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

Cheers

[a_noble_flame]

A coffee shop.

[Yes, she's in line. She does like her coffee after all.]

Have you had coffee before?

[dreamflowers]

[For the last handful of minutes, Jade had been spending more time observing the orders than actually deciding what she'd want to order for herself. She's half tempted to ask if she can smell one, or maybe test a sip, but reigns in the impulse.]

Never even heard of it. Is it any good? I mean, I assume it is... or people like it. And that's why you're here, right?

[Shutting up now.]

[a_noble_flame]

It can be. Different types of coffee taste differently and so on, much like tea.

[Ah, wait. Pause there.]

Have you had tea before?

[dreamflowers]

Of course I've had tea. Sometimes medicinal, but...

[A former companion used to make remedies for her all the time to help with her nightmares -- among other things. Though she was used to the normal drinking stuff, too.]

So it's kinda like that...?

[a_noble_flame]

In a way, yes. Tea is made from leaves or herbs usually and coffee is made from ground up coffee beans. I believe it's much the same process in brewing it?

[Somewhere, someone must be cringing at her explanation. It's quick and dirty but kinda works?]

If you'd like we can try one another. I've never had coffee from this establishment before.

[dreamflowers]

Huh. Interesting. Would not have thought one could make such drinks out of legumes.

[Oh, she's in for a surprise. But Jade takes a moment to glance over the menu items once more before settling on the first one that catches her eye.]

Hm, I think I'm feeling a bit more adventurous this time and try that Springstar Sunrise.

[a_noble_flame]

[Alice's eyes skim the menu yet again. She's never been somewhere that gave coffee names. Generally it was just ... well, coffee. She knew there were different roasts and so on but entire names was something new to her.]

I wonder why it's called Sunrise?

[Hm. Oh!]

I'll try the Springstar Sunset then.

[She huffs out a small laugh.]

One of them is bound to be good, yes? I'm not sure I've ever had bad coffee though.

[The luxury of being a noble. Or not drinking the commissary coffee.]

[dreamflowers]

I'll take your word for it.

[Such luxuries were not often afforded to someone like Jade. Being poor and frequently broke sucks, though there were times where she had no one to blame but herself for that.

[Pretty sure she can splurge a bit on what coin she scraped up through likely questionable means. Don't ask.

[After ordering a cup, Jade takes a brief moment to inspect the drink, sniffs it, makes a face. But then once she takes an actual sip, she blinks hard.]

That is... pfff. Wow. Okay. Not what I expected...?

[What was she expecting?]

[a_noble_flame]

[Alice can't help the light little laugh she gives at Jade's expression.]

Isn't it? It was much the same when I first tried it as an adult.

[That said Alice isn't half so tentative with her drink. She does sip at it as well and tilts her head some as she considers the taste.]

Mm, a little bitter. Very nice.

[Her expression does say she enjoys it. Alice is also the sort to go around drinking straight black coffee though like some kind of fiend.]

[dreamflowers]

[It wasn't that long ago that Jade gave the regular stuff a try. But this is... different.

[After a couple more sips, some redness starts to color her freckled face, as she glances over at the other woman.]

You don't suppose they put anything... weird in these drinks, yeah? It feels kinda weird.

[She smells it again, trying not to think about how thoroughly held her other hand is. What a tragedy.]

[a_noble_flame]

... Weird?

[Uh. Huh. Alice eyes the coffee cup in her hand now. And then the one in Jade's hand.]

Well. Yours might have cream and sugar and such in it?

[Alice very confidently thinks if it were poison she would have noticed. Yeah, poisons the first thing her mind goes to. Other than, y'know, cream and sugar.]

Is it sweet?

[dreamflowers]

[Yeah, no. Jade has been poisoned before (hah) enough times to know if she was straight up consuming some. Though who knows, maybe things are different in this world?

[Well. She doesn't feel like she's dying at least. That's... something?]

Cream and sugar. Right. I'm just not used to sweet things.

[Such extravagance was also one of those things rarely afforded to her broke ass.

[And yet because of that, she takes a sip, her other hand twitching. Nope. It's fine. She's fine. Still not dying.]

Actually, I'm not sure anymore. You wanna try some? I've got the palate of a bloody leoran to know one way or the other.

[Which are known for mostly eating grass, so. Not creatures in possession of a very sophisticated sense of taste.]

[a_noble_flame]

[To be fair Alice has eaten food on the floor well outside the five second rule so she's probably not one to talk about taste. It was for a good reason though!

After a moment of thought she offers out her free hand, accepts Jade's drink and takes a sip from it without hesitation. The moment she does though she blinks a few times in obvious surprise.]

Oh that is very good. It's certainly sugar and cream ...

[She tips her head again as she offers the coffee itself back.]

... Maybe vanilla as well? I admit my family has always had excellent chefs but I've never had a diverse palate myself.

[dreamflowers]

[Two of those things Jade recognizes. But...]

Vanilla? What, is that another kinda bean?

[The sweetest thing she's ever had were dates, and she's somewhat allergic to those. Not that it stops her from eating them. Still. Not a whole lot of variety in her life when it comes to foodstuffs.]

I mean, it's good. Just giving me a weird... "buzz", I guess you could call it. More so than the plain one did.

[Sure as heck wakes her up, though.]

[a_noble_flame]

I believe so?

[Alice looks thoughtful about that though. She's slightly realizing now that alongside the fact that she gets to eat more simply because of her status in society and military rank at home she eats an awful lot of things she has no clue about.]

It's a flavoring added to deserts. Chocolate is another common one as well as rosewater.

