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

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[umurice]

[The information he had learned hadn't quite sunk in yet for Hiiro. It was difficult to think about it, between trying to claw his way out of the ground, and still remembering the stars that felt like eyes that bore into him. The comfort that he felt was shortlived compared to the reality of breaking out of a coccoon, feeling off-balance. When he had left his village all those months ago, he had never imagined he would end up in a situation like this.

So when he had seen the ground shift, something-- no someone trying to break through the surface, he had reacted quickly. Whatever thoughts he had about the situation, he set aside to help.

As soon as he helps pull him out of the ground, the disc on his head confusing him for a moment, he watches him let loose his frustration, sympathizing.]

... Are you all right?

[clockpunk]

[ chrono recognises he must be being pulled from the ground, but the panic and frustration clouding his consciousness made any acknowledgement of his helper difficult.

sorry hiiro, but that disc is actually just a whorl of hair. like the universes's weirdest cowlick. don't question how it works - it was hereditary. chrono skates his hand through it (and the relatively-normal rest of his hair), dislodging roots and pebbles. ]

Is any of this alright? [ he snaps, shaking soil out of his sleeves. then, immediately feels bad about it, scowl faltering. ] ...sorry. I'm- fine.

the more i look at that whorl the more i think he has a plate on his head help me

[umurice]

Umu! You do not need to apologize for that. It is understandable that you are upset at the circumstances.

[And despite his own earlier distress, seeing someone else get angry does calm him. It was as though the universe wanted to balance out emotions, and Hiiro was glad for the distraction. His own clothes were still soiled, as he had gotten out just mere moments before Chrono started clawing his way to the surface, so he starts to pat himself down, following Chrono's example.]

I am sorry if I had been the cause of it.

im so sorry theres no helping you just get used to it. dreamwidth logo lookin ass hair whirly

[clockpunk]

No! It wasn't you. [ he tries to offer a smile, but it is weak and doesn't reach his eyes. ] Thanks for helping me out there.

[ with shaky hands chrono plucks at the sleeves of his jacket, fighting down his anger as much as he can. giving hiiro a quick once-over scan, he takes a moment to consider if he might have met this guy somewhere before. but no, this is definitely a stranger. ]

Did you... see all that, too? Hear those voices?

i misread that... the ass hair whirly... sorry

[umurice]

... Umu.

[It was a strong confirmation, and he shifts from one foot to another, looking around. There's something eerie about this place that makes him feel unsettled, even more than when he first heard the sound of cars and trains. At least there was nothing loud here, lest he acts like a fool, but he doesn't like it.]

You are very welcome! I am not certain I understand what is going on, but in any case, it seems that those voices are not hostile. Yet, I am not sure where they came from.

[He didn't know if he could take what they said at face value, after all. Then again, it's not really sinking in yet.]

In any case, this place does not feel safe. We should look around and see if there are others in a similar situation.

gonna throw myself in the ocean brb

[clockpunk]

Mm. They didn't feel bad, just confused and upset. [ and like. dude, same. ] Wonder if it was other people.

[ with a hesitant nod, chrono clambers to his feet - he's about the same height as hiiro, maybe a little shorter. he looks up at the huge tree above them with a mix of wonder and trepidation, swallowing the lump of uncertainty in his throat as a pastel beam of light passes over his face.

it reminds him too much of another rainbow-hued landscape he'd had to traverse once, climbing a staircase to nowhere. though that hadn't been a tree. ]

Right, yeah. This place is making my head hurt.

no come back i'm so sorry

[umurice]

Then we should move quickly. We might be able to find the owner of those voices along the way.

[Hiiro would appreciate his surroundings more in another circumstance, but for now, he only had one focus. Although he is not part of his village, this boy was as lost as he is. Luckily, Hiiro had all of his training to rely on, so if they ever meet anyone hostile, he can protect him.

Sorry Chrono, you have been delegated as squishy person for now.

In any case, as soon as they're both balanced, he'll start looking around, trying to determine what direction is best to go.

The answer is simple enough, it seems, when he sees people approaching from a distance.]

... Do you think they might be trustworthy?

