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

II

[kinaesthesia]

[Gavial has never exactly enjoyed these little get-togethers thrown in front of the manor whenever a new batch of fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on how you look at it) souls start popping up from amidst the roots of the Tree en masse. Free food’s always great, sure, but the atmosphere is always way too stuffy for her tastes.

Things are a little different this time around. She’s been getting used to keeping a keener eye on the surroundings than she used to, considering the way the shadows are still doing the whole spooky nonsense thing they’ve been doing since the last Oracle contest came to an end. Just another thing to get her real annoyed with the perpetual darkness around Highstorm—way more hiding spots for those than out in Meridian’s territory.

But the extra vigilance means she’s noticed the way Yima’s attendants have been far too mindful about those drifting beside the reflecting pools for too long. All it takes is seeing the careful but insistent explanations they give a few times to get the idea in her head to stick around for a while and make sure any wayward folks don’t go poking a little too deeply around the pools. It beats trying to make small-talk with most of the party-goers; a lot of them aren’t exactly happy about hearing her help out with things in Springstar recently.

And honestly, she doesn’t really expect that she’ll actually have to herd anyone away from the enticing pull of the waters, and yet here she is, yanking someone back none too gently and parroting the spiel she’s heard the attendants patiently give again and again. And—yeah, she can’t exactly blame him for the incredulity there. It sounds a little more insane when she’s saying it out loud herself.]

Yeah, there’s been all kinds of weird nonsense going on around here lately.

[She sits back down along rustic stone bordering along the edge of the pool, careful to let her crocodilian tail settle along her side away from the water.]

Thing with the water’s new, as far as I know. But I wouldn’t go pushing your luck.

[semicharmed]

[ Stunned and alarmed as Matt is, he can't fail to notice the movement of something ridged and reptilian. His first thought is "snake??" before the part of his brain always attuned to body language notes a strange congruity between the tail's movement and his savior's posture.

Well. A lot of the people here look different than he's used to. ]

Ah--well. Thank you. [ Through a frown. The housekeepers who largely raised Matt instead of his parents would consider "thank you for saving me from the eldritch water beings" as the bare minimum here, and it's something he can manage while he digests the rest of what she's said. ] I've gotta be honest, a lot of this feels like weird nonsense to me. With a dose of Kali Yuga? But I did just arrive here.

[ He looks into his new companion's face, trying to gauge what emotions might lie behind the words. But that's never been Matt's wheelhouse. ]

If you don't mind ... could you tell me what you feel like constitutes weird versus normal around here? [ He sweeps a hand towards the pool. ] We'll take this as read.

[kinaesthesia]

[There’s a flash of a smile at the thanks, her posture seemingly relaxed for someone doling out friendly warnings of dangers in the water and other weird phenomena. Well, that and she might seem to be a little cold; winter has never much agreed with her—perhaps unsurprisingly, considering her reptilian appendage—and Highstorm’s winter is in full swing around this time of year.

It’s getting close to a year since she first arrived here herself, so she’s getting pretty good at reading unfamiliar faces as new arrivals. Probably helps that a lot of them tend to look lost, sure. But even if he hadn’t outright stated it, the questions sure hammer the point home.]

Yeah, I feel you. You’ll get used to it, but a lot of it still feels pretty odd when you think about it.

[She points up at the sky where twin moons shine with subdued brightness over the courtyard.]

The perpetual night here in Highstorm? Cities on floating islands and people sprouting out of the dirt at an enormous tree? Weird, but normal.

[Fingers tap along the stone near the water then, and she pauses for a moment as she looks out over the mingling crowds nearby.]

Aside from this… shadows have been acting a little spooky lately and it only seems to be increasing. [Golden eyes drift back over to him.] Like, they’ll try to grab at you. Might give you a glimpse of someone from back home. If you start seeing any of that stuff, it’s best to turn around and get the hell out.

[And after a beat, she laughs.]

Okay, I know it sounds like bullshit campfire stories or something, but I promise I’m not pulling your leg here.

