your way out of the ground.

And once you’ve clawed your way out of the soft earth and the roots, nearby, you see the soil shift. Another hand comes up to grasp desperately for something, anything, just as you had been.

A LITTLE ISLAND HOPPING

With the new Shard-Bearers present or en route, it is Kathova and Cetina who approach the established ones, requesting that they form mentorships with the new souls to assist them with the integration process. To this end, they have both provided a centralized zone in both Highstorm and Springstar for a series of small, seemingly casual gatherings, they happen over the span of a week, so new visitors can get the chance to spend time in both cities before they make a decision.

Additionally, as Springstar and Highstorm are holding their events over multiple days, the knowledge-hungry can participate in both informational sessions -- the tones and opinions held by both cities are doubtless to differ.

For those established bearers of the opposite faction, however, your faces are known amongst the populations of our sister cities, especially the administrators of both Meridian and Zenith, and if you try to attend the parties of either city, you will be turned away, with varying levels of aggression, depending on your tier of harmonization. New bearers are free to notice if someone tries! It seems you've stumbled your way into an escalating war.

SPRINGSTAR, αιώνιος ήλιος

In Springstar, the seat of the Tribune becomes available for such an event. While a section of the building itself has been reserved for the meeting between fresh faces and experienced Shard-Bearers alike, the hustle and bustle of Heliopolis continues around them -- acolytes still gather their robes and tomes, hurrying from their quarters to lessons. A score of young militants march in step across the yard to the training grounds. The higher-ups amongst Meridian have taken it upon themselves to wrap up their Year's End and New Year's festivities with a celebration of their recent victory over the Harbinger Oracle, as well as a celebration of the possibility of new shard-bearers. One does not have to attend every day, but Springstar's celebrations do tend to be multi-day affairs, and everyone from the scholars to the titled nobility seems keen on greeting new bearers. The tribune himself, Cyrus, welcomes bearers with a rousing speech at midday each day, speaking of their victories and their battle to stand for the worlds now lost. His speeches are met with polite applause, but is it a bit lacking in enthusiasm? Cyrus seems to brush it off with little offense, but perhaps you notice, that his eyes crinkle slightly, and he may look a touch... sad.

The celebrations are in the Seat of the Tribune, with tables draped in white-and-gold-trimmed fabrics fare filled with fare typical to Springstar's slowly brightening summer -- platters of hard crumbly cheeses and stuffed doulmades, roasted meats and fish, like souvlaki and psari plaki. There are plenty of grains and other dishes that elude to the abundance of both Springstar and Alenroux, and bearer efforts there.. The atmosphere is ambient with informality and friendliness, though topics will inevitably stray towards philosophic or political, Springstar's meeting grounds are decorated with handsome chaise lounges and slouching klismos chairs in small, intimate groupings. This is a forum in the classical sense, where people are encouraged to speak freely, no matter the topic. Though excitement charges the air, the gathering at the Seat is much more muted than what transpires outside the center of the city.

The church, too, celebrates the victory. Now that the Year's End celebrations have passed, the head of the church, Hieropoios Natalia Theodora Vaso Helios offers proclamations daily to those who will attend. Her tone has turned in tone toward driving forward, for now, that they have two Oracles of 3, Meridian's light is in favor, and she offers blessings and venerations toward the bearers who support their efforts to restore worlds. Bearers who attend these masses will feel their discord ebb from her words alone, and their shards will feel warm to the touch for some time afterward, even if they are not harmonized. If they ask anyone within the church, they will be told that it is Meridian's light filling them.

One would assume after a victory, that the mood elsewhere in Springstar is jubilant, but while there is still the occasional party outside in the summer sun in the Psychagogía district, there is a hushed tenseness to the city of eternal-sun. Stay too long, and you will eventually find the reason why, when scared locals speak of disappearing friends or family members, and there are whispered rumors of attacks. Some accuse the denizens of the Below, and others whisper about monsters in the dark. Though they have captured the latest oracle, the hope that normally follows such excitement is... tentative, at best.

HIGHSTORM, луны-близнецы

Eternally in opposition, Highstorm uses the manor's courtyard as the location for a series of events over the next week, inviting bearers new and old to join them in celebration. The members of the Highstorm council have set the small gathering in the court beneath Yima's tree, and next to the reflecting pools. The Lady Yima herself is in attendance and oversees the gathering from the balcony of her manor above. She will visit the grounds sparingly, generally when a new bearer is afoot, but she will direct any questions to either Kathova, or her more established Zenites, as she has many people to greet. Though she will take the moment to hold each new bearer's hand that visits and tell them each: "You have the potential to hold the key to a new, and better world. We believe in what you can do, and what strength you will find in Kenos. Let the memories of your loved ones, and your world, guide you to the right path, and know that your loss will be honored when we achieve our new world," before she glides away.

