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

III

[kinaesthesia]

[Gavial doesn’t always pay the most attention to the brush of Communion in her mental space when it crops up from an unfamiliar presence, but the feeling of pain that accompanies it and the particular request that he makes has her immediate attention.

So the response he gets comes with the brash and concerned feeling of someone getting right up in his space.]

Got yourself in some trouble, I take it? What happened? I should be able to help.

[ex_fend346]

[ His first response is something akin to a sigh of relief. Subaru isn't unaccustomed to speaking with his mind, having relied on telepathy as his only means of communication for too long, so he doesn't miss a beat in responding. ]

I underestimated the limits of my present condition... But that woman was in danger, so it couldn't be helped.

[ As such, even as the pain refuses to abate, he feels no regret. ]

[kinaesthesia]

Well, good job playing hero at least.

[The words are genuine; helping someone in a bad situation is always commendable in her eyes, even if things go a little awry.]

Let me take a guess—you’re somewhere in Springstar, right?

[ex_fend346]

For the time being, yes. I didn't want to alarm anyone, but the crowds haven't thinned.

[ This, oddly enough, sends more concern rippling through their Communion than the pain of his self-inflicted injury does. ]

[kinaesthesia]

[There’s the mental equivalent of a raised eyebrow at that wave of concern. Maybe not one for crowds, then? Or the trouble it’d come with, considering the state of things…]

Yeah, the place is pretty bustling most of the time. Not even all the trouble going on there lately is gonna make people get scarce.

Luckily, I’m still in town for a few more days. I can come and take a look at you.

[ex_fend346]

[ In due time, it may become apparent that he prioritizes others over himself. Very healthy behavior. ]

I'd be grateful, if it isn't too much trouble... Though at the moment, I don't have much I could offer in exchange.

[ A measure of what might just be guilt accompanies those words. He comes from a universe in which everything has a cost, after all. ]

[kinaesthesia]

[And she comes from a universe in which she strong-arms stubborn (read: fearful) cohorts into getting care, so something like that doesn’t even cross her mind.]

Eh, don’t worry about that sorta thing. I’m not in the habit of just letting people run around with injuries if I can help it. Kinda the whole reason I’m in Springstar right now to begin with.

[Guilt or no guilt, no wayward patients allowed!]

[ex_fend346]

I also came here to help, though I've not been much good so far.

[ If he were as he should be, he could do so much more. At the moment, he supposes there isn't much for it.

As she has graciously offered her aid, he should gratefully accept. ]

Where should I meet you?

[kinaesthesia]

Well, let’s get you healed up so you’ll be in better shape to help out again.

[Really though, she’s pleased to hear of another person determined to lend a helping hand out here. Clearly the place needs it…]

As for meeting up… Over by the park might be good, if it isn’t too far from you. At least it’ll give you a little break from the crowds, yeah?

[ex_fend346]

[ For several moments he's silent. The quiet doesn't feel empty, however, because he's assessing. Can he avoid the people crowding the streets, rather than anyone spotting his hand...? ]

I should be able to get there in around ten minutes, if that's alright.

[ He'd be so much faster if he wasn't in such odd shape. ]

[kinaesthesia]

I'll be there. Just look for the gal with green hair and a beautiful tail.

[And then as if only just realizing why he might've needed to take a moment to assess, she adds after a beat:]

I dunno what kinda shape you're in though. If it's too much trouble, just say the word and I can come to you.

[ex_fend346]

A beautiful tail... [ He muses, wondering what that will look like. ] I'll do just that.

[ Seeing as he is fully ambulatory, and she has offered him help, going to her makes the most sense. ]

It's just that my hand doesn't look... I don't want to cause anyone undue concern, so I'll keep it out of sight as best I can.

[kinaesthesia]

Alright. Just shout if you need me.

[And she’ll let the mental connection easily sever for the moment, focusing on heading over to their destination.

What he’ll eventually find if he gets there without much trouble is Gavial standing alert alongside one of the gazebos (conveniently vacated thanks to the presence of this troublesome Zenite) not far off from a main pathway, healing staff held in hand and idly tapping against one shoulder. She’s keeping a lookout for anyone with any obvious injuries—or obviously trying to hide injuries. He mentioned the hand, so that’s the main focus she takes as golden eyes search about.]

