ABRAXAS MODS (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
abraxasmods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
abraxaslogs2022-06-17 09:39 am
abraxasmods) wrote in abraxaslogs2022-06-17 09:39 am
Entry tags:
- !event,
- aloy; the hermit,
- claude von riegan; the wheel of fortune,
- harrowhark nonagesimus; the magician,
- himeka sui; the fool,
- kell maresh; the magician,
- peter parker (mcu); strength,
- prince wilhelm; the tower,
- rhy maresh; the lovers,
- stephen strange; death,
- steve rogers; the hierophant,
- thancred waters; strength,
- viktor; death
EVENT #8: MÆRE - IC POST (FACTION INTERVENTION)
Event #8 - Mære (Intervention)
go to the OOC event info and plotting post or the main IC event post.
While it is each Summoned who is the focus of their Entity's ire, they are not the only ones who seem aware of its movements. The factions will soon approach each Summoned with an offer: work with them to help contain the threat and aid the suffering of you and your friends.
Please post your top level under your character's faction heading comment. Players are completely free to organize among themselves how they wish to play these threads out. You may make a traditional top level, join or create a free-for-all thread where anyone can tag in at any time, or whatever you like. Just be sure to communicate with everyone you'll be threading with!
For any questions, please ask on our question thread.
THORNE | FREE CITIES | SOLVUNN
For any questions, please ask on our question thread.
Kingdom of Thorne
In CASTLE THORNE, Ambrose's most promising assistant mage Jolene has been having frightful dreams of late. Though she writes it off at first as regular nightmares, when she catches glimpse of a hulking shadow walking in the Castle's halls that looks exactly like one of the horrors she's witnessed, she instantly knows that something else is at play. She immediately meets with Ambrose who opens up one of the castle's most secluded experimentation rooms, located deep underground.
The Summoned of Thorne will be asked by Jolene to assist with an urgent matter that cannot just be left to the Thornean mages. If they agree, they will be led by Jolene and her assistant mages down to the underground corridor. Guards are posted outside of the rooms for security, but the Summoned and the mages will otherwise have free reign over the rooms. Inside they will find an array of tomes, scrolls, elixirs, and alchemy sets. Though not everyone will know how to use these, they will be told that the castle may be under siege from beings unknown and that the Summoned are their only hope in coming up with a new method to expel them from this realm.
The Summoned of Thorne will be asked by Jolene to assist with an urgent matter that cannot just be left to the Thornean mages. If they agree, they will be led by Jolene and her assistant mages down to the underground corridor. Guards are posted outside of the rooms for security, but the Summoned and the mages will otherwise have free reign over the rooms. Inside they will find an array of tomes, scrolls, elixirs, and alchemy sets. Though not everyone will know how to use these, they will be told that the castle may be under siege from beings unknown and that the Summoned are their only hope in coming up with a new method to expel them from this realm.
Preparation
The Summoned will skim the scrolls and tomes, consult with the assistant mages on the equipment, and use their own inherent abilities through their connection with the Singularity to inscribe and create a new spell to bind and banish the Entities from Abraxas. Some of the tomes may be a codex that requires solving a puzzle to open while there may be boxes locked by enchantments that might contain special items to aid them in their research. For the less magically inclined who wish to help, items such as scrolls, potion ingredients, and notes will also need to be gathered and organized. It will take some time and once they have what they believe is a workable incantation, they will have to test it.
While you're free to have your character succeed or fail at interpreting certain codex or refining certain spells, within reason, if you'd like to have a mod roll for you, leave a comment here with what you're seeking to accomplish and we will determine both your rate of success and any consequences!
Performing the Spell
To begin the spell, all those involved will be led to a final room at the end of the corridor that is laced with silver inscriptions along the doorway, pulsating with ambient magic. A soft whisper from Jolene will grant them access inside. There, a shallow pool of water no more than a foot deep sits in a circle in the center of the room. The Summoned will be instructed to stand in a circle inside the pool and join hands at the edges. The door will close behind them and the experiment will begin.
