EVENT #10: AFFLICTION - IC POST

[abraxasmods]

Event #10 - Affliction

go to the OOC event info & plotting post

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With tensions heavy across Abraxas and all the destruction that's happened, it's no surprise that the dark shadows which sweep over the land go unnoticed...at first.

Winds initially stir in Solvunn, where the influence of the Old Gods remains the strongest. Slowly each Herald infects Thorne and the Free Cities, as well. The Summoned are the first to feel its effects and are the most heavily impacted.

Though no one will realize it until well afterwards, Nocwich remains unaffected. After all, the Summoned don't reside there.

NOTE: This event will deal with themes of death (people and animal) and horror imagery.

Emergence

It begins sometime in mid-October, around the 18th. Not everyone will experience it at the same time. You might even believe you're spared until days afterwards when you're visited by an unusually vivid dream.

The dream starts the same for everyone: you are going somewhere, anywhere, walking to your bedroom or enjoying a stroll on the beach. You might be driving down a familiar neighborhood. Wherever you're headed, you eventually come upon a stone tablet engraved with your Arcana. Laid on the tablet are three objects:

◎ A dead moth trapped inside a wilted rose, symbolizing Koth of Festering Lands
◎ A teacup inside which sits a single nightshade berry, symbolizing Adlewyrd of Poisoned Tongues
◎ An ornate cracked hand mirror that contains no reflection, symbolizing Sannleikr of Many Faces

Make a choice. Something inside your soul will be drawn towards one of the objects. Maybe you spend hours in the dream deliberating, but sooner or later, you'll pick one of the items up. The moment you do, the other objects vanish and the chosen Herald appears before you. Where one might expect a god to seek subservience, the strange figure instead extends a friendly hand towards you - as though it's greeting you as an equal.

Whispered around you, you hear its name. Then it fades and with it the dream. You awaken.

Affliction

You go about your day as usual. That's when you realize something isn't right. Creatures and people around you behave strangely. You begin to sense that you are the cause.

Depending on your chosen Herald, you'll experience at least one of its afflictions. The effects might start small, then grow. They might rush you all at once. You can't shake what haunts you, though you can try. Spells, potions, and willpower can help keep the afflictions at bay but you won't ever be completely free.

As the afflictions seep into your mind, you start to find shadows of it following you: a dead moth here, a nightshade bloom there, a cracked mirror elsewhere. You may even wonder if it's following you in the first place. What if instead, you are the one leaving these signs behind?

Corruption

The first time you inflict your ability on someone else, you don't mean to. It might be a stranger, some unsuspecting soul, or it might be another Summoned. Regardless, the afflictions that ail you seem to spread through you into another. Someone falls down as if in the throes of an invisible death or secrets spill. You brush by someone and they're suddenly upset and confused.

The more this happens, intentionally or not, the better you feel. You may grow full of life and energy, gain a renewed strength of heart, or radiate a charm that turns heads and garners compliments. The afflictions haunting you could even start to fade or completely vanish. And if you use your newfound power deliberately? You'll feel better even faster for longer. Of course, these boons are temporary, lasting at most an hour or so. When the feeling wanes, you might miss having it.

You are not possessed. You can't control this power that spreads through you, but how you respond or behave is up to you. You could be attracted to the allure of power, enjoy the boons you are granted, or realize you can gain relief from your afflictions if you choose a victim. Not everyone will fall headfirst into the pull. Some are not easily swayed by power, some struggle to overcome their dark impulses, and others would rather endure their suffering than inflict it on someone else. But others still might succumb to temptation and turn on those around them with purpose: once, twice, multiple times. The choice you make is yours alone.

Blight

With the call of the Herald at your fingertips, the world around you twists. No one knows whether this stems from you and your newly imbued afflictions, or if the Heralds are exerting power on their own. It's for sure easier to think of what occurs as the influence of something monstrous beyond your control. No matter the cause, the earth is changed all the same.

Omens

The omens arrive shortly after the initial Summoned receive their dreams, but they don't come to every faction at once. SOLVUNN is first, being home to the Old Gods' shrines, before THORNE and the FREE CITIES follow only days afterwards. Depending on where you are, the omens will affect things a bit differently.

