beleos: (Default)
beleos ([personal profile] beleos) wrote in [community profile] kenosooc2024-01-12 02:07 pm

JANUARY TDM + SETTING UPDATES


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 [community profile] 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
    slashing: (8)

    therion - octopath traveler - ze...nith... maybe - iconoclast (former player)

    [personal profile] slashing 2024-01-19 03:03 pm (UTC)(link)
    i. in highstorm: manor
    [ all of this talk about making a better world this, saving the world that, is a lot of bullshit. something about having your hand held by a random lady while she tells you how much shape you're going to have in a brand new world is extremely offputting to someone who has never had much of a place in any world at all, and though therion listens to yima, his doubt is so strong you could probably feel it a mile away.

    leaning against a wall, a short young man in purple crosses his arms and looks out on the crowd. it's probably better to mill around here, and after a moment, he sets out to join the main crowd, pushing himself up and off the wall and putting on a more friendly affect to his voice as he asks the nearest person with a slightly lost smile: ]
    Hey. Where's the best place to get a drink around here?

    [ I Am New, Help Me ]


    ii. tomes
    [ there really is just

    something about standing in a room full of scholars in a place called tomes, holding a coffee called "cyrus concussion". there really is. therion is just kind of looking at the menu with an expression on the (visible) part of his face that screams something between "what the fuck" and "this is the funniest thing i've ever seen in my life". it's kind of a weird facial expression to be making at a coffee.

    is he going to drink this? he has not decided. but he is just holding it. and probably holding up the line. ]


    iii. springstar
    [ unlike highstorm, springstar is a better place to be moving around for therion. why? it's not because its more his speed - surrounded by scholars and wizards? pass.

    it's because everyone here is so passionately focused on whatever the hell they're doing that it makes for a line of easy marks. do you like the things in your pockets? i hope you have high perception because a stealthy little thief is making his way through the forumlike meeting and pickpocketing like. every single person he can see, examining the goods he receives with muted interest and working on gathering a little bit of coin.

    this is the get pickpocketed prompt. at some point, you might find that something is being slipped back into your pocket? i wouldn't worry about it. ]


    iv. springstar...2
    [ getting attacked on the street by random monsters is a tragedy. are you being accosted? things might be looking kind of dire for you up against a man-eating ghoul, but out of the blue, a dagger comes flying through the air and nails the ghoul right in the chest. it stumbles backwards, and not a second later, a purple figure comes right up after it, grabbing the dagger and ripping it back outwards from the thing's chest, landing gracefully back in front of the poor soul being accosted.

    the ghoul drops to the ground and therion grips the dagger a little tighter, then quips, dry and deadpan: ]
    Gods, they're letting the monsters in the cities, now? So much for guards.

    [ and then, he glances backwards at whoever he just helped. ]

    You good?


    v. kowloon
    [ now this place is more familiar. an unguided and unharmonized shardbearer makes his way down to the Below with little effort, skulking through the tunnels like he belongs here, because in reality... he kind of does. you might find a sole shardbearer moving silently through the tunnels if you're the type of person to wander around them.

    after all, where else should a thief be but the underground? the seediest parts of the cities, the darkest little underbellies.

    or later, with his newly pocketed cash from springstar nerds, therion can be found perusing the wares of a weapons-dealer, picking up a dagger in one hand and testing the weight. ]


    There somewhere I can test this out? [ as he takes it and flips it in his hand once, twice, three times. ] Or is it a buy it and try it deal.

    [ the dealer shrugs. he takes the weapon and sighs. ] Great. Helpful. Thanks. [ and then pulls the dagger free from the sheath a bit to examine the blade. therion lolls his head to look at someone else who is currently perusing. ]

    What do you think? Worth the price?


    wildcard option.
    [ hi.. its me....sisi..... [plurk.com profile] protags as usual or discord "where's gu yun" im sorry, ]
    Edited 2024-01-19 15:06 (UTC)
    furibund: (inkonic aru nebula (7))

    iii kind of

    [personal profile] furibund 2024-01-19 11:13 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Nebula isn't blind - far from it. Giving up the life she had before doesn't mean she forgets things like this; There's a reason she's on somewhat good terms with the Ravagers. She doesn't pay attention to him at first - it's not her problem if someone's not paying attention. ]

    [ And then he gets closer and closer. She pretends not to notice, easy enough to do when your eyes don't flicker over like others do. A small blessing of the obsidian eyes her father forced upon her, maybe. ]

    [ But then he's near enough and she looks unamused as she hisses out: ]

    Try it and you won't have a hand left.

