JUNE 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 looking down, and they spill forth as if 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.

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. 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.

You wake with a start, cradled by soft, velvety plants, and sticky with a sap that smells faintly of honey and iron. 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.

TWO CITIES, ALIKE IN DIGNITY

With the new Shard-Bearers present or en route, it is Kathova and Cetina that 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 small, casual meet-and-greet to be held before the new Shard-Bearers are unleashed upon Kenos as a whole.

Additionally, as Springstar and Highstorm are holding their events on different days, it is possible for the knowledge-hungry to participate in both informational sessions -- the tones and opinions held by both cities are doubtless to differ, and some Shard-Bearers who have chosen to harmonize with either faction may even find their way to the opposing faction's session as well.

However, for those who have attended such events in the past, they'll note a marked difference—Only newly arrived Shard-Bearers and members of the faction are welcome. If you're a member of the opposite faction, you'll be questioned and ultimately turned away. If you want to join the party, you'll have to be a little sneakier, it seems.

SPRINGSTAR, αιώνιος ήλιος

In Springstar, the Seat of the Tribune becomes available for such a forum. 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.

Tables draped in white-and-gold-trimmed fabrics fare filled with fare typical to Springstar's mild winters-- fruits and wines, savory smoked meats and roasted vegetables, and large bowls of soups like youvarlakia and fasoalda have been lain out to encourage forum participants to snack as they speak. 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.

However, there’s a little tension in the air at this particular gathering. Whether you’ve recently arrived or you’ve been here nearly a year, it’s not hard to figure out—Meridian has just lost the Iconoclast Oracle, and though the Blight (see below) is improving, letting such an important things slip through their fingers again is painful. Without the Oracles, they’ll never see home again, after all. Yet to make matters worse, Meridian lost an unknown but not insignificant amount of its Shard-Bearers to Zenith’s sway. Even in the Seat of the Tribune, it’s not hard to overhear conversations about “what should be done to ensure they win the next Oracle” or questioning “if Tribune Cyrus is really up to the task.”

HIGHSTORM, луны-близнецы

Eternally in opposition, Highstorm provides the Manor's courtyard as the setting for their informational meeting. Formality is of utmost importance here, with attending Zenith loyalists and residents dressed in beautiful, albeit austere attire -- they are, after all, standing before Lady Yima's home. A buffet-style luncheon is spread alongside one of the largest reflecting pools, wherein you may gaze and find your memories revealed in retrospect upon the water's surface.

There are few places to be seated in the Manor's courtyard, resulting in a milling of bodies 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.

The mood of Highstorm is subdued as always, but still seems to be pleasant and joyous thanks to claiming the Iconoclast Oracle. Again, it’s worth noting, as the Oracle was contested and therefore rightfully theirs in the first place. Congratulations are given to more senior Shard-Bearers for their efforts, and those who have just arrived may be regaled with stories of bold heroism at the first battle in the Scorching Isles or stories of wits and cleverness at its reclaiming last month. However, these stories aren’t always true, exactly, as only the Shard-Bearers have been present for either conflict. It seems they’re getting a bit of mythology built around them by the public.

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 the meet-and-greet has 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.

THE BLIGHT (CONCLUSION)

The Blight, a strange, time-related disease that had been ravaging Highstorm and Springstar both is finally being addressed concretely thanks to the efforts of a few Shard-Bearers (game-locked log) and unknowingly, of Aetós. While the cities are both still affected by the Blight, it’s now on the mend as the knowledge gained in the Scorching Isles is applied. For living things, a vaccine and medicinal potion has been developed, and for the environment, a technique has been developed to reverse the effects. Efforts are ongoing for each to eliminate the Blight from the cities entirely.

FURTHER DETAILS

• Though the two cities are at war over the Oracles, the Blight is an area in which they’re unified because of the level of threat it presents to everyone. As such, the people of Highstorm and Springstar will both gladly accept help in distributing vaccines/potions or purifying the Blight from objects, regardless of their faction.
• Distributing the vaccines and potions is quite standard, should you wish to assist with that effort, but both cities are offering monetary incentives for anyone willing to collect or donate its most important ingredients: gold, silver, or platinum (if you’re willing to kindly donate objects containing these materials to the cause), Turquoise Vitalia (a flower that grows in the highlands of World’s Edge), and Blue Lotus (a flower that’s springing up and growing rapidly near bodies of water in Highstorm).
• You can also assist by purging the Blight from inanimate objects that are under its effects. Any Shard-Bearer who has Harmonized can be taught the process by some of the more senior NPCs that are in the bodies of government, but the basic process is simple. It requires a member of each faction, and similar to the purification of Discord, you’ll both push your faction’s energy into the object. As the process starts, you’ll innately sense that there’s a stronger presence of one energy over the other, and you’ll work together to equalize the energy.