[semicharmed]

[ Perpetual night. That's intriguing. Matt's face shows a moment of recognition for people popping up among the roots of an enormous tree, almost wistfulness. While he has no nostalgia for swallowing dirt as he clawed frantically to the surface, the tree as a whole was beautiful.

His eyes narrow at the description of the strange shadows. They sound quite a lot like the things in the dream (premonition? metaphysical theme park ride?) he had on his way here. But he also can't help noticing they share some characteristics with a certain malign entity in his past.

His companion's laugh surprises him out of his reverie. He shoots her a small smile, aiming to reassure. ]

Uhh, no, I mean, that kind of stuff is known to happen. [ He pauses a moment--then adds, the phrase clumsy on his tongue, ] Where I come from, that is. Not this specific thing, but you know ... there are things that don't play by our physical rules. Or dimensional ones. So I believe you.

Do any of the locals know what's going on? What about Lady Yima?

[kinaesthesia]

[There's a little bit of a surprised raise of her eyebrows when he alludes to the idea of similar happenings in his own home. Ah, so he’s actually got some familiarity with this sort of thing, then. At least that means he might not have such a hard time getting used to the way things work around here. Better to have one less struggling newbie, especially with the uptick of danger lately on all three of the main islands.

As for whatever people know about why this is happening… she shifts one shoulder in a half-shrug.]

No one’s really got a clue. If Yima or Meridian’s leader know anything, they haven’t said. Which leads me to think that they really don’t, because it doesn’t do anyone any good to let this stuff keep happening, as dangerous as it’s getting.

[And she’s a little more inclined now to put some trust in Yima than she had been in the past, so it’s worth taking her at her word—or lack thereof, as it may be.]

But… [Another thought occurs to her, one that draws her brows a little closer to match the slight downturn of her lips.] There’s this mage guy. Sketchy as hell, but they know things and have supposedly been around here a long time, if we can take them at their word. Maybe nearly as long as Yima?

[Fuzzy details that don’t much matter right now. She gives a dismissive wave of her hand as she continues, though her tail flicks in agitation at her side in contrast of the easy gesture.]

Anyway, when the sightings of familiar faces first started happening a few months back, they said it was something they’d never seen before.

[semicharmed]

[ Matt nods thoughtfully, frowning in a way that gives the impression he's cramming for a test. Blame his tendency to open himself to whatever metaphysical current comes his way--at least to see what it's all about--but he can't believe Cyrus or Yima would lie. Still, he appreciates the undergirding of logic and motivation here.

Strangely, perhaps, he perks up at the mention of a sketchy mage.

I'm a mage, he's about to say, though he might correct to witch. But even though he appreciates his new companion's information--and rescue from eldritch drowning--and despite what he's already said about his world, he keeps the fragment of self-revelation quiet for now. Logical or not, it feels like a shield. ]

Something new, [ he muses, a touch rueful. ] That's what the Lady Yima's all about, right? Moving existence towards a new cycle?

[kinaesthesia]

[Something new, something different, something ideal. Everyone who’s lingered around here long enough to harmonize with Zenith sees their shared goal through slightly different lenses. Gavial supposes that the differences make for a stronger foundation, though some recent chats she’s had have given her a little bit of a change in perspective regarding that. Some difference might be good and all, but there’s gotta be a cohesion to it.

Did they have it? Or would they be able to do what it takes to make it so?

An annoying sort of thought, one that doesn’t belong in a conversation with a new face just starting to get his bearings.]

I guess that’s the best way to put it, yeah.

[She nods, casting a quick glance toward the manor where the lady in question had returned not long ago.]

If things are well and truly over with all the old worlds, then it makes sense, right? Put together something new, make it better.

[semicharmed]

[ Matt nods again, slow and considering this time. ]

It stands to reason. And the possibility of failure, or making a less-than-ideal world, is no reason not to try. [ A flicker of a smile. ] A lot of religions where I come from say the gods had made a few previous versions of the world already, before they got to the one we lived in. Sometimes disasters happened that destroyed the old worlds, but other times, it took them a few iterations to get it right.