The mages will rub an elixir on their hands and begin the incantation. At first, the room is still and silent except for the chanting of the spell. Then candles will flicker out and the water beneath their feet will glow, gurgling and bubbling as though boiling - except the temperature remains surprisingly cool. The Entity of each of the gathered Summoned will take shape in the water, towering above the circle in liquid form. Any Summoned with a connection to it may feel dizzy when it manifests as if the image is being pulled directly out of their subconscious. These liquid forms will lash out at everyone in the circle, but as long as they don't break the line of joined hands, it remains contained.
If someone breaks the circle, the water will begin to hiss and freeze, turning icy cold. Quickly rejoin the circle before the water solidifies the Entity into a living icy statue, or risk being consumed with it.
Eventually, the Entity will explode in a burst of water, soaking those in the circle. Then the incantation begins again to bring another Entity forth. Rinse and repeat.
When each Entity is accounted for, the experiment will end. The doors are opened and the Summoned are bid to return to their chambers for some well-deserved rest. But rest will not find them. For the next 3 days, they will feel exhausted and irritable, but unable to sleep.
The mages will rub an elixir on their hands and begin the incantation. At first, the room is still and silent except for the chanting of the spell. Then candles will flicker out and the water beneath their feet will glow, gurgling and bubbling as though boiling - except the temperature remains surprisingly cool. The Entity of each of the gathered Summoned will take shape in the water, towering above the circle in liquid form. Any Summoned with a connection to it may feel dizzy when it manifests as if the image is being pulled directly out of their subconscious. These liquid forms will lash out at everyone in the circle, but as long as they don't break the line of joined hands, it remains contained.
If someone breaks the circle, the water will begin to hiss and freeze, turning icy cold. Quickly rejoin the circle before the water solidifies the Entity into a living icy statue, or risk being consumed with it.
Eventually, the Entity will explode in a burst of water, soaking those in the circle. Then the incantation begins again to bring another Entity forth. Rinse and repeat.
When each Entity is accounted for, the experiment will end. The doors are opened and the Summoned are bid to return to their chambers for some well-deserved rest. But rest will not find them. For the next 3 days, they will feel exhausted and irritable, but unable to sleep.
The Free Cities
In the FREE CITIES, all is not well in the capitol. Aleksander reports seeing the reflections of several strange beings in his lab equipment. After his prized pigeon Nicola let out a terrified squawk, he turned to Cadens leadership to report the incidents. Try as he might to track down its source, all he was able to discern was a vague resonance not unlike that tracked when close to the Singularity which turns attentions immediately towards the Summoned.
Preparation
With Marlo's blessing, Aleksander travels with a group of Summoned volunteers, his own laboratory assistants, and a small brigade of the Cadens Military to escort them all to an outpost in the eastern deserts. Flanked by soldiers, the Summoned will be instructed they are to retrieve crystals located in the mines below the outpost. The soldiers are only there to make sure nothing untoward happens to these outstanding volunteers, of course.
Those who are familiar with the different types of crystals from the science academies will recognize these are not quite the same as those carefully mined and cultivated in Cadens for hefty experiments. Instead, these are duller, and more brittle. Gathering them will take effort, and the mines are slippery and dangerous in some parts. Watch your step or risk the ground crumbling beneath you.
Those who are familiar with the different types of crystals from the science academies will recognize these are not quite the same as those carefully mined and cultivated in Cadens for hefty experiments. Instead, these are duller, and more brittle. Gathering them will take effort, and the mines are slippery and dangerous in some parts. Watch your step or risk the ground crumbling beneath you.
While you're free to have your character succeed or fail at gathering crystals at your discretion, if you'd like to have a mod roll for you for whether they will slip and fall, if any of the crystals will break, or even conflict involving another character, etc., leave a comment here with what you're seeking to accomplish and we will determine both your rate of success and any consequences!
Performing the Experiment
The Summoned will have a moment to rest as their bounty is cleaned and set up in a claustrophobic laboratory room located underground. The rest will be important as Aleksander explains that it is only their energy and connection to the Singularity that can power these crystals. What are they for, exactly? His only response is "you will see soon enough".