There are few places to be seated in the Manor's courtyard, resulting in bodies milling about as they flow and ebb between smaller gatherings, clustering in small-to-large groups with small platters and shimmering flutes of drink held in their hands. Yet, as you look, you’ll see that the selection is also quite interesting. The foods and drinks on offer are from a multitude of worlds, and so you may find a new favorite! Or something not suited to your palate at all. It’s at least a chance to be adventurous. If you try something and don’t like it, might not want to say that out loud, lest you insult someone who’s from that world. More established Zenites are encouraged to attend to help draw in new Zenites, and both new and old inductees alike are encouraged to speak about what their vision of a new world would look like. The reflecting pool itself is at the center of the courtyard, and if one looks in, they can see their memories reflected back at them. Though... if you look for too long, something seems to try and reach out for you. Can you feel the allure of dark fingertips, ready to brush against your face? If you stare too long, an attendant will pull the bearer back, just before they land right in the pool, offering unsettling remarks of “that has been happening more lately, the last person it happened to disappear. We even drained the pool, but couldn’t find them!”

Further into Highstorm, the Greenwood Yards attracts many visitors during the dead of Highstorm's winter. The doors are (proverbially, we can't let the heat out!) open, to bearers new and old alike. Attendants there will explain that this season is the best for starting some of the seeds that will grow well into early and mid-spring, but most seeds need warmth to grow. They will ask visitors to find a partner, to hold their combined hands together, and to offer shared warmth to the seed, and they will explain that seeds grow best when they come from the combined care of more than one individual. Bearers will eventually have to separate, but they will notice that the small seed in their palms has started to sprout. Visitors will also be welcome to turn fertilizer with the laborers at the yards (What's in it? Don't worry about it!) and there will be sessions held by the staff on the local flora and fauna, so consider this your primer on the native plants and animals of Kenos!

The denizens of Highstorm are putting out their bells and whistles for the new bearers, as they have less to fear in the streets (or do they...?) so feel free to stop by Benny's -- watch out for any fights, or participate, I'm not your mom -- or feel free to visit the Tomes, where a certain coffee shop has opened up a cart in the largest library in the district, offering drinks to comers and goers, which are becoming quite popular. This particular barista often offers drinks based on their shards, but as a little winter pick-me-up for the denizens of Highstorm, there are several new drinks offered for visitors! They even have a menu on display for bearers to select from!

CHEERS TO A NEW YEAR

• Springstar Sunrise - One using the crushed vines that populate Springstar in their warm season, which makes bearers want to reach out and hold hands.
• Scorching Slowdown - One using water from the Scorching Isles that makes bearers grow cold, and time seems to warp around them. (This one DOES contain a modified touch of the Blight that bearers once healed, but if brought up, an attendant will shake their head, and impress upon the patron a sense of calm. It will not hurt you.)
• Xanadu Xing - that makes bearers feel warm and totally relaxed. A spa in a cup, and you’ll feel like you had a therapy session afterward!
• Worlds Edging - A drink that makes bearers start to feel...amorous. (The Aphro Drink)
• Highstorm Hiccup - A whimsical drink that gives the bearer hiccups! Do they float a little? Yeah, but there’s no fans over your heads, don’t worry
• Pastoral Punch - A fruity concoction, it’s made from the crops in Alenroux (think a Sangria) and when drank, it fills bearers with warm memories, and reverie comes easy.
• Yima Yammer - a tongue-in-cheek drink, it fills a bearer with the uncontrollable urge to talk
• Cyrus Concussion - This drink puts bearers into a deep sleep. They have pleasant, warm dreams.

ALENROUX

The pastoral farmlands of Alenroux are seeing a resurgence of life and community, since the establishment of combined Meridian and Zenith forces, and the subsequent attempts to eliminate or displace the monsters that ravaged the island at night. With a more stable population, some of the workers have established homes, and have started opening their doors in the sunny, lush farmland, which is reachable by cornerstone, and oddly? Alenroux has taken to advertising their new interest in tourism. The small farming village has started establishing shops with wares, crafts, cooking classes, and wine tastings, pretty much an agro-tourist's dream! Drink beverages crafted by refugees from distant worlds, or dishes from other worlds! Bearers are encouraged to visit, and stay the night with a multitude of Alenroux's homes opening their doors for bearers to stay in their Bed and Breakfasts.