[ Don't get him wrong, Matt feels absolutely immobilized over the pressure of creating a better world. But he tries to comfort himself that even the gods don't nail it on their first try. ]

On the other hand, Cyrus makes a good point that the existence of these islands implies not everything is over.

What I can't figure out is ... [ He pauses for a moment, trying to figure out how to phrase it. He cards a hand absently through his hair while he thinks. ] There's a difference, I think, between something that's been devastated but can grow back. A forest after a fire, say. And something that's ... dying, and needs to be put out of its misery.

[kinaesthesia]

[There is an almost amused sort of tilt to her lips as he brings up the idea of gods recreating various iterations of worlds, but she leaves it uncommented on for the moment, listening with attention as he continues.

It seems like he’s going through the same sort of trail of thoughts as she had when she’d first arrived and had been trying to figure all of this out. Zenith could be on to something with their hopes for the future. Meridian might not be off the mark with their refusal to give up on the old worlds if life continues on here like this, with an unsteady trickle of new souls popping up now and then. But that last point, the one he puzzles on, it sheds a bit of a light on this whole thing from an angle she hadn’t considered too much.]

Speaking as a doctor who’s treated a lot of terminal patients… sometimes that kinda thing—when the end is finally right there—can be real hard to tell. And when it comes to worlds or universes or whatever, it’s even moreso. I don’t think there’s any way to make the decision we’re all faced with here but to go with your gut.

[Everyone’s got their own read on it, and well… what else can they do? The uncertainty still doesn’t sit well with her, but at least it doesn’t gnaw at her so much anymore.]

I hope that if we do end up winning over here, that we can make something worthwhile. Even if it’s not perfect, we can keep working ‘til it is. Y’know, it’s funny you mention gods building up worlds over and over again, because I was talking to a resident god here about the same thing just a few days ago…

[Which might actually sound a little insane to say to someone who probably isn’t used to all the nonsense around here, now that she’s said it out loud.]

[semicharmed]

[ At the word "doctor," Matt brightens like he's just received an unexpected present. The conclusion about going with his gut is less than satisfying, but can't dim his pleasure. A literal, actual doctor with literal, actual experience making life or death calls is an invaluable asset. Almost as invaluable as the experience of a god, a word that causes him not a flicker of doubt or hesitation.

He's not insensible to how different things are here, compared to the home he's known all his life. (For instance, his gaze flicks now and again to try and follow Gavial's reptilian tail.) It's just that the existence of the divine is something he's believed in for many years. Almost as soon as he discovered he could do magic. And talking to a god--communicating, anyway--is something he believes he's done. ]

Okay, I want to go back to your medical experience in a moment, [ he says, one finger held up like wait a minute. ] But yeah, you talked to a god about this? What did they say?

[kinaesthesia]

[She’s brightening a bit in turn at his apparent interest in her medical expertise; it’s something she’s incredibly proud of, and having someone take it seriously always gets them a ticket onto her favorite people list. So she’s willing to let him put a pin on that train of thought for a moment while tackling the more divine topic here in their conversation.]

Yeah, I ran into her over in Springstar last time I was there. We were hanging out for a bit and conversation started going toward the conflict here, and how it’s a pretty big weight on the shoulders for anyone, let alone mortals. [For however much that word still applied to Shard-bearers.] The way she sees it, it’s silly to expect perfection even from gods and told me about how she’d remade her own world a few times—kinda like you’d mentioned.

[She tilts her head to the side just slightly, tapping her fingers along the stone beside the pool as she tries to recall the conversation in more detail.]

But if it’s made with love, it doesn’t need to be perfect. Probably pretty sound advice for Zenith, considering the goal.

[Maybe a little cheesy and a little saccharine, but it feels pretty spot-on for the kind of outlook someone like Quetzalcoatl would have.]