They will be provided these special gloves and the Summoned can take turns laying their hands on a large glass structure reinforced with steel that contains these crystals. Even those without a magical inclination will find that their life energy is enough, causing the crystals within the glass to vibrate with their touch. Hours will be spent in this small room and as time passes on, the reflections that Aleksander had glimpsed in his laboratory begin to show themselves inside the crystals. What's more, while Aleksander could not identify what they were, the collected Summoned in the room will recognize them immediately as their own Entities. Their Entities that now, upon seeing their progenitors, will try to break free.
Aleksander nor his assistants can explain how this is possible, but the Summoned will find that channeling their energy through the gloved devices may cause small bursts inside the crystals as if they themselves have some control over that environment. Phantom bindings or hands created inside the crystals will keep the Entities at bay...if they try hard enough. Should anyone falter, the surface of the crystals will begin to crack. These cracks will grow larger and larger, and characters will either need to gather their strength or find aid in those around them before the Entity bursts free altogether. The gloved devices themselves may also prove to be an issue if they break during the process - and may need to be quickly repaired on the spot, however possible.
The effort will be exhausting, but they will be rewarded in the end as the crystals grow heated, splintering the glass container but retaining the Entities within the crystals themselves, trapped inside. Researchers will hurry into the room to make sure everyone is all right and to move the crystals into a more secure container. The Summoned volunteers will be thanked for their efforts and escorted back to Cadens by the soldiers. Aleskander and his assistants stay behind at the outpost to perform further research and appropriately contain the crystals. The Summoned will experience grogginess, headaches, and some weakness in the 3 days that follow.
They will be provided these special gloves and the Summoned can take turns laying their hands on a large glass structure reinforced with steel that contains these crystals. Even those without a magical inclination will find that their life energy is enough, causing the crystals within the glass to vibrate with their touch. Hours will be spent in this small room and as time passes on, the reflections that Aleksander had glimpsed in his laboratory begin to show themselves inside the crystals. What's more, while Aleksander could not identify what they were, the collected Summoned in the room will recognize them immediately as their own Entities. Their Entities that now, upon seeing their progenitors, will try to break free.
Aleksander nor his assistants can explain how this is possible, but the Summoned will find that channeling their energy through the gloved devices may cause small bursts inside the crystals as if they themselves have some control over that environment. Phantom bindings or hands created inside the crystals will keep the Entities at bay...if they try hard enough. Should anyone falter, the surface of the crystals will begin to crack. These cracks will grow larger and larger, and characters will either need to gather their strength or find aid in those around them before the Entity bursts free altogether. The gloved devices themselves may also prove to be an issue if they break during the process - and may need to be quickly repaired on the spot, however possible.
The effort will be exhausting, but they will be rewarded in the end as the crystals grow heated, splintering the glass container but retaining the Entities within the crystals themselves, trapped inside. Researchers will hurry into the room to make sure everyone is all right and to move the crystals into a more secure container. The Summoned volunteers will be thanked for their efforts and escorted back to Cadens by the soldiers. Aleskander and his assistants stay behind at the outpost to perform further research and appropriately contain the crystals. The Summoned will experience grogginess, headaches, and some weakness in the 3 days that follow.
Solvunn Commune
In the SOLVUNN COMMUNE, those on the Council are considered close to the Gods. When Rowan is given an ominous vision of mysterious beings found nowhere known in Abraxas, it falls to reason that the Gods are bidding those they brought to this world to deal with them. He can be seen early in the morning making his way across the town in the Primary Settlement to speak with Winifred and the Council itself is inaccessible for several hours. Later that day, Rowan emerges once again accompanied by several of the Commune's mages, usually seen leading ceremonies and other religious practices throughout the year.
Preparation
The mages and Rowan will beseech the Summoned of Solvunn, that the time has come for them to perform the acts with which the Gods had brought them hither. With their special connection to the magics of this world, they can help save the Commune and restore natural order to the world by ridding the land of unwelcome phantoms. That the Summoned agree to this is of utmost importance as their devotion and willpower plays a large part in their effectiveness against such threats. The Gods will know their intent, the mages say. And it is the Gods who need their aid.