Solvunn

In Solvunn, the ground stirs. A desiccated hand breaks through the grass, a cloven hoof. Human or animal, they crawl forth, animated against their will. Some might attack, but most do not. At the same time, crops around the settlements begin to fail. Some chickens lay rotten eggs while cows produce spoiled milk. Any livestock that perishes overnight will surface in the mornings with empty eye sockets - pecked out by crows or gnawed on by rats. From a distance, the ocean can be seen bubbling as leviathans beneath thrash.

Worth noting is that many of the dead are concentrated around the shrines, especially the ones deep in the woods. They're too decayed to recognize, and some might not even move from the site, as though they are waiting for the earth to take them again...or as though they once chose to give up their life at this very spot.

Summoned can assist by helping to cast spells or place warding charms around shrines, farms, and gardens to protect crops and livestock. As a commune, the Solvunnites will share their resources as much as possible and would appreciate those who might lend a hand bringing supplies, herbs, and offerings to neighbors who are lacking. The Summoned can also brew a common herbal remedy to aid any animals who have fallen ill or to help purify the well water.

Free Cities

In Libertas, the dead buried under the rubble dig themselves out. More crawl forth from graves in Cadens' cemeteries. Beasts and bandits slain in the desert wilds rise, hungry or searching for the ones who killed them. At the same time, dead fish wash up onto the shores of Aquila while birds fall dead from their perch, dropping like flies from an unknown illness. Vultures and other scavengers begin to prey upon the eyes of the dead, leaving behind hollowed-out corpses.

Worth noting is that in the Badlands, a few very old and skeletal corpses rise with a metal plate or two screwed onto their bones, which are also oddly elongated. Only one or two make their way near the city. The army is quick to dispose of them before many can notice. They will not disclose any information about this and will claim these are just monsters like anything else.

Summoned can assist by going on patrol with the soldiers to put down any risen dead. Merchant caravans are also hiring escorts for their journeys. Additionally, they can help look through any received supplies and packages to make sure the food isn't rotting or worse, use a special dissolving compound to purify the waters, and donate staple food items to refugees and the less fortunate who can't afford the rising prices.

Thorne

In Thorne, the dead emerge only from the outskirts of the castle city. Thanks to information from one of their Summoned and their recent monitoring of the Singularity, Thorne was able to act swiftly and was able to ward any royal or otherwise significant burial sites. Graves and tombs of less importance, though, will not be protected in the same way. There are fewer encounters with eyeless corpses, though some animals might appear outside the castle in such a state. Normally extravagant dishes from the Castle's kitchens use simpler ingredients as they struggle to ration their food stores.

Worth noting is that a few unexpected corpses make their way up from deep under the castle in places beyond the dungeons. These are twisted and mangled, missing limbs, heads, fingers. The castle guards are quick to dispose of them before they get too far into the rest of the castle, but one or two may be spotted.

Summoned can assist by contributing to the wards around Castle Thorne and the city, using spells to put down the dead without mangling the corpse, and taking inventory of food stores. Further, in Nott the situation is more dire for anyone who is traveling there to continue assisting with repairs following the attack. Nott will welcome help with any problems caused by the omens. It'll be clear the kingdom has neglected the city somewhat. Thorne will claim the Castle takes priority, of course, due to King and Queen residing there along with the entire royal court.

Apprehensions

Across the factions, locals are beginning to catch on that something isn't right with you, the Summoned. No one will say it outright, but there's an air of caution and wariness around you where you go. Merchants might be quick to hand you your wares so you'll leave or locals give you a bit of space when they walk by. Chatty innkeepers are more reluctant to hold lengthy conversations.

Much of the time, it may not be conscious. The natives might simply sense something off that instinctually makes them want to put some distance between them and you. The only exception? If you've chosen Sannleikr of Many Faces, you'll continue to exude your charm towards people you encounter. At least for as long as you continue to inflict that ability you've been gifted.

Displacement

Everyone responds differently while in the Horizon. You might exert better willpower over your afflictions or you might feel its effects more strongly. It all depends on the individual and their mindset. Regardless, the Heralds are only one part of the equation. There's a much bigger disturbance going on.

It could happen as soon as you enter or it might be as you're stepping over the threshold into another's domain. Whatever the case, you are suddenly not where you're supposed to be. Instead, you're in one of two places depending: transported into a domain you never meant to go into or in a foreign setting altogether.