[ex_fend346]

[ Guess who ended up being an Advocate, so Gavial got a nice strong impression of how bad his booboo hurts oops...

Subaru may well spot Gavial first, if only because he steps out from the cover of a cluster of trees and has the good fortune of immediately spotting her tail at a distance. He veers right in her direction, dressed as though he were on his way to some formal event, full suit and beyond ground-length cape making his approach very easy to spot. It's a lot of black amidst the sun-drenched greenery.

He has, as casually as he might manage, tucked his injured hand in the obscuring folds of that cape, for it drapes more heavily on that side. ]

[kinaesthesia]

[How handy, for a doctor to know exactly where on the pain scale her patient is…

His approach after spotting her is what gets her attention; footsteps on grass are an easy thing to notice when on alert. So she whirls to seek out the source and… well, she might be smirking a little when she gets a load of his getup there. Extremely dressy, and extremely warm, considering the summer months here in Springstar. But at the very least she can say that the cape is good for keeping wandering eyes from lingering on an injury.

And she’s confident she’s got the right guy even so, thanks to that familiar mental feeling of one Advocate brushing up against another. Gavial gives a half-wave half-salute with her staff to make sure she’s got his attention, then motions back toward the gazebo behind her with her other hand.]

Hey there! Let’s grab a seat in the shade, yeah? Lemme get a look at you.

[ex_fend346]

[ Subaru follows her indication, noting the odd, pronounced mental impression of her presence. It's something that will take adjusting to, accustomed to his twin being the only comparable experience. Things were simply like that, due to what they both are. In this place, that distinction seems to be gone altogether. ]

Sorry to keep you waiting.

[ He dips his head politely when he reaches her before stepping into the gazebo. The shade comes as an immediate relief. Though he and Kamui had last been in a desert world, Subaru had spent most of his stay beneath the surface. Underwater, for that matter.

Once he halts, he lifts his arm, and the source of his pain is obvious. Fingers bent at unnatural angles, the black leather of his glove quite possibly the only thing preventing them from looking worse. Subaru hadn't dared attempt to peel it off, lest he somehow exacerbate the problem.

All things considered, it should be a feat that he maintains his composure, but that's just how Subaru is. ]

Normally using the amount of force I did, or more, wouldn't have harmed me.

[kinaesthesia]

[His apologies garner a dismissive wave of her free hand as she follows alongside him into the shade. No use for saying sorry about time taken to travel, particularly when nursing a painful injury. He’s gone out of his way to seek her out rather than running in the opposite direction, so he’s already earned himself more points than quite a few of the operators she used to work with back home.

And as soon as he reveals the beat up state of his hand, she can’t help the impressed whistle she automatically gives in response. Yeah, alright, he really wrecked that thing good. She reaches out without preamble to quite firmly grab him by the forearm to get a closer look, glancing up his way when he explains that enough force to get this result typically wasn’t a big deal for him.]

Guessing since you’re new, you haven’t thrown your lot in with either side here yet, yeah? [The newness itself isn’t even in question; she’d instinctively recognized him as an Advocate, while simultaneously knowing he’s one she’s never seen before.] Can’t tap into your full power until you attune to the forces running things around here, annoying as it is.

[ex_fend346]

[ Subaru offers no resistance, allowing his arm to be tugged or maneuvered whichever way so she can better assess his injury. At the least, he knows it doesn't look pretty. High as his tolerance for pain is, usually he'd be healing on his own by now. ]

Is that so...? [ He considers the notion, frowning in thought. ] I've never been affected that way in other worlds.

[ The words come easily enough. Subaru has no reason to be secretive regarding the fact that he did travel to other worlds before all this, given that everyone's made aware others exist by virtue of arriving here. Of all those worlds, none had purported to be the very last, nor had they tried to conscript him into a war. ]

That's one way to force someone's hand, I suppose.

[ No pun intended. ]

[kinaesthesia]

[Intentional or not, it gets a mildly amused snort in response from her.

Perhaps a year ago she might’ve been more surprised to hear of someone arriving here who’s already experienced with traveling to other worlds. Now, though? It’s something to note, but little to find shocking. Way too much going on here to be fazed by something like that.]