Those who agree will accompany Rowan and the mages out of the Primary Settlement into the hills around Solvunn into a small wooded area. There, they will come upon an old unsettling ritual site. Before they have time to question the statues, they will be told to seek out specific herbs and plants in the surrounding brush as well as any animal bones they can find. The woods this far out are a little more dangerous. Watch out for some smaller but still dangerous beasts, and be careful of hornets nests and mildly toxic blooms that lurk among the herbs you are meant to gather.
Those who agree will accompany Rowan and the mages out of the Primary Settlement into the hills around Solvunn into a small wooded area. There, they will come upon an old unsettling ritual site. Before they have time to question the statues, they will be told to seek out specific herbs and plants in the surrounding brush as well as any animal bones they can find. The woods this far out are a little more dangerous. Watch out for some smaller but still dangerous beasts, and be careful of hornets nests and mildly toxic blooms that lurk among the herbs you are meant to gather.
While you're free to have your character disturb hornets or take a tumble at your discretion, if you'd like to have a mod roll for you for whether they will accidentally brush against flowers that leave behind a rash, upset the wildlife, or so forth, leave a comment here with what you're seeking to accomplish and we will determine both your rate of success and any consequences!
Performing the Ritual
Once they have returned to the ritual site, they will be instructed to weave together baskets with their fellow Summoned by intertwining the bones and plants, after the bones have been carved and blessed by the mages. As they work, the mages will close off the area in a line of salt and painted runes. The hour grows dark and the statues themselves begin to take on the appearances of the Entities, raising an alarm among Summoned and mages alike. They bid the Summon to complete the baskets as quickly as possible. Once they are completed, the mages will take the herbs and mix them with curious liquids inside the bowls, magically watertight no matter how well they were woven. The mages then bid the Summoned to repeat a stated prayer of protection to the Gods and drink concoction, which will imbue them with the ability to face the phantoms of their own realm.
Each Summoned will take a drink and find that the statues before them seem to move. The mages hand the Summoned chalk and ask them to write the name of their adversaries on their stone flesh so that the Gods can identify them and send them away. One by one, each possessed statue must be identified and marked as the mages chant, and one by one, they seem to turn to ash. The possessed statues do not wait idly to be caught, some will fight back and need to be tricked or captured so they can be marked. Yet in the end, all will be gone by sunrise.
Those who fail to drink the liquid adequately will find their limbs growing stiff and faltering, as if they, too, are beginning to form into a statue...and that their Entity occupying a statue grows more limber in return, like it means to exchange places. Consuming more of the liquid will cure the afflicted Summoned of these ails.
In the morning the statues that were once possessed have returned to their normal state, but they have moved across the site and are caked in ash. The Summoned will find that they are starving and that their hunger will not abate. The mages will supply them with potions to help deal with the hunger and Rowan will offer cheeses and milk from his farm, though the Summoned will remain ravenous for a 3 days after the ritual.
Each Summoned will take a drink and find that the statues before them seem to move. The mages hand the Summoned chalk and ask them to write the name of their adversaries on their stone flesh so that the Gods can identify them and send them away. One by one, each possessed statue must be identified and marked as the mages chant, and one by one, they seem to turn to ash. The possessed statues do not wait idly to be caught, some will fight back and need to be tricked or captured so they can be marked. Yet in the end, all will be gone by sunrise.
Those who fail to drink the liquid adequately will find their limbs growing stiff and faltering, as if they, too, are beginning to form into a statue...and that their Entity occupying a statue grows more limber in return, like it means to exchange places. Consuming more of the liquid will cure the afflicted Summoned of these ails.
In the morning the statues that were once possessed have returned to their normal state, but they have moved across the site and are caked in ash. The Summoned will find that they are starving and that their hunger will not abate. The mages will supply them with potions to help deal with the hunger and Rowan will offer cheeses and milk from his farm, though the Summoned will remain ravenous for a 3 days after the ritual.