[semicharmed]

[ She should be proud of it! It's hard to become a doctor!!! Is what Matt would say, if he could read minds without the aid of mystic crystal-enabled soul-sharing. For the moment, he takes in her recollection of the conversation with interest. He wonders if it means anything that this god echoes some of his world's religions regarding the fallibility of the divine. He's always believed most religions hold at least a fragment of the capital-T truth, but could that translate to something ... programmatic? Something to build natural laws on?

Maybe all it means is that sentient creatures, on a long enough timeline, come up with the same explanations for the world's painful failures. Or maybe something else Matt hasn't thought of yet. At any rate, he doesn't seem to find anything Gavial has to say cheesy. ]

I don't even know what perfect world would look like, to be honest. Maybe the act of translating perfection to a material world always loses you something. [ A quirking smile. ] Or maybe I just don't have a good enough imagination.

I'm curious, though ... and if this is too personal or you don't want to talk about it, no worries. But when you have to make the call, as a doctor, and somebody's really sick ...

In those cases where it's hard to tell, how do you choose? And how do you-- [ A sheepish smile. ] I mean, I'd be a shitty doctor. But how do you move on, after?

[kinaesthesia]

[He wouldn’t be the only one lacking an imagination for what perfection—real perfection—might look like. Gavial’s had plenty of time to consider what the end-goal here should look like, taking into account how long she’s been here now. And the broad strokes are easy to paint: no originium, no oripathy, no more of the stupid attitudes leading to conflicts… But the details? The broader implications for the world at large? Hell if she knows. She’s beginning to think it might be a ‘wait and see’ kind of thing by necessity.

She’s got plenty to consider in the here and now anyway, including the question he brings up next. While her posture remains fairly laid back, there’s enough subtle tells that she’s putting real consideration into this; her fidgeting stops, her tail stills at her side.]

Me, personally? I’m not one to give up easy. Patient’s got the real say if they can make it, but if there’s a fighting chance I tend to take it if they’re willing. Especially for those I tend to on the battlefield, but sometimes you just learn to see the signs, I guess.

[It’s a complicated hypothetical to begin with, but the realities of the world she came from and the work she did made it even more so—both on the field and on the landship. Oripathy could move swiftly, and the dead don’t often get the luxury of remaining undisturbed for long, considering necessary quarantine procedures.]

As for moving on… [She sighs as she half-shrugs a shoulder.] It’s tough and it sucks, but I don’t know. I guess knowing it’s an inevitability for a lot of my patients has kind of let me brace for it. And the work doesn’t stop, there’s always someone else who needs help too. So I can’t let it stop me, y’know?

[And maybe part of it is coming to terms with it herself, having the same terminal condition most of her patients did. It’s inevitable, but they don’t have to let that ruin the time they still have.]

[semicharmed]

[ When Gavial stills, Matt does too. He's not thinking about it, or trying to do it; it's just a product of his attention. Some of this physical empathy was probably always a part of him, but it's undoubtedly been honed through his years of magical practice. So much of it is based in breath and awareness, in the place where spirit meets embodied self.

The first part of her answer, he reads as more or less it depends. He has to imagine there's hundreds of little signs, maybe thousands, that indicate whether someone's going to pull through, and that her experience has taught her to process them so fast it feels like intuition. He gets it. There's a lot about his own experiences that he struggles to explain.

The rest, though ... ]

"The work doesn't stop," [ Matt echoes, a curious tasting of the phrase. He likes it. It has weight. ] Yeah. That's true. The work doesn't stop, but we will, so--there's always something you'll be leaving unfinished. And you'll always fuck up on some level, so there'll always be something to regret unless you ... I guess never leave the house.

[ He smiles at her faintly. ]

Still. Not all work has such immediate consequences. Not that you can see.