Visitation

Whether you're the one transported or someone teleports unexpectedly into your space, the Horizon becomes unpredictable for the next little while. Rooms normally locked to strangers, areas you yourself may not even realize exists - you and your fellow Summoned continue to pop in and out despite your intentions.

The effect isn't painful, just disorienting, like missing a step you didn't see or stumbling through a door into a too-bright room. The person whose domain you've inadvertently visited might sense an unwanted presence, whether they're inside the Horizon or not, or they may be completely oblivious. This will depend on the strength of their connection to the Singularity and the Horizon.

Not to worry. You won't be trapped or anything in these cases...unless the domain you land in happens to seal from the inside. You might stumble on secrets you weren't meant to find, though, locked away in someone else's mind.

Ensnared

The less fortunate will be pulled into a space that they've never encountered before. The bizarreness of it resembles the glitchy visions that flashed through a few months ago, but rather than an image flickering by, you are now inside the space itself.

Trapped between minutes to hours, you can't use the Horizon's creation magic as normal. Attempts will falter or go sideways: trying to fly out might cause you to tumble, tools and objects are broken or not quite right, wounds don't vanish or heal completely, etc. More significantly, you can't seem to send or receive messages through your connection. Anything that manages to come through will be garbled and distorted. It's as though the place you are in is just out of the reach of your control.

Luckily, you may not be alone. Someone else may have gotten lost alongside you. They might already be there when you stumble through or they might arrive after you do. They might even fade out sooner than you, unintentionally leaving you behind.

Eventually, you'll be released back into the Horizon proper, spat out in a random place in the Horizon. While you're stuck, though, you can try to survive, explore, sit and wait it out, or make friends with your fellow trapped partner. Each area has its challenges and quirks that you'll need to deal with.

Scenes to Explore

JUSTICE ◎
FULL IMAGE

High in the clouds, these snowy peaks are as cold as they look. Giant marble hands reach out, though their sheer scale means you might not recognize them as hands from up close. You can scale the mountain, but if you try to go down, the hands will flip the mountain, which sends you tumbling to the top again.

It's up to you whether you can be injured when you fall. Maybe the snow will feel like marshmallows, or you'll break a bone on the jagged rocks. No two experiences are the same. If you have a partner, they could end up faring better than you despite being in the same place.

Conjure some warm clothes or a log cabin even if you wish - they might not manifest perfectly, but it'll be better than nothing. At least the view's fairly nice...while the sun is up. A blizzard will come through by nightfall. With it arrives a strange hovering light that entices you or your friend to follow it into the frozen darkness. What draws you out depends on you. It could be a familiar voice, an image, or a simple compulsion. If you're lucky, the person with you is unaffected and can try to stop you. Or maybe you're the one desperately chasing after the other person?

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THE CHARIOT ◎
FULL IMAGE

From a distance, it's hard to tell if they're shipping containers or houses stacked atop each other. A gooey mess covers the ground below. Oddly, the smell isn't as unpleasant as the goo looks. It smells like bubblegum or cotton candy, artificial and sweet. When you first fall in, you might land inside one of the homes, on top of the stacked structure, or the ground. You can try to reach anyone else who's there with you, but be careful: the ooze is spreading. Climb if you must or move from room to room. If you don't keep moving, you risk getting sucked into its sticky mass.

Each block of a home is different. Some are furnished, whereas others are empty or filled with strange knickknacks. Some might even have subconscious creations spawned by you. Keep ahead of the gloopy substance, and you'll be fine, probably. Or you can try to fight it back or block its path by sealing yourself in a room or otherwise, which can slow it down significantly. Mostly, you'll have to hope you fade out before the pink mass completely consumes the landscape.

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THE WORLD ◎
FULL IMAGE

The hazy neon glow obscures a nothingness that seems to extend forever. In the middle of the wet ground are several stacked television sets with wires plugged into nothing. Inexplicably, there's also a cat. At first, it appears perfectly normal, but keen observers will notice that its behavior is on a loop where it will walk a certain path, pause at specific intervals to lick its paws, and meow at set points. It does not acknowledge any of its intruders. You can break its loop by picking it up, at which point it'll go limp as a ragdoll. As soon as you set it down, it'll resume its actions as before.