[They're still far off, but Hiiro didn't see them climb out of anything. His senses are also a bit of a mess, but that's mostly because he's still reeling.]

this is my punishment. for card game anime protag hairstyle

[clockpunk]

[ while pretty robust for a Mostly Average Human (mostly), chrono's delinquent streak was definitely nothing in comparison to hiiro's actual training if it came to potential combat. he'd be able to hold his own in a brawl, but anything beyond a street fight-tier tussle was out of the question.

not usually one to be led, chrono nevertheless felt himself settle behind hiiro's pace slightly. his thoughts were still racing - being thrown from the conclusion of one averted apocalypse into the epilogue of another successful one would do that to you - and this other guy seemed to be more coherent, so it was probably fine to fall back for now.

hiiro's question snapped him back to attention quicker than expected. ]

Could be. Could be trouble, as well. We can hope, right?

it's ok... i'm sure the hairwhorl makes him all powerful

[umurice]

[Hiiro had the advantage of being clueless perhaps, because unlike Chrono, Hiiro's world had been small and private before he had ventured out to find his brother. Even his arrival here felt more like a dream, because he had not been surrounded with familiar faces, but just an unfamiliar territory in hopes of reaching his goal.

For him, this is simply getting sidetracked, when the situation is too astounding for him to comprehend to insanity of it. He offers him a smile now that he had found a comrade, perhaps a new friend? He severely lacks one of those.]

Umu! You are right. If anything happens, I will make sure to protect you.

... Oh! I almost forgot. My name is Amagi Hiiro. What is yours?

the true source of his strength all along.............. maybe youre onto something

[clockpunk]

I can protect myself, y'know.

[ there was no way he wasn't going to defend his pride at least a little against that kind of statement! he wasn't a damsel in distress. plus, the last time someone had gone out of their way to protect him...

chrono grits his teeth. don't think about it. just move on. ]

Shindou Chrono. Nice t'meet you, given whatever's goin' on.

the all powerful whorl... we cracked the code

[umurice]

Shindou Chrono! Fufu, it is quite an impactful name. I will remember it, Chrono.

[Sorry, first name basis on the get go. He hasn't learned Japanese city etiquettes yet.]

That said... You still look weak right now, so I am afraid you will get hurt. I cannot allow that.

[He isn't dissing him, not really. Hiiro is, unfortunately, not the most tactful person in the world. That means that he is being very honest. Well, no one has ever praised him for his sensitivity.]

if you snip it off its like a samson effect and he loses all ability

[clockpunk]

[ there's a slight frown at the casual use of his given name, but hiiro isn't the first to go straight for it. at least it's not in the middle of a card game and he's not making fun of chrono's name (not-so-)coincidentally matching his cards, unlike some people he knew. ]

O-oi, you're not that much bigger than me! I'm not so weak I can't throw a punch.

[ sure last time he recalled being in a physical fight he lost but that was against like, five adults! and he was ambushed! an outlier for sure. ]

...they're coming.

so he's disney's rapunzel

[umurice]

That's--

[He doesn't get to give a proper response to that, not when Chrono points out that they were coming. The people approaching seem to pause when they look at them, seeing their ragged appearance and the location they came from before whispering amongst themselves and running off again.

They're probably off to inform their respective leader, or vice leader, of the new people who came.

Not that Hiiro knows that. He's more focused on them running. Immediately, without even thinking about it, he chases after them. Like a predator hunting for its prey.

Sorry Chrono, hope you can keep up.]

APPARENTLY-?!

[clockpunk]

[ oh, running he can definitely do. with a noise of surprise at hiiro's sudden takeoff, chrono bolts after him. he's exhausted, and his legs burn from the exertion, but he's had to run under worse circumstances before. ]

Amagi!

[ calling after hiiro isn't meant to stop him, just let him know that chrono was still there. it was pretty rude of these people to take off bolting, but it was at least better than hostility. ]

They're... humans, right?

Redpunzel redpunzel, let down your long whorl...

[umurice]

[Intruders, that was his thought, something trained in him for so long it's more instinct than anything. Information, an afterthought, because they might know more than them.

He only snaps out of it when he hears Chrono's voice, the single-minded focus brief due to having just started out. Lucky, really, because he might have forgotten him entirely otherwise. He doesn't stop, but he visibly slows down as he turns to look at Chrono, as if realizing what he did wrong.]

Ah! Sorry. When they started running, I just reacted. I did not mean to run off without you.

[So they were meant to run together...]

...? What else would they be, if not human?

tries to unwind it and it just rewinds itself like a spring

[clockpunk]

I mean... there's no way this is Earth, right? They could be anything.

[ ticking off on his fingers, chrono starts muttering other kinds of creatures to himself. it sounds like a list of fantasy races, but he's recalling the major humanoid races of cray - the planet from the card game he plays. which also is a real planet that exists, but let's not get into that. not that he thinks this is cray either, given the whole apocalypse situation, but that's his only other frame of reference, so. ]

They could've been dryads or bioroids, since this is a big tree. But they definitely just looked human, right.