CITIES IN RUINS

As part of the disastrous side effects of the Blight once ravaging the cities, large vines and roots have torn through the cities. This has created zones in them that are now uninhabitable because of collapsed buildings (which can be viewed for Highstorm and Springstar). There are efforts to rebuild both cities that are ongoing, but the unusual weather effects that were witnessed seem to be a bit more intense after a new batch of Shard-Bearers have arrived. This “unusual weather” can be pockets of thunderstorms of flurries, but they always carry additional effects such as (but not limited to) causing one to hear voices from the past or future, visual or auditory hallucinations of themselves from different timelines, pockets of space where old injuries, illnesses, or previously known physical conditions are re-experienced as if their body is going back in time. However, there are some new oddities that are also present...

FURTHER DETAILS

• You may see ghostly specters of Shard-Bearers who have come and gone. Sometimes, they seem to notice that you’re there and flee deeper into the districts and disappear. Other times, they just go about what seems to be daily life in the district, though things don’t always match up. They might be leaning against a counter that’s no longer there, for example. Very rarely, you might even find one that you can have a conversation with, though not for long.
• OOC, if your character is one that you’ve dropped, feel free to have them make a cameo reappearance. This is more a chance to give a little hello (or farewell!) to CR and is totally optional. We ask that you not make a toplevel for them (unless you’re planning on reapping them), but we’ve made a toplevel for these kinds of interactions here. We also encourage you to give some friendly (or maybe not so friendly) hauntings to new players!

POLITICAL TURMOIL

After new Shard-Bearers arrive and settle into their new homes (so much as they can), those that frequent Springstar will see that the tension of the welcoming forum wasn’t a one-off. Meridian is a faction with opinions and ideals that are as diverse as the worlds people hail from, and so not all are happy with Tribune Cyrus’s performance in leading the faction to lose the same Oracle twice. Debates spring up in restaurants and bars, but it’s only aided by two notable Springstar residents encouraging such debates. Desmond Ó Ruadháin and Agapitos Voreen both draw crowds in public places as they speak to the people that gather. Their talks are peaceful and encourage people of Springstar to talk amongst themselves… But they’re also distinctly political about the future of Meridian and Springstar.

FURTHER DETAILS

• Desmond is the foreman who oversees how the unique architecture of Springstar is made, and as such as a deep connection and investment in peoples’ home worlds. When Desmond speaks, he brings people together and tells stories from his homeland and well as from others that he’s heard. It’s something he encourages for those gathered, though it does make the sting of the loss of the Oracle more worrying. If Meridian doesn’t get the Oracles, then they’ll never see home again. There’s an undercurrent in his speeches that having been born here and to a noble family that’s living in Springstar for generations, Cyrus can’t truly understand the stakes here. He may be a good Tribune during peace, but this is war.
• Voreen is a businessman whose family owns several large shops throughout Springstar, and as such has a deep connection to the city and its people. When Voreen speaks, he brings people together by focusing on how Springstar itself is almost a miracle, and how it’s brought people from all walks of life together. His gatherings encourage people to get to know each other and to learn more about the people and the worlds they come from, since he deeply believes that the diversity of experience and knowledge is Meridian’s strength (…and frequent cause of arguments, it’s true). There’s an undercurrent in his speeches of a deep distrust of Zenith and especially of Yima. Anyone that offers you exactly what you want always has strings attached, right? Cyrus is too conciliatory towards Yima, and it makes Meridian as a whole seem weak. He may be a good Tribune during peace, but this is war.
• This is also a situation that Yima is well aware of, and she’ll send a brief message to Zenite Shard-Bearers to inform them of the unrest brewing in Springstar… And that for those with a deft hand for such matters, it’s a good opportunity to encourage this unrest in whatever way they see fit. She makes it clear that if Springstar is busy with internal politics, it’ll be much easier to stop their occupation of Alenroux as well as ensuring that the city itself may not be able to provide resources or backup to its Shard-Bearers in the fights for the Oracles.