While you can see the same images as someone else on the screens, it's also possible you'll each see something different despite being in the room together. What you see is up to you. It could be an old fuzzy movie, home videos of your childhood, trivia questions you have to answer correctly, or even a memory or vision you wouldn't want to share. Words or faces taunting you could appear between staticky flickers, or maybe your very thoughts are projected onto the screens for anyone with you to read.

Break the televisions if you want, but given a few short minutes, they'll reform between one blink and the next. Looks like you'll have to keep watching until you're released.

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THE FOOL ◎
FULL IMAGE

Sprawling and massive, you're unlikely to recognize at first that you're trapped in a labyrinth. Stone walls rise around you, and your surroundings are pitchblack. Manifest a torch or a flashlight if you can, though these will be prone to going out at inopportune times. Escaping over the walls will only send you into another section in the maze.

As you navigate the twisting corridors, you'll encounter any variety of trials and troubles: gaps in the ground, spiked traps, haunting whispers, monsters, decaying corpses. Some of these might've formed from your mind, others might've spawned from anyone else who's trapped with you.

If you aren't alone, do your best to locate your fellow Summoned. Voices do carry and echo over the walls, and there could be landmarks that help you find each other. Finding the exit, however, is another matter. Walk and climb all you want. A way out is impossible until the Horizon chooses to set you free.

Players can pick any scenario that interests them from the four choices above. Unlike the visions from before, characters can accidentally be trapped in as many of the scenes as you want, as many times as you want. Another option is that they can stay trapped in only one scene while a variety of characters fade in and out to join them, or some combination of the two. Choose what works best for your plans.

Each scene will once again carry an associated Arcana etched somewhere inside it, which can change from person to person or instance to instance. It might be on a wall, a table, or on the ground. Characters with a stronger connection to the Horizon are likely to be trapped for longer but the extent of this is your choice and it won't ever exceed a few hours. It's also your choice whether the afflictions continue to haunt them or not. If you want characters to deal with both problems while stuck together, you're welcome to!

Generally speaking, there are no restrictions other than that they won't be able to communicate with anyone outside the area, they can't escape it until the Horizon chooses to release them, and their creation magic will go wrong just enough that it'll make things tricky.

Comments

[carmesi]

[wanda does not scare easily, but it startles her significantly to see movement so sudden. she jumps back in surprise, but it's the familiarity of the figure that scales upward which centers her to take quick action. with her magic, it's easy to remove the glass from the pane as if it never existed, leaning over and out to look up at—]

Steve?

[she calls out, because is there a reason why he's vaulting across balconies? should she be doing the same—? there's no real room for an answer or to ponder upon these questions before said pink sludge reaches her floor. it's the smell that hits wanda first, giving her enough time to raise a hand and blast forth a hex burst, making it tumble a few floors down.

whipping her head down to look, all the goop starts reforming despite the blast, pulsing back together.

okay, so maybe steve has the right idea vaulting from balcony to balcony.

pulling herself up on the windowsill, wanda stands and puts her hands onto a jutting air conditioner unit, holding herself up as her magic helps her levitate the rest of the way upward onto a protruding roof. shit, her magic isn't working right. her boots scrape against the brick tiles as she pushes back to her feet, back flat against the outer wall.

yeah, the goop is climbing, part of it splitting off and entering the window of the hallway she had just been in. wanda raises her head, trying to find a direction to follow.]

Uh— [what the hell kind of situation is this? she reaches upward with a hand, stretching her fingers as far as she can go.] A little help?

[assembles]

[ Steve isn't at all prepared for someone to call his name in this chaotic mess, and he glances down toward the source of the sound even as he pulls himself up onto the balcony. ]

Wanda? [ Fancy meeting her (or anyone) here. ] What is this place?

[ There's no way it's her domain, not unless it's undergone a serious overhaul since he last saw it. Which might be possible, given everything that she's gone through, but it doesn't explain the pink sludge. Wanda seems just as confused about that as him.

He's so used to her relying on her magic that he doesn't expect her to lose her footing trying to follow up after him. As soon as she ends up balanced precariously on the side of the roof, he races to the edge of the balcony and reaches down to take her hand. The goop is spilling out of the window she opened up, but thankfully just pouring down the side of the building instead of defying gravity in this case.