However, while the days are 24 hours long, so are the nights. Alenroux natives do not leave their homes, and staying in for a full day's time can feel like an eternity. You'll have time to get to know your hosts, but the night is haunted by the cries and howls of monsters in the distance, particularly on the north end of the island. Should a bearer step outdoors, they will find monsters still roaming. Take one on, if you dare, but watch out! Shadow creatures lurk until you least expect it, and may try to lure you in with a familiar voice, a soft promise, the lingering scent of a loved one. What you find in the woods might be just a run-of-the-mill big monster to fight, or it might be something deadlier, a shadow, mimicking a loved one, trying to draw you into the darkness.

KOWLOON

Though Kowloon is something of an open secret amongst those in Springstar, it was normally left to lay in the belly underneath the sunsoaked city topside, like an afterthought. Only those who already knew where it was, could make their way through the dangerous maze of tunnels and corridors that leads from the Springstar sewers, down into the Below, and then further into Kowloon. The Below is dangerous to all but the most powerful, as in the dark corridors, creatures lurk, and people make dens and nests within. Some will warn new bearers away, citing that there are Dark Things within the tunnels and that they don’t encourage anyone to stay down there for long. If you remain unharmonized, it's recommended that a guide assists you on the way down. Fellow shard-bearers who visit frequently are recommended, but particularly savvy types can find their way down on their own.

Kowloon itself is a thriving little beating heart underground, and much like its namesake, it truly is just a built-up city within a scant few blocks, the buildings are densely packed, and ascend to over 14 stories high. It’s massive, enough to occupy a large number of oddities, such as a hunting ground for monsters, and there are bars, clubs, casinos, and shops with wares from very nearly anywhere. Though if you ask where they get them, the owners of said establishments will dodge the question, or outright threaten you when pressed. Bearers will find that there are varying degrees of openness in Kowloon, after all. Don't ask too many questions, or you may not like how they answer. Kowloon is a place where you can satisfy your every vice, and that is meant truly. There are weapons dealers, drug halls, exotic liquors, and substances that could fill innumerable universes. Every world has its shadowy elements, and every world's shady types have made their way down here.

SETTING UPDATES

In both locations, information passes between all in a forum, spread and disseminated among the masses - it's a good opportunity for city residents, faction loyalists, and interested new parties to share and share alike. Once a day, after the meet-and-greets have concluded, twin missives from both faction leads are read out -- invitations for all present to explore the cities to their heart's content, and warnings about stumbling ill-prepared ( or at all ) into the Below, or worse yet, the Beyond. As Shard-Bearers new and old take in their cities, they'll all see it change throughout the month...

OOC, these are all updates to the setting at large that players both new and old are free to interact with as little or as much as they wish! Feel free to use them as prompts on this post, in your characters' on-going lives and arcs, or just let them go "That's none of my business" and ignore it. The world of Kenos is shaped by our playerbase, and these are some of the wider-reaching effects of various player plots and actions.

TRY TO JOT DOWN A FEW NOTES

As part of New Year's gifts to everybody, Yima and Cyrus gifted bearers with an enchanted notebook. They are embossed with your characters' names, and have some unusual properties. Bearers can now send each other little letters or notes, or they can address the group at large, should they wish to! This essentially serves as a network function. Please check out the AC requirements for more information about these special new gifts.

FRONT PAGE NEWS

After the last Oracle, both cities are abuzz with gossip. Normally, the oracle appearances were wrapped in secrecy, only the bearers themselves were privy to the internal happenings, and accounts tend to be scattered, as it's always relied on what the bearers can share. This time, the oracles were broadcast to the population at large, and bearer opinions have shifted wildly, based on how successful a bearer was. New bearers may hear the off-the-cuff snide comment about some bearers here and there, and they'll notice that the cities are not very welcoming to bearers of the opposite faction. The public opinion seems to be shifting as half of the oracles are captured, and their fates are being written by bearers new and old.

DON'T LOOK TOO CLOSE TO THE SHADOWS

Be wary, bearers. Whatever patches of darkness and shadow you encountered in the Harbinger's Labyrinth, seems to be making its way across Kenos. Things like patches of shadow against a building, the slightest flash of a familiar face rounding a corner, or even hearing your name called by a name long gone. Something is trying to reach you and tempt you to find it. The shadows are hungry. For something, and bearers new and old alike will be fine feasting for whatever reaches from the shadows. Step carefully, and watch your backs.