SMALLER CHANGES

PASTORAL PEACE (ALENROUX)

Thanks to the ongoing efforts of both Shard-Bearers and Springstar’s military forces, Alenroux is now a much safer place to stay at night. While the threat of creatures roaming its lands isn’t negligible, the Southern portion of the island (close to the main Cornerstone) is now a place that can be inhabited by those willing to make the effort. Think of living there as being similar to living on the frontier—you have to build your own place to live and once night falls, you’re essentially on your own to protect yourself. Creatures will naturally gravitate towards anyone that chooses to set up a residence there as if they’re drawn to the life force, but so long as a home is well-fortified, it should be safe during the night. However, this does not apply the further North you go.

That said, while the people that work in (or just generally really like) Alenroux may be grateful to Springstar for its help in this regard, it does now seem unnecessary… Which is in large part thanks to Zenite efforts to undermine Springstar’s occupation. As a small town starts to be built around the Cornerstone, Springstar’s military or those that have been seen supporting it are treated with suspicion, if not openly told to leave. While the burgeoning community of Alenroux can’t said to be pro-Zenith (yet?), they’re definitely leaning decidedly anti-Meridian.

THE BALANCE OF POWER (KOWLOON)

For those that have been in Kenos for a while and frequented the underground city of Kowloon, it’s been clear for a while that the drug den and bar Draumahol is under new management. Or, should we say, Draumah👁l? The establishment is now very openly owned by Silco, but anyone who spends enough time in the city to learn about its loose form of governance would also pick up that this means Silco has likely scooped up a position on the city’s “council”, though concrete confirmation of that is still hard information to get.

However, in a definitely unrelated point (it’s not), Meridian characters may find themselves running into more difficulty while in Kowloon. There’s no open hostility or even widespread distaste. It might seem more like bad luck unless Meri talk amongst each other. They may be more likely to be pick-pocketed or mugged, may find that some shops offer an arbitrarily higher price to them, etc. These are all free for players to decide, but should be on the level of being unlucky or a particularly bad day down in Kowloon rather than anything more serious.

OOC NOTES

Welcome to Kenos! As a reminder, all new players need an invite to apply to the game, which are now open. If you've previously gone through our invite process, you do not need to do so again, that said!

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.

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 Highstorm and Springstar prompts, both cities 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, all locations are listed here, but to make it even quicker! Highstorm + Springstar.

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!

Finally, while absolutely not required for the TDM, if you'd like to get a headstart on catching up on the events of the game so far, we highly recommend giving the Plot So Far timeline a read. New players have found this page very helpful in orienting themselves within the game and its ongoing plot!

CODING

Comments

rip lack of Houses support convos between them.

[hauntedking]

[ The way his gaze slides away makes him wince a little. He doesn't know how he feels about that - but he's used to it by now. He knows how people have looked at him and will look at him again. He'll manage just fine. He takes a breath and it's his turn to glance away. ]

...not much, I'm afraid. He's a companion. A friend. But I don't know much of his inner thoughts.

[ Like so many others, the Yuri he knew was there for Byleth. Because of Byleth. Not strictly for him or his cause - not like Dedue or Ingrid or Felix or Sylvain. ]

Occasionally, I should say. But he has his own business to attend to now that the war is mostly over.

the genuine tragedy it took a spinoff to correct

[wolfish]

[ It certainly sounds enough like him. Yuri isn't really given to sharing and hasn't ever been, as a matter of survival. Shez had only learned his real name by chance. Aside from that exception and the mother who'd named him to begin with, the world only knows him as Yuri, only knows what he wants them to know.

That's always been safest, in his line of work. If the man Dimitri recalls is all that much like him, the distance would be no surprise. ]

I can imagine, if it's all that much the same. [ He'll concern himself with what he believes of it later, but for now... ] Still, if he's Faerghus-born, like I am... He might understand better than you'd expect.

[ If that Yuri's all that much like him, he's likely gathered as much as Dimitri has told him just now. It wouldn't surprise him either if Dimitri has an inkling of that and told him what he has as a result. At least, the Dimitri he knows is more perceptive than some realize... But who could say where similarities end and begin in a case like this? ]

Just a guess on my part.

yeah, alas.

[hauntedking]

...I can't imagine the details of his early life would have changed that much. Mine likely didn't in your time, if I was a still prince and then king.