Couldn’t tell you why it’s like that here, just that it’s true. Wanting to get my healing skills back is what got me to first pick a side, way back when.

[Speaking of: she raises the staff in her hand for a brief moment, the soft green glow of her Arts enveloping it for a flash. It’ll ease the discomfort in his hand temporarily, but not much else for the moment. She releases his arm and shrugs her bag from her shoulder to place it on the table here under the gazebo's shade, along with her staff.]

Alright. Unfortunately, I gotta get those fingers of yours properly set before I can go healing in earnest here. I suggest you brace yourself.

[He gets the warning only because he’s being cooperative. Gavial is not known for being gentle.]

[ex_fend346]

[ So he would have to choose a side in order to be whole again. Well, as whole as he can be in absence of Kamui. They've never been separated in such a way, and the absence of his twin is like missing half his limbs. There isn't anything he can do about that just now, save surviving long enough to find him.

When the pain abates, surprise flits across his features, eyes widening for a moment. Magic is nothing new, yet that insistent pulsing throb had worn on so long he'd begun to get used to it. In absence of that, he's relieved, though his expression sobers soon thereafter. ]

I understand. I've had worse, so I won't make it difficult.

[ He says this with the certainty of age and experience that his youthful features belie, lips set in a determined line, and he braces himself. ]

[kinaesthesia]

That’s music to my ears.

[The fact that he won’t make it difficult for her, not the, uh, not the other part. But she doesn’t bother clarifying, nor does she give a warning when it’s time to get this done. In her experience, it’s best not to let people get too tense when something painful’s about to come their way (and sometimes, well, the courtesy just doesn’t even cross her mind.)

One hand bracing his in a sturdy grip, the moment she sees that he’s braced for it, her other gets to work straightening those crooked fingers. Quick and efficient motions punctuated with the pop of joints resetting.

When all is said and done, she gives him an assessing glance.]

That’s the worst part, at least. You good?

[ex_fend346]

[ Pain sears through his awareness with each pop, though with it comes a certain worry. Subaru is accustomed to telepathy, to controling what he conveys to others. Whatever he's able to do here isn't quite the same, and the thought of burdening someone who's helping him is concerning enough to compete with his discomfort.

He's like this.

His first answer to Gavial's question is a stiff nod, not trusting his voice until he's had a few moments to compose himself. ]

I'm alright. [ He offers her a smile, and while it's brittle, it's no less sincere for it. ] Thank you for your help.

[kinaesthesia]

[Okay, this might be the first time she’s aiding a wounded Advocate, so it’s an odd sensation to be aware of each spike of pain and his valiant efforts at keeping composed through it. The fact that she’s used to treating people in various levels of discomfort (and that she’s also no stranger to injuries herself) at least means that it does little to throw off her composure. And it also means she knows she’s getting an honest answer from him before she continues.]

Great! [A flash of a smile as she looks over his hand to make sure everything is in order, then she gives him a hearty encouraging pat on the shoulder and reaches for her staff once more.] And don’t sweat it. It’s kinda my job, so I’m glad to help out.

[And then the resurgence of that green glow of her healing Arts brightens the shaded space there under the gazebo just slightly. That hand of his should be feeling better in no time.]

[ex_fend346]

Your job...

[ He echoes the words, already deciding that he will indeed need to repay her when he has the means to do so. It's a kindness, helping him now, when he has nothing to offer. If it is her vocation, surely she ought to be compensated then.

For now, he turns his attention to his hand, observing the way her magic washes over it. Because he usually heals swiftly on his own, it's a novel experience to require a healer's care. ]

Did you tend to the injured in your world, then?

[ The answer seems obvious when she clearly knows her way around all this, but he asks all the same. ]

[kinaesthesia]

Sure did. Most injuries I tended to deal with on the battlefield, but I helped out some who were sick too.

[Her work is a topic she is always more than happy to talk about, particularly from someone who is both taking it seriously and being a very cooperative patient. So congrats Subaru, she likes you already.]

Nothing else I wanted to do more, really. [Which is saying a lot, considering her love of a fight.] Here—

[She lets her Arts fade, leaning her staff against her shoulder. Her own hand gets raised, the fingers clenching and unclenching in demonstration.]

Gimme an easy flex, tell me how it feels.