[kinaesthesia]

[No, it’s impossible to be perfect. The only way to completely avoid disappointment like that is, as he says, just shutting out the rest of the world and never chasing those hard to reach dreams. She had that choice in front of her once, but she had been young and bitter, instead choosing to say ‘fuck that’ and opting for the hard path. Never looked back and never regretted it, because it meant finding a dream that was more than just throwing her fists around—one that depended on the exact opposite.

So that that comment and that faint smile of his get met with a short huff of a laugh, and her expression settles into something pleased.]

Think that’s part of why I like it. The possibility of mistakes is only as daunting as you let it be. And I’ve always been kind of a risk-taker, but that kind of work comes with a very real reward when things go right. Not a lot of things could compare.

[More of her earlier ease seeps back into her posture, her smile broadening a bit as she thinks on it.]

Hah, maybe the thrill of a good fight comes pretty close, but that’s kind of apples and oranges.

[semicharmed]

I take some risks, [ Matt muses. ] Risking arrest, maybe. And I suppose I always risk hurting people, but it doesn't feel that way.

[ Cryptic, perhaps. Matt's thinking about the magical wards he's spent so long designing and secreting onto alley walls. Magic always comes with risks; it's too big not to. But when Matt sets up a spell just right, when he reaches out to the universe and feels its answer--that's always right. It always feels like he's exactly where he's supposed to be, doing exactly what he's supposed to be doing. Like he couldn't deviate from rightness any more than a planet could fall off its course.

The remark about fighting cleaves straight through this reverie. Taken by surprise, Matt laughs. ]

A good fight? [ Slight emphasis on fight, amused but not disbelieving. ] I'll have to take your word for it. The closest I ever came to fighting was being bullied in school, and I managed to slip out of that one.

[kinaesthesia]

[Those particular risks mentioned do get a raised eyebrow from her; there certainly must be a story there, and she can’t help the curiosity the follows afterward. Particularly when he follows up with a declaration of a lack of fighting experience. It’s an interesting bit of insight to get back to back, and she laughs a bit herself.]

Sounds like we’re gonna have to toughen you up. Then you’ll get to see what I mean. [Her tone is playful, but there’s a sharpness to her gaze that might be saying: oh, she’s serious.] Not like fights between factions pop up all that often, but you never know, right? Gotta be prepared.

[She, in fact, does know that there’s a pretty serious one on the horizon. The secrecy need to pull it off without a hitch compels her to steer away from delving too hard into that topic, so she instead swings back around to what he first alluded to.]

Though if you’re saying you’ve been at risk of hurting people, maybe you’ve got something handy up your sleeve already, huh?

[Unless he’s implying a non-physical kind of hurt, but Gavial is much too physical a person herself for that possibility to register right away.]

[semicharmed]

[ Matt senses nothing hinky here! He's relieved to hear that however intense this Zenith-Meridian conflict may seem in its framing, actual fighting isn't common. And his lips quirk in amusement when she says toughen you up.

He considers trying to dodge around giving a real answer to the nudge, but then he thinks: she's been pretty damn vulnerable with him. It's probably safe to give her something in return. And more to the point, it'd only be fair. ]

I'm not sure how well it translates across the worlds, but ... back home, they would've called me a witch. So the ways I could hurt people--I mean, I try to keep people safe, and like, healthy and stuff, but if a spell goes wrong, or if I don't take the right variables into account, the risk is always there.

[ Matt glances around to see if anybody's watching them. The coast seems as clear as it's about to get at an event of this scale, so he holds out his hand, palm upraised. Draws in a deep, even breath, and--

Nothing. ]

... Huh. Um. [ Another attempt: focus, breath. A flutter of French poetry across the back of his brain. Still zip. ] Usually, there'd be fire right now.

[kinaesthesia]

[The term ‘witch’ immediately draws to mind Sarkaz witchcraft from back home, so the dangerous nature it would hint at seems plenty clear to her already. There’s a reason Sarkaz mercenaries were plenty feared, even if their ritual spells weren’t always tools often deployed. But he certainly doesn’t appear to be Sarkaz at first glance, so she can’t help but wonder at the similarities of his own skills—and leans in just a little closer when he assesses whether outside attention is on them.