[ Another little smile. Even if it's a touch sad. ]

...I didn't want to press him too hard. He liked to keep his own council, I found. But he was also intensely useful to all of us. A good comrade. Given the chance, perhaps I would try to speak to him more.

[ He trails off a little, considering. ]

How well did you know Dimitri - me?

[wolfish]

[ Yuri hums, a soft and thoughtful sound caught in his throat, as he considers his answer to that. It seems to him that he's had different opportunities to know people than the man Dimitri knows, or would like to know.

If their early years are much the same, doubtless it would mean they aren't all that different. Up to what point, though? The war has spanned longer, by Dimitri's account, so that meant... Well, that could wait. ]

Honestly? Most of what I know is peripheral — he's a busy man. Maybe too busy for his own good, but he's got a little squadron of friends who cart him off to bed, or swipe his paperwork to do themselves, or cajole him into meals... Some of my men joined the army well before I did, so I heard all about it.

[ And from the sound of it, they'd sung his praised well in advance of his joining them. It means he's had eyes and ears there well before he'd been on the scene himself, before he ever knew he'd be there at all.

He glances Dimitri's way, his own slant of a smile wry around its edges. ]

I'd say that, on a personal level? I've only seen who he really is recently. But it's enough to know he's a good man.

[ One he actually, genuinely believes in. ]

Don't know if he trusts me, but he said he'd like to.

[ That might mean more to Dimitri than it would to someone else, as indication went. ]

[hauntedking]

[ This is a surprisingly raw conversation for Dimitri. He's realizing that Yuri - this Yuri - has seen a different "him". Still Dimitri in every sense of the word, but one who has had a different path. A different place. He isn't sure how he feels about it. It's simply there and present, like an itch that cannot be scratched. But the description sounds too much like him for him to dismiss it as another person entirely.

No, that sounds like his little group of companions at the end of the war. Even if he's more damaged than he might have been otherwise. They still believed in him, still helped him, still wanted him to succeed. Despite the strange, somewhat uncomfortable feeling that he's talking about someone who is him (but isn't), he laughs softly and gives Yuri a glance. ]

That... does sound like myself and the Blue Lions. They always do try to make sure I take care of myself... No matter how much trouble I may give them.

[ He sighs and trails off. ]

I... trust you. Trust the Yuri I know. He fought side by side with us. Supported the army with the resources he could muster. But I regret that I do not remember being as... personal as you seem to remember us being. [ His smile is a touch brittle. ]

It sounds as if in another life I found you worth taking into my personal confidence. Or more than we did where I am from. I... don't think I would gainsay that. Even if I'm not the same Dimitri you know. Even if I don't always feel as if I'm worthy of that title, I want to be a good man.

[wolfish]

[ His smile, for what it was, erodes away into something more sober.

Does it sound personal? Yuri can only wonder, as a man who still finds himself flummoxed when Ashe invokes Friendship™ when giving him lectures as he drags him away from fires of his own creation rather than allow him to get burned. It's difficult for him to parse just how close others might deem him to be.

He supposes that Dimitri would know better, even one who recalls some other war entirely, if only because surely the core of a person remains the same despite whatever differences there are. A weighty thought, that, but this too he shelves for later review.

It sounds as though Dimitri doubts that he's a good man. Yuri knows that feeling all too well, ponders whether the king he knows also harbors that doubt. He'd not gone mad with grief, had not done the whole laundry list of terrible things Yuri had in service of his goals.

The question is one he can't answer. After ample pause, weighted with thought, he ventures to ask— ]

Would you like to know what made me think that about him? Not a terribly long story, and it wasn't the sparing my life bit. That was more practical than anything else, considering no other yet alive knows the workings of the Silver Maiden as intimately as myself.

[hauntedking]

[ The silence feels heavy, but Dimitri doesn't want to prompt anything - not a word. So he waits in silence, gaze sliding away before it returns as Yuri speaks again. He frowns slightly. How much does he truly want to know about another him? But - it might be worthwhile. Dimitri takes a slow breath and then finally nods. ]

If you're willing to share with me, then... Yes. Maybe it will be enlightening.

[wolfish]

Well then. When we were encamped just outside a little town, shoring up supplies and the like, I started hearing stories about a "funny knight" going about lifting this unreasonably heavy thing around, carting something else for someone else...you get the picture.