AAH! REAL MONSTERS

If the cities didn't have enough to deal with, Springstar is taking the most hits. The city of sun may not be dealing with as many patches of darkness (for truly, Meridian's light touches all) but that does not mean that there is no danger within the city of eternal sun. Attacks by people such as vampires, ghouls, and other intelligent, people-eating races are on the rise, and fearful whispers hint that they are coming from the Below, some even suggest that this is the hint that the balance is shifting. Kowloon has always existed with relatively little strife toward Springstar, but that seems to be changing. Be wary on the streets of Springstar, bearers, you may find that lurking around the corner are hungry murderers of varying levels of danger. The attacks are not... constant, but they have begun to increase in frequency. By this time in the month, they are moving to several times a day, and the legionnaires are having difficulty keeping up with the attacks. Even one of the more well-known Meridian higher-ups, Agapitos Voreen, has been seen fighting in the streets, flanked by his second, a large, emerald dragon-born woman. All of these combined efforts have not yet been able to turn the tide, and it's clear that Kowloon was always a threat, but one that until recently, had been kept well in hand.

OOC NOTES

Welcome to Kenos! As a reminder, all new players need to submit a request, and proceed through player screening to apply to the game. Apps are now open!

This log is Game Canon. Any characters who are not apped to the game will disappear. If Cyrus or Yima are asked, they’ll explain that this sometimes happens since not every soul has a strong tether to Kenos and sometimes return to the Timestream. They may return to Kenos one day, but for now, weren’t able to make the full journey.

As a note primarily for current players, closed toplevels/prompts are not allowed in this log. If you would like to interact with the setting changes in a way that isn't open to all characters (new and old), we ask that you instead make a log in kenoslogs.

FOR NEW PLAYERS:

When characters emerge from their cocoon/the ground, they may be wearing their normal clothes or nude. Up to you!

At some point in the days after leaving the Tree of Life, new Shard-Bearers will have a dream, even if they're usually not capable of sleeping. All new players should read this post since this details how they'll learn about both factions and their goals and should help them make a decision about which Faction they'd be drawn to.

Characters who arrive and harmonize to Zenith will receive a bonus token!

When meeting with either Cetina or Kathova, along with their shard or sunbeam, they will be given a Kenotebook! Think of this as your text-based comm. (This is also opt-out, so if you want it to not be ready/lost, go for it!) Any AC with the Kenotebook must be doubled, so make sure you are aware of that!

As a reminder, your character has a Shard somewhere on their body that encompasses their soul, so keep note of where you're sticking it on their person for reference! Additionally, they have a tattoo of their Aspect somewhere on their body. Please be mindful this Aspect will be assigned to you upon approval and whatever you choose for the TDM may be temporary (for new characters)!

For the Island Hopping prompts, all locations will be fully open and accessible to all characters once they are freed from their rather harrowing ordeal at the Tree of Life. For prompt ideas and any general information about the cities and what you can find there, please see the Locations section of our Wiki!

New characters will not have access to any canon abilities on the TDM until they Harmonize, AKA make a choice of which faction they choose to support. For some characters, this may be an easy decision, but it make take others time. We just ask you keep this in mind!

CODING

Comments

Grace (Clever primary) | Stray Gods | New Player

[diegeticmusic]

A. I Got No Roots (Bearing Fruit)

[If Grace could get through one year without some kind of earth-shattering phenomenon happening to her, that would be really great.

She comes out of the ground, then takes a moment to just sit there and try to process. The pain of her body... doing whatever it was doing (reconstituting?) is still there, the ghost of it on her skin, and she feels winded in a way she hasn't since she was still human.

Slowly, slowly, very slowly, she stands up, shakes herself off. She's still in her clothes, but they're dirty and torn. Her memories feel all jumbled up, Grace's and Calliope's, but she thinks she remembers... Hermes, bringing her a message, offering them a slice of her pizza in thanks, and then everything suddenly being ripped away, and now...

Somewhere unknown. Some new puzzle to solve. There is no inertia in the ocean.

A hand suddenly pokes through the soil, just like hers had before, and she sets aside everything she was just thinking about to help. Answers can come later.

She grabs the hand and tugs.]