As soon as their fingers touch, Steve grips Wanda's hand tight and lifts her all the way up onto the balcony with him, one-armed, as if she weighs nothing. ]

We probably can't stay here long. Are you all right?

[carmesi]

[steve lifts her up with ease, just as wanda expects. it's easy to forget how physically strong steve actually is, at times, and to be in the same balcony as him and away from the path of the currently-distracted pink sludge lets her breathe easy, if just for a moment.

a glance down, then back at him, she nods. they probably shouldn't linger for long.]

Yeah. Just confused.

[this place is unfamiliar, and this pink entity going after them doesn't feel too encouraging. her magic not functioning as it should would be concerning, but for the understanding that perhaps the singularity's fluctuating has something to do with it.

she glances at the glass door open behind them, and makes her way through inside to the apartment that greets them. it's empty, furnished in something that feels familiar but like too much of an echo of memories past.]

Have you seen anyone else here? I don't — feel anything. Just us.

[eerie.]

[assembles]

[ Confused is a natural way to feel about all this. Steve knows that the Horizon has gone haywire before, but not to this degree. It's almost as if sights they're not meant to see are seeping through. But where did this all come from? Someone's mind, or the Singularity itself?

In a way, there's a relief to know that Wanda's just as baffled as him about this. That it isn't coming from her, somehow. It's not a thought he wants to have, but it flits through his mind anyway.

He steps into the apartment with her, wondering if it ever belonged to someone or if it's just a concept given form. ]

I haven't. If you're not picking up on anything, then we're probably alone.

[ Horizon domains are usually that way, but this feels different somehow. Why all the apartments if no one occupies them?

Steve leads them through the front door and out into the hall. As expected, there's no one to be found, just rows and rows of doors on either end. Steve can't get that sickly sweet smell out of his nose, though. ]

I think the only way we can go is up. Let's look for a stairwell.

[carmesi]

[his question about whether it ever belonged to someone may be answered by the pictures and portraits that adorn the shelves, but they are all unfamiliar faces, some frames too covered in dust to get a proper look at the faces.

it is best not to linger, though, even if wanda does stop to stare for a while, letting her fingertips brush a clean line over the surface.

when steve goes past her, she follows, walking with him through the front door and into the hall. she peers around the same as he does, but force of habit has her walking a few steps behind him.

a stairwell, then.]

How long have you been here?

[wanda presses her hand lightly against the doors, chasing after the feeling of something akin to stairwells and not the enclosed space of a home. the hallway is cluttered with items, the paint on the walls cracked, the floor covered with a rug in places, hardwood flooring on the other.]

—this reminds me of apartments in Sokovia. [somewhat claustrophobic, somewhat cramped.] Except for that pink thing.

[glancing over her shoulder, she pauses for a moment, and then continues.]

This isn't either of our Horizons.

[assembles]

[ They're not in immediate danger, so Steve doesn't mind pausing for a moment to turn back toward Wanda and address her questions. They're figuring this out together, even if it always remains his instinct to lead the way forward. ]

Not long. [ Time may be hard to measure in the Horizon, but... ] I started out on ground level outside, but realized pretty quick they I needed to make my way up. The front entrance to the building was already fused shut by this... sludge, so that's when I started climbing.

[ The hallway is an interesting mishmash of things, but it feels decidedly lived in despite the fact that there's no one here. Almost as if everyone had to evacuate all at once. (Or something else happened to them.) With all that in mind, he really isn't surprised by where Wanda's mind goes.

As she continues to draw conclusions, he only nods in agreement at first. He spots a door that has a horizontal metal push-handle on it, which screams stairwell entrance to him, and makes a beeline for it. ]

Yeah, which begs the question: whose is it?

[ It's possible to make a tower like this, Tony has, and yet Steve is almost positive he's never seen this place before. He leads them into the stairwell landing and peers down over the railing. A few floors below, the mass of bubbling pink goo continues to slowly rise. ]

[carmesi]

I landed on a pile of boxes in one of the apartments.