    [ It's a warning... Sorry, she's just like this. ]
    slashing: (2)

    [personal profile] slashing 2024-01-19 11:27 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ sometimes your steal rate for an item is 3% but you try it anyway...........

    tch. well, it's unusual for therion to get caught but it does happen - he glances over at this woman who is... very blue, which is not exactly normal for orsterra, and then raises both of his hands up in the universal gesture of Backing Off. there's a bangle not unlike a shackle from a pair of handcuffs around one of his wrists. ]


    No idea what you mean. [ there's like the hint of the edge of amusement to the way therion says that, like he knows for a fact that she knows exactly what he was up to. the threat is heard, though so he does not attempt to pickpocket the blue lady. ] That bad of a party, huh?

    [ no. well. maybe? ]
    furibund: (inkonic aru nebula (49))

    [personal profile] furibund 2024-01-19 11:53 pm (UTC)(link)
    Keep it that way.

    [ If she notices the bangle, she says nothing on it. It wouldn't be the first time she'd met a criminal - it also wasn't like she didn't have a list of atrocities piled high to match. She pays it no mind as she folds her arms across her chest. ]

    [ A twitch at the corner of her mouth the only real indicator of bemusement as she raises and lowers one shoulder in a shrug: ] I don't have much use for parties.

    [ Not a lie. ] Good thing it's for you guys and not me. Seems like you're accomplishing something.
    slashing: (14)

    [personal profile] slashing 2024-01-20 12:09 am (UTC)(link)
    [ there's a scoff of a laugh to that, too, as he glances back out on the crowd, dropping his hands into his pockets. ] Somehow, I seriously doubt it's for me, either.

    [ nobody's inviting therion to a party because they want him to be there, or... at least if they are, it's because they have no idea who he is yet. it feels a little like standing in the ravus house, being surrounded by all of these fancy people, and honestly? he could live without that feeling. someone like this, who is a little more rough and tumble is much closer to his vibe.

    which. the implication of the statement, his own little remark aside, is not lost on him, and therion cants his head a little to the side, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. ]


    You been here a while?
    furibund: (pic#16869620)

    [personal profile] furibund 2024-01-20 12:18 am (UTC)(link)
    You'd be surprised.

    [ Her answer is immediate and just as dry, but it's impossible not to recognize the ill-amusement there. Springstar wasn't the first place to recognize her deeds and receive it with some absurd amount of fanfare; If it wasn't gifts of goats it was eyeball shaped food. The universe was weird about who they considered their saviors, no matter where you were. ]

    [ And Nebula eternally felt she wasn't worth that kind of praise or attention. Thankfully, the attention is on the newcomers more than those who had any kind of feats in the last Oracle. ]


    [ She can pretend to scare people away as she rolls her eyes: ]

    Longer than I'd like on this miserable planet.

    [ Planet... Island. It's all the same in the end. ]
    And in some eyes, not long enough.

    (no subject)

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    zauneyete: (I'm this close)

    v ............im sorry sisi...............

    [personal profile] zauneyete 2024-01-20 07:53 am (UTC)(link)
    [ It's always interesting how the new ones find their way down to Kolwoon so rapidly, especially since not that long ago, Kowloon had been something of a dirty little secret. The city itself is dark, dank, and a scant few blocks of nearly floor-to-ceiling buildings, and the tight, cramped streets between the buildings were littered with shops and stands galore, everything from food, to stolen goods, to weapons and other such items. This one stand is littered with knives and weapons, everything one could need for engaging in... well. The sorts of things Kowloon was known for.