B. Lore Drop (Springstar)

[This place seems jovial enough, and Grace doesn't mind stopping here for awhile while she tries to figure out what she's going to do now. If what she's heard is to be believed, her Earth is gone, and now she has to try to move on without it... or try to bring it back.

Sheesh, give her a harder conundrum, why don't you?

Of course, she's a god now, so maybe a question like this was inevitable. But she really thought she would have, you know... the whole pantheon behind her. Not just her, by herself, trying to figure out what to do.

Right now she's seated at a table in the midst of the festivities, a half-full plate of food in front of her going cold. She has her shard in her hand, tilting it back and forth in the light, taking a good look at it. Her "soul", huh...?]

I... don't even want to know what this means for the eidolon. [She sighs.] Where's Apollo when you need him...

[Thinking about Apollo makes her sad. Maybe she shouldn't dwell on her friends too long...]

C. No PSL? (Highstorm)

[Coffee. Yeah, Grace could go for some coffee right now.

She follows her nose through the Tomes (where she'd come hoping to get a few answers - thankfully there's no minotaur or furies to deal with this time), making her way to the coffee cart. The menu sure is something - Starbucks this ain't. But Grace is happy to try new things, and so she orders what looks like the least sketchy thing on the menu.

Xanadu Xing in hand, she moves off to the side to take a tentative sip. Almost immediately, her eyes go wide, savoring the taste of the best spa day she's ever had.]

...Wow. This is vacation in a cup. [She takes another sip.] Literally.

D. r/SapphoAndHerFriend (Highstorm)

[There's quite the spread here, Grace has to admit - some things she recognizes and way more things she doesn't. She picks through the selection slowly and carefully, looking for foods that are at least familiar enough that she doesn't think she'll be hit with some fun new food allergy.

It's as she's reaching for something that looks like a prawn that she's suddenly overwhelmed with a memory - one that is not hers, not Grace's, and yet entirely hers - Calliope's.

The waves lapping on the shore. The scents of hyacinth and narcissus. Stepping off the creaking boat. "I'm looking for a poet," in an old Greek no longer spoken. "Her name is..."

Grace comes back to herself and drops the prawn right back on the dish it came from.]

Did we meet Sappho!? That Sappho!?

[Oops, maybe she shouldn't say that out loud.]

[[OOC: Grace here is a Greek goddess, specifically one of the Muses (Calliope). If your character is a god themselves or otherwise attuned to divinity, feel free to notice that right away! To most people she will look like a normal human, but she will tell them what she is pretty openly - it's not a secret at her canon point.

If you'd like to plot something other than what I have here, feel free to hit me up at dandywonderous!]]

BODYSLAMS also wildcard!!

[sheezit]

[ Since catching word of new arrivals, Shez has taken it upon himself to do rounds around the Tree of Life. It's been months now, but he can still vividly recall how overwhelming it had been, the whole experience-- the suspected live burial turned rebirth, the dream, the news that his entire world was gone. He'd been fortunate to have a familiar face find him and help him acclimate, and he hates to imagine others who might have had worse luck.

He hates to imagine another familiar face could be left on their own, that another friend would think themselves alone at the end of the universe. And so, he's come.

When he spots a hand pushing out of the dirt, there's no time for a second thought: whether friend or foe, they need help, and so he dashes forth to grab it. ]

It's okay, I've got you-- [ A bit of reassurance, if they can even hear him, as he continues to pull. ] Just a little bit further now...!

very on brand

[diegeticmusic]

[She could have sworn she was in the leaves just before, but now she's in the dirt.

She struggles and struggles against it, the smell of soil rich in her nose, clumping under her fingernails (so much for her last manicure), blocking her eyes. She's scrambling, clawing, reaching her hand out for anything to grab onto-

And then a hand takes hers and pulls.

A voice she doesn't know, encouraging her on. Grace has come too far to die here, she's not ready to see the Underworld (Freddie) any time soon, so she uses the grip to pull herself up and up and out-

Blinking into the light. A tree. And some kind of scene kid in warrior cosplay.

She coughs out dirt, shaking it out of her hair. Gets another look at her rescuer. He's committed to the look, that's for sure. Or maybe...]

What... the hell was that?

B

[hauntedking]

[ Dimitri has his own plate of food that he's steadily working through - and he looks like he has an appetite, considering he's over six feet tall and broad in the shoulder. He's in a spot next to her, his attention seemingly elsewhere until he brings himself back to the present - and the new face he finds himself looking at. He arches a brow curiously. ]

The eidolon? What is that? If you don't mind my prying, in any case.