[so, 'sidestepping' into this horizon may very well be a different experience for everyone involved. with nowhere else to go, steve might have chosen correctly in going up, though the matter remains unknown, much as he says it — whose horizon is this and, additionally, what exactly is happening here?

stepping inside the stairwell, she too can see the mass of bubbling pink goo.

upward it is. she starts making her way up the stairs. she isn't all too sure they'll be able to reach the very top like this—and should that even be their end goal?]

It might not belong to anyone. [rather—] Maybe to — something.

[no, she doesn't mean the goo.]

Have — things been strange in the Free Cities? There's disease in Solvunn, and the dead have been rising around the shrines.

[assembles]

[ It sounds like both of them had been thrown in here with no warning or explanation, and with no one to greet them either. They're thinking along the same lines, which is that this part of the Horizon wasn't made by any of them.

As they climb, Steve's gaze flicks to Wanda. ] The Singularity? [ What else could it be? Why it would make something like this he can't say. What does the ooze symbolize, for instance? Is it just plucking random thoughts out of their heads and building whatever it wants? And how long will they be trapped in here before it lets them out?

It's important to remember what's happening outside of this place too, and Steve is quick to nod at Wanda's question. He's doing his best not to climb so quickly that she won't be able to keep up with him, but they're staying well ahead of the ooze either way. ]

Yeah, it's the same in the Cities. If bodies aren't reanimating, they're getting picked over by birds and vermin. Some animals are dying to illness, like you said, and food is spoiling quicker than it should.

[ If this continues, things are going to get outright dire. If the illness spreads, if food spoils no matter what's done, even more lives will be lost. ]

[carmesi]

[it's good that he doesn't climb so quickly, because wanda is already feeling the burn on her legs, finds herself catching her breath with every landing they reach. she's not built like steve, after all. still, she swallows and continues determined with every new flight of stairs, hand on the railing for support.]

—want to bet it's the same in Thorne?

[something tells her that whatever this is that's happening is spreading throughout the entirety of the land, regardless of borders.]

Makes sense that the Singularity is — messing with the Horizon, but out in the real world... I'm not so sure.

[wanda isn't so sure. she takes the last couple of steps up this particular flight of stairs and stops, looking up at him, and then over at what waits for them beyond on the stairs. pink globs drop down, oozing like slime from atop. so—this pink ooze is not just below them, but also above? it seems to be trying to reach them.

she frowns. well, whatever, she was tired of climbing stairs anyway.

though her magic isn't functioning quite so well, it still pulses as an extension of herself. she draws on it and forward with a hand, stepping through a wall as it opens up for her and leading the way into an apartment. suppose they'll have to go through the maze of apartments to climb their way up.

as soon as steve gets through, wanda rebuilds the structure of the wall again, giving them a moment to catch their breath. —for wanda, anyway, who finds a chair to sit down, breathing ragged.

just give her a minute.]

—is... everyone keeping safe? I know last year the dead in the Free Cities rose to attack people.

[assembles]

[ At the question about Thorne, he's quick to nod. Steve also keeps checking himself and slowing his pace as he remembers that despite all of Wanda's magical strength, physiologically she's in many ways a regular human. That, and her magic seems to be on the fritz at the moment.

There's a lot more flights to climb, too. They may need to take a break here and there, if they can afford it.

However, then he also notices that they're essentially trapped now. A globule of the pink gunk falls from far overhead and lands on his shoulder. Steve makes a face and brushes it off, but then it spreads all over his hand. Great.

Before he can suggest any kind of plan, Wanda takes matters into her own hands, opening up a way out of this predicament. He's quick to follow in her footsteps, leaning against the wall as she pauses for a brief rest. ]

I've been doing my best to keep people safe. Ran into your friend, too. [ Steve raises an eyebrow then, catching Wanda's gaze, and quirks a brief smile. He remains coy about that for a moment. ]

I'd heard a few people mention that something like this happened last year, but like you said, this seems to be both more widespread and longer-lasting. Not to mention that way it's affecting all of us. [ Thankfully, Wanda's visage hasn't changed into anything during their time together, but Steve knows it could happen at any moment. He glances down to the apartment's worn floorboards and lets out a sigh. ] If it's not the Singularity, what do you think it could be? Any ideas?