And she waits.

And she might be smirking a little when the lack of effect lingers a little awkwardly in the space between them.]

Real impressive trick right there.

[She can’t help the tease, but she laughs a little afterward and waves it off. Right, there’s some things new guys might not be aware of, so to save him further embarrassment she ought to let him know.]

I’m guessing you haven't harmonized to either Zenith or Meridian yet, then? Kinda weird thing about this place is that a lot of skills and powers people have—particularly if they’re on the magic side of things—don’t work unless you’re attuned to the forces here.

[semicharmed]

[ Matt is trapped in a perfect moment, gleaming like amber. On the one hand, there's Gavial's smirk over his upturned palm. It's an undeniably nice smirk, aesthetically speaking, and more on the amused end than the malicious. On the other hand, there's Matt's utter humiliation, piercing his fragile moment of disclosure like pins headed for a balloon. This is the worst. This would happen on a sitcom. He's in an iron maiden of his own making.

Then, mercifully, Gavial lets him off the hook. Matt's hand drops to his side, and he tries to smile at her in a normal way, but he's reeling from both the social consequences of the failed spell and what it apparently means. ]

I see ... [ Does he??? His cheeks are a bit red. ] Uh, well, good to know. I noticed I was kind of on the fritz, but it's happened to me before when things get stressful, so I didn't think too much of it.

[ He shoots Gavial a more successful smile, this one rueful. ]

In that case, take back everything I just said. I'm gonna be totally useless around here.

[kinaesthesia]

[The smirk is softening into a smile, but there’s still a little of that amusement lingering there at the edges of it. Is he blushing? Cute. She refrains from making a joke about performance anxiety, instead letting him get his bearings a little more without the extra teasing.]

Only for as long as it takes you to make a decision. Doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing choice if getting those skills back means a lot to you.

[Wow, she’s great at recruiting. But then, that has never exactly been her aim when trying to give new folks a hand in getting their bearings out here. The way she sees it… everyone’s just gotta go with their gut on this kinda thing. Some people knew right away what choice felt right for them here, and others wouldn't figure it all out until the moment was right. It's just the way of things.]

Hell, the whole reason I harmonized in the first place is because people needed help, and I couldn’t just leave my healing Arts out of reach when I could make a difference, y’know?

[semicharmed]

[ Matt balks at the thought of making a decision that has universe-saving-or-remaking implications based on whether he gets to make fire with his mind anymore. That strikes him as selfish, fundamentally. But at the same time, that's not really what his powers are for, is it? They flow through him, but they're not just for him. They're for everyone. Part of everyone, on some level.

So when Gavial says she couldn't give up her talents when they might help someone, Matt's own expression softens in recognition. ]

Yeah, [ he agrees. ] I can understand that. I mean, I'm going to do my best to make this decision as ... rationally as possible. And I still hope there's a way we can all work together instead of being at odds, because I just can't believe it's the best use of our energy to fight. But I understand doing it like that.

I mean, if I didn't want to make a difference, I don't think I'd be finding this decision so hard.

[kinaesthesia]

[Gavial can respect that. It had largely been the reason she took so long in making the decision for herself, way back when. A lot of it was tied up in initial doubts, sure, but if she was gonna be told she had a pivotal part to play in how everything here shakes out, she wanted it to be the right choice.

And then circumstance forced her hand a little earlier than she would have otherwise liked and… well, she kind of stuck with it. Wanted to see how things would play out, how persuasive the people she was forced to team up with could be.

Being in the position she’s in now, she could probably do a little persuading herself. But she figures this is the kind of thing someone’s gotta feel out for themselves first. You can’t force this kinda thing to fit. So she just flashes him a bright smile of approval.]

Can’t argue with that. There’s a hell of a lot to learn when you first get thrown into all of this, so you gotta make sure you can see the whole picture, yeah? But if you find yourself with questions or ever need a hand with anything, you can always give me a shout.