[ Well, he sounds friendly enough. ]

[diegeticmusic]

[Wow, he is pretty big. And muscular. Reminds her of Eros, just less... uh, interestingly dressed.

Anyway!

She doesn't mind the question at all; it's basically her job to explain these things at this point. PR manager for the gods - who knew that would be where her post-college life would lead her?]

Oh, it's like my soul. Well, not really my soul - Calliope's soul.

[She knows it's confusing, so she'll back up a little.]

I don't know if you know Calliope; she's a Greek god. One of the Muses, actually.

[Everyone thinks there were nine but really there were only three; not an important fact right now, so Grace lets it drop.]

The eidolon is what makes a god a god. When a god dies, they pass their Eidolon on to a successor, and they become the new god. That's me; I'm Grace. [She nods.] Muse in the line of Calliope.

B!

[wolof]

[ The words are not what catch her attention, force her to stop, and tip her head. None of the words are familiar to the Praesi, but instead it's something about the woman that makes her golden eyes narrow, her mouth parted for just a moment, before she neared. No plate of food, but an untouched flute of champagne, dressed in red and looking like someone who wanted to stand out, but her heels clicked against the ground, stopping nearby. ]

What could they do, if they were here?

[ She asked, thoughtful. She didn't know anything about this 'Apollo' of course, but there was something she couldn't shake. It is not familiarity, but... perhaps the sense of... aspects brushing against one another. There is no divinity in this woman before Grace, but there is... something. Adjacent. ]

If you don't mind me asking. They sound important to you.

[diegeticmusic]

[Grace looks up from her shard, at the woman who has addressed her, and she knows right away she senses something. At first, Grace hadn't always been able to tell who was a god from who wasn't, but over time she's gotten good at feeling it.

This woman isn't a god. At least, Grace doesn't think so. But still... she's feeling it too.

One thing Grace does know, though: that dress? Gorgeous. And she wears it well. Now Grace is feeling a little underdressed in her more simple pants and shirt.]

Apollo? Oh. [She chuckles.] Well, knowing him, he'd insist he can't do much of anything.

[He's a sad wet cat of a man, what can she say? He's come a long way, but not far enough to change that.]

But he knows more than me about... well. Basically everything. [Except modern tech, not that it matters here.] And he's the God of Prophecy, so sometimes he knows more than anyone about anything.

[Then again, his prophecies aren't always super helpful.]

d

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian always comes to these little parties. He feels it’s something of his duty as a longtime Zenite, even if he’s not one that’s bought into its promises fully… But, that’s demons for you, really. They don’t exactly advocate for causes so much as their own whims. Which, in this case, is being the picture of a perfect, formal gentleman. He’s wearing his full tailcoat for the occasion, and he’s flitted about the party to chat to people both new and old. After all, even besides the new arrivals, it’s just a chance to socialize, which he’ll never turn down.

Though eventually, he does make his way over to the food offerings. It’s not for himself (his diet tends to be much lighter), but he’s always a bit curious about what’s there. He’s quite the cook, and he likes to see what other worlds have in terms of cuisine, after all! He casually drifts closer, eyes on something very alien looking rather than Grace herself, and so he jumps a little at her sudden exclamation.

…Though at what she says, his surprise is quick to turn to an interested, friendly laugh. ]

Ah, do pardon me— [ He speaks up politely, and he gives her a little incline of his head. ] But with a name like that, I must ask… Did you? She is quite infamous where I am from!

[diegeticmusic]

[She startles, too, but of course if she's going to say something as random as that in the food line, someone's going to comment on it. Good going, Grace!

Though, actually, that this person recognizes the name Sappho definitely gets her attention. Is he from Earth? Her Earth, or...

How common is the name Sappho across dimensions? Why does she have to consider this? What is her life?

No time for spiraling, time for talking!

She smiles at the man, giving a little embarrassed shrug.]

I guess I did, but... a big chunk of my memories are missing. [It's way more complicated than that, but that's the short version.] They come back in little bursts. When I see or smell something familiar, usually.

[Like the prawns. Honey-coated seafood on the coast of the island... Definitely something she remembers.]