[Or at least rosewater is still common in her world and time period.]

[dreamflowers]

Huh...

[Jade glances down at her drink, swirling the cup around to mix up the contents a little. The edge of her lip twitches as she tries to think if she's ever heard of those things before.]

Sounds fancy. Like the kinda shit mostly nobles and rich people get to have. There's a lot that I've never had the chance to try before.

[Other than the few times Jespar treated her to good quality wine or tobacco, or other such things. A sharp pang of nostalgia and loneliness falls into the pit of her stomach as she wishes he could he here. Calia, too. It's not fair that she's here and they're...

[Running a hand down her face with her free hand, she attempts to put on a fake smile.]

Ah, well. Better than never, I guess.

[a_noble_flame]

[Alice tries not to look too sheepish now. Jade has it nailed on the head though -- it's fancy things for fancy folks. This almost feels like when she realized how much more she got to eat than the common citizen because of her status and refused to eat after thanks to her own guilt. There were so many things she was naive to in the beginning and plenty more she likely still was now.]

Yes. It's very much a fancy thing in some worlds. There's more opportunity for everyone to try things here at least.

[It might not help their worlds but -- ah Alice, don't make this awkward somehow. In the end she clears her throat.]

Yes, well ... I'm new myself so I can't say what all is here. Springstar seems very focused on appreciating all cultures though.

[dreamflowers]

[Several moons ago, Jade might've been repelled by the idea of socializing with nobles or anyone from a position of privilege. Her world views have changed a bit since the person she was back then, thanks to the company she'd kept, give or take a "near death" experience or two.

[Not that she can tell one way or another from Alice just by looking at her. Everyone here seems so... different from the type of people she is used to seeing, she's having a hard time getting a good read on most of them.

[It's overwhelming to the point where she hadn't been maintaining eye contact so much as just studying her drink, wondering what this weird, warm, twitchy feeling in her chest is supposed to be.]

Is it? I'll admit, I'm... still trying to adjust to this place as well.

[She takes another drink, her eyes flicking over at Alice with a contemplative pause.]

But I don't think I'll be sticking around here for long. Shit seems... tense, to say the least.

[a_noble_flame]

[At that Alice's expression flickers some. She does from something more casual to a sharply contemplative look, a switch flipped between casual and serious in a way.]

Mm, it does. Did you heard the speech earlier? From Cyrus?

[She looks grimly down at her own drink now.]

The crowd wasn't very enthusiastic about it but more importantly Cyrus himself ... he looked sad. Not disappointed in the speech but ...

[dreamflowers]

[Expression neutral, Jade takes a long sip of her coffee. She's still trying to decide whether she cares for the sweetness or not, but her thoughts are occupied elsewhere.]

Heard some of it, but didn't really understand all of it. Feels like I'm missing a good deal of context as to what's been going on here, but...

[Her gaze falls down at her cup, as if trying to make sense of it as much as the situation she's found herself in.]

Ah, well. Wouldn't be the first time I've come to a new place in the middle of a bloody crisis.

[It's almost expected at this point.]

[a_noble_flame]

... This is common for you?

[Ah, wait. Alice goes to scratch at her cheek but finds the hand not holding her cup weighed down somehow.]

I suppose it isn't that odd for me either. Though usually I'm going to those places on assignments. ... Most of the time.

[dreamflowers]

Hm. I wouldn't necessarily say that it's common. But if I had a penny for every time I woke up one day in a country on the brink of catastrophe and war... I'd have two pennies.

[And it would still be strange that it happened twice. Though not unexpected -- her world was already in a state of constant turmoil. Wars and conflict were as commonplace as crusty bread.

[Doesn't make the prospect of this world any more inviting.]

Assignments... Were you sent to places like that often by someone?

[Because that's something Jade could relate to an extent.

[Perhaps so much so that she's gotten a little too relaxed during this conversation. She doesn't seem to pay much notice that the hand Alice had started to move is in her own now, with Jade herself just casually unawares.

[What.]

[a_noble_flame]

[Twice is pretty unusual overall. Then again she's here too so unusual happenings are just spreading it seems.]

I'm part of the Imperial Army in my own world. My section's job -- State Section Three -- is in war relief. We've traveled to several places on such missions, not to mention canvassing out own home area. So --

[... Hold on. Wait just a moment.

...?? A hand?

Alice blinks down at their joined hands. And after a moment her face begins to light up. She pulls back like she's been bitten and then the color in her cheeks only darkens as she looks up to Jade with round eyes.]

Sorry! Sorry, I didn't intend on doing that!

[dreamflowers]

[It's clear that the other woman was planning to say something else, until the realization of just why her other hand started to feel suddenly warm and heavy hits them both.

[And when Alice steps back, so does Jade, the abruptness of it all catching her by surprise. Oh no, oh fuck. This person must think she's a creep or something. She's cute, but...]

No no, i-it's fine. I--

[In the frantic waving of her hands, she accidentally flings her cup of coffee, sending it sailing and spilling onto the street.]

...Shit.

[Well, that was a waste of coin, wasn't it.]

[a_noble_flame]

[Oh no, the coffee. Alice doesn't even get to make a token try to catch it. She's not precisely rich at the moment but Alice does reach for her pocket near instantly.]

Here, that was my fault I'm afraid.

[Was it? She sure doesn't know! Yet she's not about to let someone who spilled their coffee over her have to pay for it.]

Why don't we give that another try, hm?

[She laughs sheepishly as her cheeks grow pink.]

I'm not sure what happened there but I do apologize for touching you without your consent.

[It's holding hands, Alice.]