[ An idle wave of the hand as he sweeps the little narrative along. Some of it would be a feat even for a wall of muscle like Balthus. ]

Come to find it's King Dimitri himself going about town, unguarded, doing everyone's work for them. [ It's something of an exaggeration, but not as much of one as it ought to be. ] I tell him what a damn fool thing that is in the middle of a war, and he just decides to assign me as bodyguard for a day.

[ He huffs, but his exasperation lacks anything sharp in it. Rather, his tone is almost fond, perhaps. ]

He wanted that badly to see what life was like for common folk... Said he wished for people to be able to engage with the policies he set forth, that sort of thing. It all sounded very naive, you understand.

[ But then as Dimitri — a Dimitri — perhaps not. ]

Commoners aren't literate. Ashe and I were blessed exceptions. I told him that, and he was interested in my ideas, in changing it. Genuinely interested, fancy that. [ Again, to his audience of Dimitri... ] But now we get to the meat of it.

[ The thing that won his respect. He wonders, if only for a moment, whether it'll seem small, but that doesn't matter. ]

I offered him ways and means. I've got connections, after all. It'd make his ambitions far easier to realize. He didn't even consider it— he refused, despite all the work that'd create for him.

[ He shakes his head, but this too lacks any air of true criticsm. ]

I'd never expected him to insist on coming by those changes honestly. Never expected it from anyone, really.

[hauntedking]

[ Dimitri listens in respectful silence, absorbing the story as it's told to him. It isn't really surprising and it rings true to him. It sounds like something he'd consider doing, without any worry for danger or the inconvenience he'd create for himself. Helping where he can and when he can, because it's the right thing to do. Because deep down, he enjoys helping others. Some things stay the same - although he supposed this other him had more opportunity to express it than he did.

He was too wrapped up in grief and pain and anger to really help people. It was only after the war that he'd started thinking about what he could do (personally or otherwise). The whole story brings a smile to his face however slight. There's pain, though, because he has wanted very badly to help people - but he's lost time, so much time to war and his own madness. It's only recently that he was able to start considering reforms and improvements - and then he was brought here.

He examines Yuri's face for a long moment as the story winds into its end. ]

That... does sound like something I would like to do. Or might have done. I was considering reforms before I ended up... here. I'm touched that you found so much to be admired in his - my - convictions.

[ He sighs and his head cocks curiously. ]

...thank you for telling me. I appreciate it. But was the wishing for it to be done so honestly really a surprise? [ Other people are generally more cynical than he is. Even now. ]

[wolfish]

I've met a great many nobles in my time. It's the first time I'd encountered anything quite like that. The late Lord Lonato was a good man, a good lord by all accounts, despite...how things ended.

[ Far better than the Adrestian nobility, cloistered off in Enbarr so far departed from the realities of their own lands and the people who lived there. There are a fair few genuinely goodhearted and caring nobles in Faerghus, though Yuri's erstwhile adopted father was not among them.

Dimitri, however, is the first with both the power and motivation to pursue better conditions for of his people. ]

But someone wanting to enact that kind of change, not just an idle thought, but genuine intent? Yeah, that was a surprise. Not as much as choosing to go about it the hard way, simply because it's the right thing to do.

[ And it's the honorable intention that resonated with him, that transformed Dimitri from a well-intentioned fool to a leader worth supporting in Yuri's eyes. ]

That's more unique than you'd want to believe.

[ King Dimitri had unknowingly given Yuri hope that a dream he'd begun to see as beyond his reach could indeed be realized, that it could be done honorably, and he can't say what that truly means to him. ]

[hauntedking]

[ Dimitri is not used to hearing people praise him recently (or, really, another version of him). He's been told he's too hopeful or not hopeful enough. He's allowed his demons to take over. So the conviction and apparent sincere admiration are very touching to him in this moment. Even if it's for another king in a other place and another time.

He still has that dream, after all. That thought that he can make his people's lives better and turn Faerghus (Fodlan) into a place where people need not suffer. Where the poor are not trapped by circumstance and fate and where lords, perhaps, have less power to ruin the lives of those under them at a whim. ]

I... cannot speak to uniqueness. But that dream you speak of, that desire to change - that is still true of me. So perhaps that endures in me even when I walk different paths. And... doing things right. That's just as important. Especially when you stumble and... do not live up to your own expectations.