    The man is turned, so Therion only sees a normal profile, talking to someone else behind the counter, a hand outward, gesturing for something, before the man nodded, and then a small packet (of what is presumably money) exchanged hands. He was paying the other attendant a lot of money. For what, it isn't clear. There is no product.

    He'd just been turning to go, when Therion starts asking questions, and he paused.

    Unfortunately, that gives him the full benefit of Silco's mismatched gaze, half unblinking. His lips curled, before he answered:
    ]

    It's fair enough, considering your other options. [ Though he wouldn't admit it if it wasn't, given that he'd just given them a lot of money, which had to be for weapons. ]

    If you want to test it out, I would suggest Ryad, but... [ A twitch of his lips. ] It's not for the faint of heart.
    slashing: (14)

    never apologize..... kisses this stinky man

    [personal profile] slashing 2024-01-20 02:59 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ huh. well. sometimes you see blue people. sometimes you see... whatever this guy is. though, therion is much less concerned with the guy's appearance than anything else at the moment - it gets filed away somewhere in the back of his "im from fantasy medieval times" file in favor of that transaction.

    therion is subtle - it's kind of his thing - and therefore, there's no hint or obvious signs that he watched the transaction that just took place, but he did. now that's interesting. somehow, he highly doubts that was just random charity; this guy gives off the vibes of someone generally bad, but, hey, that's what he's used to. and besides, being new here, any information is good information for now.

    so. the comment - there's a snort, and he gives the dagger another flip, then sets it down, picking up another to test the balance in his left hand. ]


    Yeah? [ he's probably being baited, here. ] Figure anybody who shows up somewhere like this [ kowloon, for all of its dirt and darkness, a place that seems like it's soaked in blood, ] isn't very [ one handed air quote ] "faint of heart". What's Ryad?
    zauneyete: (Are you actually for real?)

    😳

    [personal profile] zauneyete 2024-01-21 06:49 pm (UTC)(link)
    No, you are correct. Kowloon isn't for those who want to spend time in the sun, or under the moon's watchful gaze.

    [ It feels like home to him, Kowloon. This man fits in here, and it's obvious from the way he moves to the way others move around him, he's deeply entrenched, and possibly a local, from the look of him. No shard to speak of, but then again, the man is dressed from his neck down to his shoes, every last scrap of skin covered. Even his hands are gloved. ]

    If you have made it here, and aren't already in trouble, then you're doing pretty well, for a newcomer.

    [ Well, only newcomers didn't know what Ryad was. ]

    Ryad is where there are no rules. Even here, if you stab someone, you'll likely see trouble and consequences for it. Ryad is...for those who hunt, for those who need to consume flesh and those who need to satiate their bloodlust.

    And of course, the over-eager fools who step in, thinking they are invincible, of course.

    [ A laugh, like it's ironic. ] I suppose I was downplaying it a touch, hm?
    slashing: (37)

    😘

    [personal profile] slashing 2024-01-21 08:11 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ well. yeah, the vibes on this guy sure are something, but it's not like he's unused to dealing with this kind of thing. and besides, therion's on his guard every waking moment of his life. he's got twenty two years of practice.

    so, he listens. some kind of lawless wastepit, huh? aside from the consuming flesh bit, it's really not that different sounding from the seedier parts of home. there's no laws anywhere when the guards are paid off, after all. and besides, it connects to some of the information he's heard topside, some of the murmurs around the meridian city.

    therion flips the dagger he was testing in his hand with the sheath on, once or twice, the motion practiced and professional. silent, as he ponders this, and then, eventually: ]


    So, what are you, its advertising committee? [ dry as a desert. ] Or just trying to catch free entertainment from an 'over eager fool' or two?
    zauneyete: (heh heh)

    [personal profile] zauneyete 2024-01-23 06:33 am (UTC)(link)
    You did ask where to try it out, didn't you?

    [ He asked, with a dismissive shrug. ]

    I'm merely... well. I suppose you could call me a local by now.