Infamous, though? Really? [Wasn't she just a gay poet? Man, Grace really should have paid more attention in history class.]

b

[kaientai]

[ ryouma isn't a god, but he's a guy who has dealt with enough magic and generally weird stuff to know something's worth paying attention to when he sees it. unfortunately, dealing with it doesn't make you an expert, so that's all he's got — just a feeling.

he's just passing by when he overhears her, though, so taking a couple of steps back, he swipes a drink off the tray of a passing waiter. he sips it and also helps himself to a vacant seat at the table. there hadn't been any of these festivities for him when he'd gotten here, so he might as well enjoy it. ]

Well, I don't know any guys named Apollo, but maybe I can help?

[ probably not, but he offers anyway~ ]

[diegeticmusic]

[She looks up from her shard, then goes ahead and lets it go back into her body. Probably safer than just... having it out for anyone.

She lifts an eyebrow at him, taking a sip of her own drink.]

Oh yeah? Are you just a helpful guy, or...?

[Grace is a little on guard. In her experience, people offering "help" usually want something in return...]

d

[baltimores]

[ Ohhhh, prawns are good.

... Not good (or bad??) enough to inspire that sort of reaction, though. Amos has been here for over a year now, and attending these shindigs has become something of a staple for him — for the promise of meeting new shard-bearers and hopefully helping them acclimate, as is what he feels to be duty; but also because, like. The food is pretty much always awesome.

His plate is currently empty. He'd been looking at loading more up on it — maybe the prawns, as a matter of fact — but what slips out of Grace's mouth has him looking at her curiously instead. And, okay, yeah. Looking more like a gym bro than a history guy, one could forgive him for staring at her like she's just spouted off the ramblings of a madwoman, but Sappho happens to be a name that inspires some recognition. ]

Friend of yours? [ He's still looking at her oddly, but his voice is soft enough. ] ... ain't that like, ancient history?

[ Which is really relative considering the world they currently find themselves in, let alone the ones everyone came from, but it's still a real question. ]

[diegeticmusic]

[Is it bad that she is a little surprised this guy even recognizes the name? Guess she needs to examine her own preconceptions!

That aside, guess she has to explain herself now. Sheesh, good going Grace.]

Yeah. Really ancient.

[She shrugs, only a little sheepish.]

I have... memories that go back a few millennia. I just don't have them all back yet. They hit me at weird times.

[Like right now!]

C

[sterngaze]

[The man waiting to one side of the coffee cart is pale and soberly dressed, draped in charcoal-grey robes decorated with golden yellow. He is perhaps slightly less than average height, and blends in quite effectively with the mood of the Tomes, and of Highstorm in general.

Though even here, those dark eyes of his are striking.

He has been waiting since before Grace got in line, but his hands are quite empty, clasped round each other with a steady patience that belies the faint irritation creasing his brow. He’d be reevaluating his need for a cup of coffee, if it weren’t for the fact that he’d already paid.]

Do you mind if I ask—in what way? [At least when he addresses her, the vague annoyance clears from his expression, leaving only polite interest in its place.] I haven’t yet had occasion to sample that one.

[Mostly because the barista seems inclined to take every excuse possible to avoid starting his drink.]

[diegeticmusic]

[Woof. Grace has worked enough retail jobs to recognize an unhappy customer when she sees one.

Though his irritation isn't directed at her, so Grace doesn't take it personally. She got her drink pretty quick, though... Wonder why he doesn't have his...]

It's... hard to describe? [She looks at the cup, then back at the man.] It's like, you take a sip and you just feel like you wrapped up the most relaxing spa day of your life. I didn't know coffee could do that.

[But magic is real, so it's not that surprising when she thinks about it.]

b

[damnpire]

[Very sorry that some Orpheus-looking expy appears out of the throng of sunny, bright revelry. He doesn't have any food, only himself covered from head to toe in the weirdest black, fantasy Western getup. From her angle, the pale face beneath the hat is surprisingly young for how old the ridiculous outfit makes him seem.

Physically, he can't be any older than eighteen? Weird. But the beauty he has is terribly unnatural.]

You may not want to walk around with that out.

[diegeticmusic]

[He's not quite hair metal enough to be Orpheus, but points for the scraggly black hair and commit to the color scheme.

She eyes this strange guy as he approaches her; he seems kinda... weird, even for this place. At his words, she goes ahead and returns the shard. Not because he told her to! But just, you know. In case.]

Thanks for the advice.

b

[leicesters]

Apollo, huh? Why does that ring a bell...?

[Claude's passing by, snacking on a meat skewer when he overhears Grace talking to herself -- or perhaps more accurately, to what must be her Shard. His intrigue piqued, he pauses and turns back to her.]