SOLVUNN COMMUNE
See here for Solvunn's participation scenario.
Himeka Sui | The Fool | OTA
[ As is expected, Himeka readily volunteers herself to assist with what the mages think is best. She's ever curious about the magicks of this world and, really, who doesn't like Rowan? As light-hearted as she tries to keep things at times, there are noticeable bags around her eyes, beguiling the sleep she's tried to forgo to keep her own demons at bay. Yet she's still willing to share snacks with others on the way to the ritual site.
Which is...odd. And horrifying in a quiet sort of way. But a gathering quest seems easy enough all things considered. Himeka is using the apron of her dress as a make-shift basket (not to mix with the snacks she has in her satchel), carefully plucking what she believes is the appropriate herb from a nearby bush.
But she keeps looking over her shoulder. ]
...Could you do that?
[ She asks the person nearest towards her and nods her head to one of the statues in a questionable yoga-like pose. ]
the ritual
[ It couldn't have been as simple as just smudging the area with the herbs, could it? No, of course not. She doesn't want to admit that her own fingers begin to shake slightly as she quickens the pace of her weaving, casting an uneasy glance towards a statue that begins to look more and more like the thing she's been trying to avoid.
Of course they can't just put the basket on a statue's head or something. Of course there's something being concocted inside. But as the basket is passed to Himeka, she only hesitates for a moment before taking a big gulp.
She makes a face as she passes the basket to the next person. ]
It's sour.
[ Which is really the least of their problems. The fact that the statues are all about them, it's hard to tell which ones are the next to take on the appearance of their realized nightmares. But this isn't a battle that can be fought with her usual spells. She looks at the simple chalk that's place in her hand before gripping it tightly and turning to her comrades for the evening. ]
Shall we?
preparations
Still, she would be remiss if she didn't, at least, provide some muscle, especially given the fact that they're so far outside the settlement, and they're bound to be interrupted by creatures. She's distracted, something that's evident when Himeka calls out to her and it takes her a moment to realize she's being addressed.]
What do you need?
[Her first instinct is to help, even if she's not at all sold on this, yet.]
no subject
The circumstances, though, are less than ideal. There isn't nearly enough time to satiate curiosity. The mages are insistent on the work the Summoned do and after days of nightmares and the threat of their presence outside of dreams? Well, it's a fair bit of urgency.
But she does remember this woman as one of the newer Summoned in the Commune and is, therefore, inclined to reach out even in small ways. When she gets Aloy's attention she smiles lightly and points to where some small lavender flowers encompass the base of a statue. ]
Could you help me collect these? They're between all these prickly vines.
no subject
[There’s still suspicion in her voice—a lot of it, though of course it’s not for Himeka. The scenery has her on edge, to say nothing of whatever this ritual is supposed to be. Even with the heightened paranoia of the last few days, she finds no relief in actually participating in a potential solution, simply because it involves religious traditions that she wants no part in.
Unfortunately, given the things that are threatening to push their way into the real world, she's starting to understand that this is, potentially, a "lesser of two evils" situation. With that in mind, she starts making her way through the brush--prickly vines aren't necessarily a bother to her, and she has a makeshift spear, the blade of which she uses to start cutting them away.]
Look, you've been here longer than me. Have they ever made you do one of these rituals before?
no subject
Oh, I've been here...
[ She pauses, trying to think. ]
We're getting to nearly the year mark at this point? Wow...
[ A hallowing thought. It will really just be a few moons, won't it? Himeka shrugs and starts to dig into the soft earth. ]
I've been part of a few different rituals, yes. Though this one? I'm not sure what it is. Most I've been a part of were done in town. I guess it's this place that's necessary for it?
no subject
If they have a special place for it, something like this must have happened before.
[Maybe not in this exact way, but this place seems too specialized to be fore anything else. If the running theory is that it's the Singularity causing all this, it's not out of the question that it's fluctuated in a similar way, in the past.]
What are the usual rituals like?
no subject
I trust the mages, though I do have to wonder how much they are hoping that we may have part of the answer, you know?