    [ Not quite, since he didn't sleep down here in Kowloon, but the bonus of alleviating his discord, something that threatened to simmer beneath his skin constantly, and he couldn't afford to stay away from Highstorm so long anymore. Not if he wanted to remain relatively normal. He felt it burgeoning, threatening to burst free like a hand breaking the still surface of water.

    Too many things threatened to close in on Silco, even now. Too many pots threatened to boil over, too many things that the man tried to balance, but parts were crashing down. He could feel it, Sebastian would find his prey soon. He would die. He would leave his —

    No. His lips tightened into an inauthentic smile.
    ]

    I know most of the sights of our fair underground.

    [ "Fair" ]

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    baltimores: (069)

    i

    [personal profile] baltimores 2024-01-20 12:39 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Yeah, that initial body language and reaction to Yima hasn't gone unnoticed.

    But! It's also a big and weird new situation for any newcomer, and so Amos figures hey, sure. Everybody's got their reasons to react however they're gonna. He's been here a long time now, which means this is all just standard to him. Absolutely no reason to expect the same from a newcomer.

    His smile is more in the eyes, though. Just a guy who doesn't really smile all that much, even though he wants to help. That's what he's here for! That and the food, which is presently irrelevant. ]


    I mean, I figure the selection here's pretty good, but... hm. [ Pause for contemplation. ] Depends what you're thinking. Bathhouses got some relaxing stuff... I think the place by the libraries has some new stuff? Arena's pretty much always got good shit on tap. Or if you just wanted to go barhopping, then... shit, wouldn't be the first time I ditched one of these things early. You really can't go wrong anywhere here.

    [ Maybe anywhere and everywhere is the best place to get a drink in Highstorm... it's clearly the perfect place, so like, ]
    slashing: (3)

    [personal profile] slashing 2024-01-20 03:02 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ i love you amos. puts my hands on his face

    now this is an answer. therion raises an eyebrow as the guy starts to go on - by the end of it, there's a little twinkle of amusement in his visible eye, a wry curl to his words. ]


    I was thinking a tavern. [ a bathhouse... nah, probably not going to get anything useful, there. a library, maybe, but it'll be full of batty scholars. arena... like victor's hollow: maybe some promise. but, what he needs is a local spot. ] Getting kinda tired of shmoozing around this crowd.

    [ a beat. ] You sound like a local.
    baltimores: (095)

    [personal profile] baltimores 2024-01-21 10:50 am (UTC)(link)
    [ <3~

    Therion asked, and a comprehensive answer he was going to get. Gotta pump up all of the benefits Highstorm has to offer to the new guys. It's also all true. And as far as Amos knows, he really is just inquiring about good drinking spots for the purpose of drinking — it's something he would have done, were their positions reversed.

    Hell, he probably would have gotten tired of the crowd, too. As much as he loves the place, is pleased to call it home, a gathering like this isn't quite his speed. More pomp and circumstance than he'll indulge, even under the best of circumstances — technically wearing all black counts as formal, but that's as far as he's gone.

    So he's absently nodding along, trying to think of the closest tavern near here, when Therion continues — he sounds like a local.

    A blink. And then he still isn't really smiling, but his eyes crinkle a little more. It's a... really nice thing to say? ]


    I guess you could call me that. [ He brings up a hand to rub at the back of his neck, a little sheepish at the notion, but it is accurate. ] I've been living here for over a year now. Figure that's plenty of time for me to be naturalized, yeah. Or at least means I know where everything is.

    [ Like, well, taverns. Just inadvertently selling his own tour guide abilities now though. ]
    slashing: (38)

    [personal profile] slashing 2024-01-21 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ oh the alfyn energy on this guy. one of those types. making it sound like a compliment isn't the intention, really, but, hey. if the guy likes it, that's a boon for therion, who needs all the information he can get. might as well work the mark entirely: besides, he's not unaware of the fact that being in either of these cities feels a little like being courted.

    so he smiles, friendly and pleased, natural as can be. ]


    Yeah? Hey, just the kinda guy I need. [ thanks amos!! you're a pal. ] I just got here, myself. Still trying to get the lay of the land, you know? See the sights.