[ The soft smile on his face fades a little. As similar as he feels he is to this other him now, there's still the ugliness buried in him. Dimitri fixes Yuri with a look and then seems to take a moment to decide what to say. ]

...you should know I still wrestle with my demons. My emotions. I was angry and despairing for a very long time and... at times that darkness threatens me again.

[wolfish]

If the man you know grew up the way I did... I think you'd find he shares that dream.

[ It's driven him since the day he'd been saved during the plague, that desire to help others. To save them in turn. Yuri can't imagine that, having had that same experience early in life, he could have any different aspiration.

During the war, he'd begun to doubt his ability and reach, sufficing with taking care of the Abyssians who followed him. King Dimitri had changed that, all without knowing it. Was it any wonder that Yuri leapt at the opportunity when it presented itself.

As for the rest... Yuri takes his time in considering what Dimitri has to say regarding his demons as he calls them. His emotions, then, are unresolved. There may not have been the time, he suspects, in the midst of a war. He did say he'd only just begun with reforms, in contrast to the Dimitri he knows.

When he'd apparently taken the throne much later, it makes a certain sense. ]

...What do you do about them? Your feelings.

[hauntedking]

...I take them as they come. I do my best not to let them control me.

[ He admits that with a little friend. As if he's confessing something horrid. ]

They... usually aren't as bad. But... recently there was a time when I was overwhelmed by grief and fear and anger and I lashed out. It - there is no excuse for it. I tried to harm people. But... I have been seeing someone. They call it... "therapy"? I don't know if it truly helps.

[wolfish]

What helps depends on the man, I'd imagine.

[ Therapy, huh... Yuri wonders what that entails. Perhaps it's something this realm devised. He wouldn't have the first idea, but to seek help, Dimitri must be very concerned about what he might do or who he might hurt with his prodigious strength.

In a way, Yuri understands. He needs control over himself, if nothing else, after the life he's led. Needs that sense of autonomy, to project strength, lest anyone try to wrest it from him. The reasons, he knows, are far different from Dimitri's.

It's difficult to know whether he should be grateful for that fact, having a measure of what Dimitri has lost. ]

What does therapy involve?

[hauntedking]

...speaking to someone rather frankly about my feelings. They have some kind of training in the matter and they've provided suggestions on how to deal with thoughts and urges I might find troubling. They... mostly listen. But they've started to help me better grasp some of the emotions that are in tumult.

[ Dimitri starts slightly and gives Yuri an apologetic smile. ]

... you've just arrived and I'm burdening you with my troubles. I apologize, Yuri.

[ Ah, he's still a bit self sacrificing. ]

[wolfish]

[ If there was any remaining doubt, that much simply reinforces that he's Dimitri. A Dimitri, rather, but Dimitri all the same. ]

I do recall having asked.

[ And it makes him wonder anew how a certain king is faring. Prone as Yuri is to pray in their camp's little church when he expects he'd be quite alone, he's had to change course more than once because King Dimitri was already there.

Pleading with the air.

He's wondered, but he isn't Sylvain, or Dedue, or Felix. He knows survivor's guilt well enough, his notebook is how he carries his dead after all, but there is a gap there it may be wrong for him to try and surmount. ]

I find it informative, actually. We have no one trained in such things back home, but I can think of a man or three who'd benefit from it. Besides, if I'm going to be here...

[ He trails off with a helpless shrug, a filler to pass a moment as he considers his words. Obviously, he hasn't any say in the matter of his presence. ]

It may not be my place, but I'd want to know anyway.

[hauntedking]

[ For his part, Dimitri remembers a sharp sense of humor, good-natured words... and a willingness to get one's hands dirty. And more than that, besides, but it's what stands out to him when he remembers Yuri. So this, too, isn't much of a surprise to him. He shifts his weight a little, gaze going a touch distant. ]

...if you want to know, I'm willing to tell you, of course. You may not be... quite the same as the Yuri I remember, but you are still Yuri, if that makes sense. And... besides that, you're one of a handful of people here from Fodlan. I think it's important there be more of us here to remember our home and the... the people we're missing, currently.

[ Again, there's that smile, even if it's wry and a little brittle. ]

I welcome your assistance and your words... and I will offer my own to you.

[wolfish]

[ It does make a certain sense to Yuri. This Dimitri isn't the king who handed his hopes back to him as though he'd plucked them off some high shelf without ever knowing what they were, but he's recognizable. His struggles and hardships aren't identical, yet he remains a man who thinks of others first and faults himself (it seems to Yuri) for his human frailties.