It loses 1% of its strength each centimeter you straighten it out

[umurice]

Ah, is it similar to being spirited away? The elders back home would warn the children not to wander too far, or else they may be taken by a spirit of the forest.

[Well, even if they said the worlds are destroyed and all, Hiiro is completely unaware of the concept of multiple worlds. Comes from being so sheltered they didn't even have televisions or phones. Sure, this place looks weird, but the idea that it is still a different world is hard to picture.]

Oh, but... what is a dryad? Or a bioroid?

noooo the integrity of the protag swirl--!!

[clockpunk]

A dryad is like... a nature spirit, I think? And a bioroid... is a person who is actually a plant? It doesn't really matter, though I guess those could spirit you away.

[ he doesn't sound too sure, and he isn't - this wasn't his specialty at all. he just knew all the steampunk guys from his own deck... but man, what era is this guy from if he's got village elders and stuff? hiiro's antiquated language should've been an indicator, probably, to his unusual background.

noticing that the group running ahead of them has slowed, as if expecting them to follow, chrono gestures forward to draw hiiro's attention. ]

Did they find someone else?

it is why it might remain in its natural shape... like a vortex to a new dimension

[umurice]

Hmmm... I see. Perhaps they really are dryads, and they are leading us somewhere.

[He had noticed it only after Chrono gestures towards them. Honestly, this could be a trap, but that doesn't register for Hiiro. And even if it were, they didn't really have any idea where they were, so they didn't really have a lot of options.]

Let us continue to follow them.

[Not a request, but not exactly a command. Well, maybe it is? Hiiro's already grabbing his hand, firm but not tight, tugging him along. This time, he'll make sure not to leave him.]

IMA KOSO SHIMESE WAGA SHIN NI NOZOMU SEKAI O--!!!!!!!!!!

[clockpunk]

[ chrono has walked knowingly into traps before, and he figures he's probably walking into another one, but its not like they've been given any other guidance. ]

They're probably jus-- oi!

[ the tug at his hand is unexpected, and not particularly welcome; he yanks it from hiiro's grip as if he'd been burned. it surprises chrono himself, how violently he'd recoiled, but there's such a vivid memory playing in his mind of the last time someone had taken his hand that it takes him a moment to recover enough to apologise. ]

S-sorry, it's- [ a falter, explanation dying in his throat. ] Not you. I'll follow, don't worry.

into the whorld....

[umurice]

[He jumps in surprise, not having expected that, and gives him the saddest kicked puppy look one could muster. It wasn't Chrono's fault, but he definitely is a kicked puppy now.]

You do not need to apologize! Did I scare you? Sorry, I was told I am not very good at reading others.

[The natural way he goes for it probably speaks volumes of how common it is for him to just go for it, really.]

its just ito junji uzumaki in there

[clockpunk]

[ he'd probably feel more guilty if he wasn't suddenly blinking away tears, arm still slightly raised, fingers curled inward. with a panicked look at hiiro, chrono shakes his head to clear his mind.

poor hiiro, he's just trying to be helpful. ]

S'fine. Just... remembered something.

[ someone.

he keeps walking. ]

Amagi, what's the last thing you can think of from before you woke up here?

that just makes me think of the wall hole now that's an imagery i'm stuck with

[umurice]

...? Me?

[Chrono beats him in asking the question, which was probably for the best. Hiiro wouldn't really know how to comfort him, not when Hiiro has never had anyone to comfort before. So he follows him, deciding to answer his question.]

I remember eyes. Millions of eyes in the sky where the stars were meant to be. As well as the voices we talked about.

... Is it related to that?

just his hair went through one of those and it came out like this

[clockpunk]

Kinda, but...

[ the eyes were one thing, but the hands grasping at nothing in an attempt to reach him were another. cold, chillingly so, pulling at his ankles and arms because he found it so, so hard to ignore their voices.

but none of them touched his hand. his near-final memory before the nightmare had begun was too fresh and too hopeful to be anything but painful now. ]

More like before then, before the voices started. When you were last home.

the rest of his hair learned from the sacrifice of one

[umurice]

[This time, he falls quiet, pondering it. In truth, rather than forget it, he felt like he might have been subconsciously suppressing it, or more accurately, he had been too dazed.

Being forced to think about it now, he shakes his head, swallowing.]

I remember the feeling of being chased. I do not recall by what, but it felt like a hopeless escape-- it is the first time I have ever felt such a way. Like I was running from a pack of wolves that wanted to devour me, perhaps, is the closest I can think of.