    [ like taverns. ] If you've got any tips, I'd appreciate 'em.
    baltimores: (117)

    [personal profile] baltimores 2024-01-23 11:20 am (UTC)(link)
    [ Absolutely nothing is amiss! Amos has met a curious and friendly newcomer. This is all normal, and so he carries on amiably, momentary sheepishness aside. Back to business! ]

    I know exactly what you mean. Well, trust me, it's a great place to live.

    [ Tips, though. Hmm... ]

    Well, you choose to stay here, and you'll get a place to stay at Yima's. [ He tilts his head back towards the manor; that Yima's. She's the best. ] Doesn't take that much to get used to the whole always night thing here, [ says the guy who spent like 20+ years in space and has not had a proper frame of reference in forever, ] but when you harmonize you can learn some magic, even if that wasn't a thing you could do before. I couldn't, but I've picked up a lot — including this.

    [ And he takes a second to cast a dancing lights spell, conjuring four orbs of light just above them. Lightening up the space around them a little bit more, really. ]

    Pretty useful, I figure, though there's plenty more you could learn, like creating fire or whatever. You have anything you always wanted to do? Might be able to here.

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    kinaesthesia: (4)

    ii

    [personal profile] kinaesthesia 2024-01-20 11:25 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Most who were passingly aware of the boisterous archosauria woman would probably be surprised to find her in a place like the Tomes. But while it’s not a frequent stop of hers, she does like to pop in from time to time to poke around through the books. Mostly for anything relating to medicine or local remedies, but sometimes the odd adventure story.

    So the new offering of drinks certainly catches her eye—and gets something of a laugh at the names up on the signboard—prompting her to slide in line to maybe give one a try for the hell of it. Which seems like a great idea until someone holds up said line, coffee already in hand and an odd expression on his face. There’s only a mild bit of annoyance present in the way her tail flicks behind her, but more than anything, she’s kinda curious about what his deal is.

    She gives him a (little too hearty) pat on the shoulder, leaning in close to get a look at that cup in his hand.]


    Y’know, it ain’t gonna bite you if you take a sip.
    slashing: (15)

    [personal profile] slashing 2024-01-20 11:54 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ gods. the cyrus concussion. he's still staring at the sideboard, though he does notice when someone's all up in his business - therion doesn't move, at least not at first, not really caring at the moment. it's an adjustment period, okay? sometimes you're considering the world and also the fact that this weird place has a coffee named after someone who has probably given himself a multitude of concussions. who would probably say things like why-this-is-a-scholars-PARADISE-therion. ugh. insufferable.

    --aaand then, therion gets a hearty pat on the shoulder. to say he jumps like a startled cat is not at all an exaggeration, jerking two steps to the left immediately, out of the way, and giving off the aura of... an offended cat. the look on his face goes to a glower, and he practically hisses: ]


    Watch it. [ you were the one standing there like a clown therion but ok. his drink spilled onto his hand and he hasn't even really noticed. ]
    kinaesthesia: (2)

    [personal profile] kinaesthesia 2024-01-21 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
    [When he hurriedly jerks away, all it really gets from her in response initially is a blink of surprise and a half a step back. Girl, why are you surprised that you’ve startled someone who was standing there practically disassociating when you get all up in their space??? But her eyes narrow at that tone of his in particular, and she crosses her arms a little defiantly over her chest. The annoyed sway of her tail is back and more apparent now as she stares him down.]

    Maybe you should watch where you’re standing, huh?

    [Nevermind that she made him spill his drink a little there—she’s not gonna take any attitude, regardless of how deserved it may or may not be.

    The scene they’re making is no doubt beginning to draw a few eyes, but if Gavial has noticed, she sure as hell doesn’t show it.]
    slashing: (8)

    im so sorry

    [personal profile] slashing 2024-01-21 12:26 am (UTC)(link)
    [ a normal person would probably not be like this but is therion octopathtraveler normal? no

    anyway she's right he really was just being an obstruction so he has zero rights to be snippy either and yet. And Yet here we are!! he scowls from behind his scarf, shoulders hunching up a little further. if he has noticed his companion's extra appendages he says nothing of them yet. ]


    You ever heard of "excuse me"? [ he doesn't raise his voice but it is so sassy. ] Real common phrase people say sometimes.