[ Probably not something to instill much confidence into a newer Summoned, but Himeka has always preferred honesty. (Especially to a new member of Team Redhead.) ]
They believe gods sent us or have blessed us somehow. So by that line we would have to hold the answer to their problems, right?
[ She pauses then, placing the plants she has freshly cut into her apron. As for the other rituals... ]
It's mostly been a variety of chanting, uses of charms, runes, and like...burning of things and herbs? I figure that's what this is going to be, though I do wonder what it is out here that makes this place necessary for it.
no subject
[True, that doesn't make Aloy feel any better. Maybe it's a product of having been here so long--in absence of overtly suspicious behavior from the mages (which she still finds to be an uncomfortable term), perhaps it becomes logical to trust them. She hasn't been won over yet, still angry about her apparent kidnapping to be particularly cooperative.]
People believe a lot of things. [They look to imagined deities and cosmic forces for their answers. She's been in situations before, where she's been revered. Had superstitions imposed on her. She can't say she likes this any more.] It doesn't mean any of it is real.
no subject
Yes, though...I should say I trust that they are true to their beliefs. They haven't had me do anything I disagreed with yet.
[ Aloy's suspicions are more than valid. Himeka offers a sheepish shrug.
It's what Aloy says next that really gets to her--in a good way. She stands up and scoots closer so that she can keep her voice low, inclining her head towards the other woman. ]
Do you...have you heard of "Primals"?
no subject
So she'll continue regarding all of this with suspicion, especially because the religious zealots she's familiar with spent a lot of time, you know, doing human sacrifices.]
No. [Maybe she can make a few guesses, but it's probably better to let Himeka explain.] A tribe?
no subject
Surely there are some who would prefer blood as an offering. Surely those are the ones to worry most about.
Aloy's guess is a good one, but Himeka shakes her head. ]
They're essentially the manifestations of heartened belief back on my star. They can seem like gods, but they're not really. But they still can be very dangerous and sort of...enchant the minds of their believers. It becomes a cycle.
[ Aloy is likely drawing the conclusion on her own, but Himeka feels the need to say it aloud anyway. ]
My fear is that is what is being prayed to out here.
no subject
She doesn't necessarily understand the full breadth of what Himeka is talking about--it all seems very supernatural to her, still, but some entity controlling the minds of others sounds like bad news, regardless.]
Then, why indulge this ritual, if you think they're praying to something dangerous?
no subject
Thus far it's the only way I've been able to get closer to the mages and get any inkling of what we're dealing with. Besides, if it is dangerous...I'd rather it be directed towards me.
[ Despite the admission, she smiles at Aloy. ]
Dealing with Primals is something of a specialty of mine, if that is what these are. I'm not sure what else I can do for the Commune or for everyone else that's stuck here, but I can do this.
no subject
I guess I just don't understand how you know when you've gone too far.
[When your plot to get closer to the mages ends with you believing what they believe. Serving their interests. They haven't exactly been forthcoming about the ritual--what if they're going to summon something even worse?]
Look, I want to help. [It's in her nature.] I just can't trust any of this.
ritual
But the Solvunnites seem to get what's going on -- or, more importantly, they believe they do. Nero's seen a lot of crazy shit, and he's heard about demons that dopplegang for the hell of it, but --
This is deeper. More than that. Pushing into his head, stepping into this world.
Whatever. Weaving a fucking basket's not gonna do anything, but here he is. Sitting cross-legged next to Himeka, glaring at the statue that is apparently "his." It's fucking ugly, by the way.
Nero watches her face as she takes a swallow. Judging by the expression, it's not exactly cola.] Gross. You know how gross that sounds, right? [He's stopping the line when it's his turn, watching her with a hard line across his brow.] Is it... working? I mean. Feel any different?
no subject
To his question, she frowns--mostly because she's trying to tell if she does feel any different. ]
Um...not really...
[ That is--until the statue behind Nero is definitely wiggling a bit.
Hm... ]
...
[ Himeka points behind him. ]
But that one is saying "hello".