Is that a common name in your world, by any chance? [He remembers having read about an 'Apollo' in his studies of other worlds, but it might mean something completely different to her, so he opts to ask.]

[diegeticmusic]

Oh, it's... you know, I have no idea.

[There are definitely some people named after gods, right? Or is that super disrespectful? She's never looked into it.

She's also getting off track here.]

The Apollo I'm talking about is a Greek god. Have you heard of him?

[This guy looks human, but she can't take it for granted that he's from Earth.]

WILDCARD(I) B! feel free to sense his divinity too :>

[redsoil]

[ Apollo is a name he recognizes distantly. From reading of his world, from time to time; of the gods of Hellas, root-shaping existences that resemble Springstar's culture and language and architecture and origins so very, very much. It isn't a surprise to him, to see Greece in Springstar — any more than he had found the hint of his own sister in the depths of the beyond. The melding of the two eras as the Ptolemaiac answered a few... curiosities he held. But this young woman, of course, was a new curiosity.

He sits across from her without excuse or preamble, casting the golden laurels of his crown onto the table with a particular carelessness. Dressed in the white robes of upper-tier priests of the Church of Helios, he is a striking redhead — expression lax and engaging as he massages his temples and crosses one bare leg ( save for the golden jewelry upon his ankles ) over the other. ]

It means they're gone, but not lost forever unless you decide to ditch them.

[ Set drawls the words, clipped and rich of accent, red eyes fixing upon her in the next moment. ]

Really, it is whatever belief you can live with. Or die for. And believe me, there is little room left for those who cannot commit and embody their conviction, little god.

[diegeticmusic]

[The guy who sits across from her looks like a priest; though, there's something about him that tugs at Grace right away. Before she wouldn't have been able to notice it, but now... There's something there.

And then he calls her "little god," and it clicks. No one else so far has truly recognized her for what she is without having to be told.

She returns her shard to her body before replying.]

...So what have you committed to, since you've been here? Seems like you're wearing someone else's robes.

D.

[settingup]

[ Atsumu isn't some great scholar of Grecian literature, but he is a (now former) high schooler who had to go through a lot of basic curriculum, which did involve some very brief touching on Greek classics. The name Sappho is familiar enough, even if it's not exactly clicking into place why that might be. It's not like he would have any reason to be familiar with the variations or the term sapphic.

So he furrows his brows at Grace as she drops that prawn, and starts speaking what sounds like absolutely gibberish out loud. ]

What're you goin' on about?

weird wildcard??? idk hello!

[warmare]

[Springstar is a bustling, busy place. The streets are rarely bereft of people, and considering its essentially sunny at all hours it sometimes feels as if the city never "sleeps". But some Meri prefer to avoid the crowds when they can- and not just because they might not like people, or might even be avoiding a lot of attention in the wake of the last Oracle trial, whose broadcast had made heroes of certain shard-bearers.

- Some people have to worry about things like breaking other people's toes or accidentally trampling children who suddenly dash into the road.

The sound of hooves in this city isn't a strange one, so perhaps there's no reason to look out or feel endangered when branching off the main road onto a side street, even if its a blind turn. Except doing so... means colliding with a very solid, very tall figure who does not budge at all despite the impact.

Technically... a very tall, very solid centaur.]

B!

[aurokinetic]

[ In a city that seems Greek-inspired hearing the names of the Gods doesn't feel entirely out of place. But she thought she'd hear Helios first, not Apollo. So her head turns in the direction of the older woman. Too old to be a camper, but New Rome was a whole city so it's not entirely impossible they're from a similar place. ]

[ She tilts her head then, in question, skeptical: ]

How would Apollo help?

[ To be fair to her, her last real experience with Apollo was as a sixteen-year-old Mortal named Lester who was battling acne and turning into a zombie. ]

B

[fishfearme]

[As Grace mulled over her situation, someone was watching her closely... well, not her, actually, but rather what was in front of her. No, not her Shard either.

Her untouched food.

Eventually, though, this someone ambled over, a slim man with pale green hair and even greener eyes. Hanging at his hip was a satchel that was bulging at the seams, and the barely closed flap would let her get a glimpse of its contents. Which seemed to be... food? Food pilfered from the free buffet, in fact. He also had a plate that was shockingly full as well, and when he drew close to her side--]

Excuse me. [he pointed right at her untouched plate.] Can I have that?

[...ah.]

Please. If you're done with it.