He's not the king Yuri follows, but Yuri'd be a poor liar if he claimed not to be even a little personally invested in watching out for him just the same. They're separate men, and Yuri won't lose sight of it, especially not after Byleth's immense relief at not being taken for some evidently beloved schoolteacher.

Imagine that socially awkward man teaching noble kids not much younger than himself... ]

I'm inclined to agree. We may not remember it the same way, but in this place, we'd best hold onto it. Whatever's going on here, we've got people to get back to.

[ People who need and rely on them.

Following this, he visibly hesitates. Debates. When he speaks again, there is a measured caution about his words, if only because he suspects it may be strange to say. But hearing of this Dimitri's struggles has further solidified the nature of what his king must be shouldering.

When he thinks of it that way, being silent simply isn't an option. ]

And... I might be overstepping here, but if you need to talk and that expert's not available, I can listen. Offer's open anytime you need. Or want, for that matter.

[ Yuri suspects himself to be the last person who'd be overwhelmed by what Dimitri has described. But then, he's never hurt for confidence. ]

[hauntedking]

[ The way that Yuri hesitates makes Dimitri consider him a bit more closely as the other man chooses his words carefully. He's never quite known Yuri to be as willing to reach out emotionally as he is. It's welcome all the same, whether from the Yuri he knows or not. Especially after the long, long month he had back in May. His smile is... faded, but grateful all the same as he finds the words to respond. ]

Thank you, Yuri. Your offer is appreciated. I... admit that I hesitate to burden you again, but I will take you up on this if I feel it's needed.

[ He gives Yuri a little nod. ]

For my part... I am also willing to help you with your own troubles. Whatever they may end up being in this place.

[wolfish]

Pretty sure it's impossible for you to burden me. Unless you expect to be carried. I've put on some muscle, but that'd be a challenge.

[ Yuri understands the feeling, not wanting to burden others. In his case, it's more of a reluctance to lean on people, to bare some weakness that might come back to haunt him or be wielded against him sometime in the future. He could ill afford vulnerability, and in truth, he feels Dimitri's needs are greater than his own.

For that matter, the man he knows has already given him something he considers to be of immeasurable worth. Hope is intangible, but it's something he'd lost his hold of, since the start of the war. Having that rerurned to him is everything.

He wonders, briefly, whether it'd be the same for some other Yuri or not. ]

I'll hold you to it... Though right now, I'm just getting my bearings around here.

[hauntedking]

Well...

[ Dimitri rubs his chin. ]

It's a strange place. Things can change in an instant and mysterious magic can have an impact when you least expect it. Only a month ago we were somehow transported into a potential future... One we fortunately have ended up avoiding. It's entirely beyond my experience! Although... i am adjusting, slowly but surely.

[ He give Yuri a curious look. ]

Are there any questions I might be able to help answer?

[wolfish]

[ Does he have questions? There are too many to number crowding his mind. Folding his arms across his chest, Yuri considers which he ought to prioritize.

It doesn't take him long to settle on one. ]

Well... What do you make of these two sides? They're obviously vying for power.

[ As a leader and as someone who has seen war, Yuri's certain that Dimitri has opinions. ]

[hauntedking]

It's difficult to say.

[ It's osmething he has thought about, but he's not close to an answer. ]

It seems strange that they should be so at odds - as if only one can win out, but I don't know enough of the power behind any of this to give any accurate assessment of that aspect. Cyrus and Meridian seem to have the best interests of their people at heart, but so does Yima. Both of them say the other refuses to negotiate. In the end... only Meridian says we can restore what's been lost, where Zenith promises a new world entirely.

[wolfish]

Have they ever shown you credible evidence that it truly has been lost?

[ Dimitri may not have every answer. Yuri doesn't expect him to. But he's wondered this, because it's no small claim to make. That through some means, their world was obliterated, yet somehow he can arrive here some time after others have.

Surely, it must sound suspicious to Dimitri as well. Has he seen something that made him believe? ]

[hauntedking]

Mmm. That depends... there's the strange dreams... and Meridian has given those who've chosen them a... sunbeam of sorts. They say it's a connection to what's left of it and it can be used to call up memories. That sort of thing. But nothing I would consider irrefutable or that could not be replicated with some sort of illusion...