[ Or maybe "run"? ]
no subject
[Not that he thinks he'd get sick -- him and illness aren't really a thing -- but. Look, it's gross. But he's gotta do it. Apparently. Whatever gets rid of --
He sighs, brings the bottle up to his lips, and swallows heavily. Once, twice.
Sour is right. Like vinegar.]
Huh?
[He turns around. Squints. The potion sloshes in his stomach, coats the inside of his mouth. Ugh.
The statue's mouth moves.]
Whoa. [He squints back at it, standing up. His knees crack. He's pretty sure his knees have never cracked in his life.] Can you even feel any magic in this? Or are they just drugging us for kicks?
no subject
If she had reference of horror movies she'd know that when statues twitch like that something bad will probably happen. It is unsettling. Her tail swishes behind her with some growing anxiety mixed with curiosity. Sometimes she can't help herself.
Himeka turns to Nero with an unhelpful shrug. ]
The air here has felt kind of dense since we arrived. I assume they brought us here because the aether is particularly reactive or something. A better...soup for magicks, if you will.
no subject
Ugh. He just hates statues. Always popping up. Trying to kill you.)
Nero gets up to move beside her. He's feeling uneasy, like her, which is a feeling he can't stand. Makes his trigger finger itch.]
Aether? That some magic shit, I guess? [Don't know why she couldn't have just said magic, but... he leans in, taps on the face (?) of the statue.
What's been stalking her, anyway? Should he ask?] Oh. Soup. Yeah, sure. So we're sittin' in magic soup, waiting for... the magic boil?
no subject
Well, they're all sleep deprived and gooped up, so this might as well be what happens, huh? ]
Everything is made of aether.
[ Duh. ]
But I think...the soup is ready.
[ She looks down at the chalk in her hand, before clutching it tightly and turning to Nero with a more serious expression. ]
And what we've made are golems for our nigthmares.
no subject
[He looks away from the statue he's harassing to her. It's not like he's a college star, but he's pretty sure everything is made out of matter --
Maybe it's the same thing? Honestly, he doesn't care enough to question it. Himeka's all into magic. He's not. Last thing he wants to do is insult her and get set on fire or turned into a newt. Or worse -- be left out of dinner.
(He'd kill for her cooking, all right?)]
I'd say we should pulverize them, but the mages got another idea. [He gives her a nod, stepping back, letting her weave through the statues. So far, he hasn't seen his -- though they're all starting to move a bit, yeah. Vibrate. But how hard could he be to find?
(And what name does he put? The fucker has, like, four.)] Does, uh... your nightmare have a name?
[Stupid question. She has to write it, doesn't she? But he's just wonderin'. Was it someone in that memory? Someone entirely different? Or is it not a someone at all?] I got your back. In case it decides to jump you.
no subject
He's a tough one. A lot of talk but also a lot of heart. The sort of person you know you can rely on and while this is a big test of their teamwork, Himeka has full faith in him. He's not let her down in anyway yet. ]
Hmm...yeah. It could be that destroying the stone they're taking on wouldn't actually kill them...or they just don't want us ruining their nice statues.
[ "Nice" is very subjective. They're really horrifying.
But as she comes to stop in front of one of them, it takes on a new twisted appearance: great wings, unnervingly long arms, a twisting scaly tail...
And her face.
Her Entity is the sin eater she almost became. ]
I've just been calling it "Eater".
[ She stares up at the statue as it sneers down at her, but it's "Himeka Sui" that she writes with the chalk. ]
no subject
[He asks the questions everyone's thinking. It's clear with the expression on his face, there isn't a single thing he finds "nice" about these. Thus: the desire to pulverize.
Ugh. Is it just an effect, or is his stomach churning?
The statue they stop in front of is... well. It's something. Hella ugly, for one, but -- familiar, too. Plenty of demons look like this. The bitty ones, the ones that don't matter much. The worker ants. Tails and claws and too-long limbs.
Nero makes a noise. Real surprise.] That's your name.
[Either he missed what they're supposed to be doing here... or this just got real psychological without him being prepped for it.]