    [ as if therion has any manners. he has zero manners. ]
    kinaesthesia: (35)

    sldjfkdj they're making beautiful first impressions

    [personal profile] kinaesthesia 2024-01-21 12:57 am (UTC)(link)
    [Mannerless force meets mannerless unmovable object.

    Which is to say, Gavial takes those two steps forward to eliminate the distance his initial startled response put between them, glaring at him over that scarf of his. The urge to just pick him up and toss him aside is building.

    Lucky she has enough self-control not to resort to that. Yet.]


    You don’t say. [Mmm, the palpable sarcasm.] Well, excuse me, mister. Last I checked, it's common courtesy to get out of the line once you get your drink.

    [She truly hadn't even cared a few moments ago... the power of giving her an attitude.]

    sweats

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    okay my turn for sorry lmao

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    HELP

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    damnpire: (pic#15946972)

    🧍‍♂️...

    [personal profile] damnpire 2024-01-21 03:06 pm (UTC)(link)
    [SOMEONE is down in Kowloon where they aren't supposed to be!! Which is very funny considering the person Therion speaks to looks like the epitome of someone who would, in fact, live in Kowloon.

    A very tall--man?--head to toe in black. Black fitted leather, a long black cape, a black HAT! The only thing visible about him is his unnaturally beautiful and equally as unnaturally pale face beneath the hat and between the curtain of dark hair.

    A pair of rust-colored eyes regard the dagger with a surprisingly clinical glance. It isn't anything like the long sword hanging from his own back.

    In a soft, deep voice oddly unfitting for some beautiful DND goth, he says:]


    They're marked up, but you will need it here.
    slashing: (36)

    hello.............

    [personal profile] slashing 2024-01-21 04:14 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ immediately taking one look (up... probably very far up...) at this guy and assigning him weirdo. ]

    No kidding. [ this response is as dry as physically possible as therion tests the weight of his dagger in his hand, turning his attention back to it specifically. it's hard to tell if the comment is to the 'you'll need it here' or the bit about the price being marked up, though it's not that the latter really matters. if it's too much he'll just abscond with the five finger discount like everything else he does.

    yet, despite the nonchalance, all of these little details don't go unnoticed - the sword, the assessment of the weapon. it's not unusual. despite therion's preference and penchant for a dagger, he's just as good with a sword. ]
    Do I have 'newbie' written on my forehead, or something?
    damnpire: (pic#15946980)

    hehe

    [personal profile] damnpire 2024-01-21 06:32 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Good, thank you, he is a weirdo.

    After peering at Therion, D lowers his head a bit again, obscuring the top half of his face with the brim of the hat. It is difficult to hide even in Kowloon when you very clearly have a certain aesthetic and a prominent face.]


    A few people have been emerging from the Tree. Not many make it to Kowloon for weaponry without already having one.

    [Not that Therion doesn't already have a kidney ripper in a back pocket or something.]

    I'd be careful here, if I were you.
    slashing: (37)

    💖

    [personal profile] slashing 2024-01-21 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ this is the second time now someone has approached to give therion some kind of warning about this place. who knows if its out of the kindness of their hearts, or the nosiness of their business, or the gods only know what else, but one thing is clear: they don't know him at all.

    and that's fine. he doesn't think he really gives off any aura besides "street rat", from the moth-bitten poncho and the clothing holding on by threads to the cadence and attitude he carries himself with when he's not pretending to be someone else, but here we are. in reality: therion's been more 'comfortable' in kowloon so far than any of the cities topside.

    so he regards this warning for a long moment and fixes d with a look, like he's garnering a full understanding of him and his bearings before he snorts. warn him, he says. ]
    Oh yeah? Why's that?

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