[carmesi]

[because of course steve is. wanda imagines that he's been active since the bombing of libertas, and she only feels a little guilty that she didn't check up with him. she had imagined the last thing anyone there needed was to get bombarded with messages.

she is also sure no one minded.

the smile he gives her, though, has wanda looked at him worriedly for a moment. she could easily read his mind to figure out what that all was about, but she promised him years ago she wouldn't do that without permission. despite it all, despite her not being the same wanda she claimed he knew, she still keeps to this promise.]

I have many friends over there.

[not any being 'hers', but she has an idea of who he meant. ugh. as upset as she is at matt right now, she can't help but worry. capable as he may be, it's still dangerous. she can't ask him, can she?

wanda purses her lips, focusing instead on how he seems to be wanting to pick at her head for her thoughts about what's happening.]

—just... theories, nothing factual. It might have nothing to do with it. I was talking with others before, about the possibility that the attacks were meant to be triggered for some form of sacrifice, outside of the scope of whatever intentions any faction may have. [a third party, so to speak. speaking of sacrifice.] We — sacrificed something big in Solvunn, too.

[not her finest hour, but.]

An arm.

[assembles]

[ It's honestly a relief to hear that Wanda has enough friends in Cadens that she isn't immediately able to guess at who he means. She needs those connections more than ever now, and he suspects that's part of the reason why she was able to pull herself out of that pit she'd found herself in.

He could clarify, as well as get a sense for what's going on between her and Murdock (because he has a guess, based on what he'd seen in Nocwich), but he'll circle back.

Especially with all of these new theories and revelations.

He's busy trying to scrub the pink goo off of his hand, but it's proving to be futile. He lets out a sigh, allowing his hands to fall to his sides for the moment instead. It's not like it will be there whenever they wake up — he hopes. The Horizon only leaked things to the real world when those nightmares had tormented them. ]

You're saying the attacks were premeditated by someone else? A sacrifice for what purpose?

[ And those last two words have him straightening up in alarm, eyes growing wide. He's been trying to give Wanda the benefit of the doubt this whole time, but this seems extreme, to say the least. ]

An arm? What? Why?

[carmesi]

[ah, steve— she sees the alarm making him tense up, and it takes now for her to realize that the magical and the mystic is not quite his area of expertise, grounded as he is, even with all they've seen. thor took to it quicker, because that's what asgard is.

breathing at a more normal rate now, wanda ponders how to respond to him, standing up from the chair to walk to him and reach for his hand.

scarlet envelops it as she tries to coil her magic around the atoms of the pink goo, collect it into a small capsule, ply it away and off him. it floats momentarily between them, and then wanda's curling her hand into a tight fist, the capsule disappearing into nothing.]

—the arm grew back. It was — a misunderstanding, but it achieved what we wanted.

[something resonated with the shrine.]

We've been told to offer things at the shrines, like food and gifts. It took that to realize that they react to blood more enthusiastically. Perhaps... [hm.] There are rumors of people missing. Families.

[stepping away, wanda ponders this for a moment.]

It might be blood sacrifices, but so far it's just a working theory. We don't know for who or for what, but something has been happening.

[assembles]

[ It's not like Wanda needed to come over and use her magic to get rid of the tacky ooze that he'd gotten onto himself, and yet she does. She'd noticed, and she does what she can to help. It might seem like nothing, but Steve still appreciates it, looking from his now clean hand to Wanda's face with gratitude shining in his eyes.

But he's still distracted by this talk of sacrificing someone's limb. Apparently it's a limb that could grow back, which really just begs further questions, but he's going to assume the people involved all knew this at the time. ]

... So you're saying that the people native to Solvunn might be sacrificing each other to these gods? [ It's a grisly concept, but not outside the realm of reason. Human sacrifice is something that existed in Earth's history, too. ] And tossing an arm in was, what, a test?

[ A way to check just what exactly might happen. If other people were already being sacrificed before that point, then a single arm probably isn't to blame for whatever's going on now.

Steve isn't really giving her a chance to respond, his brain moving too quickly with all of this worrisome information. ]

You said it achieved what you wanted. What was that?

[carmesi]

[wanda shrugs her shoulders at his questions. there's no real telling what is and isn't; solvunn keeps its secrets close to its chest, even with the way the summoned are treated there as something auspicious, there is still a sense that they aren't entirely let in the fold of their more secretive practices.

it makes wanda wonder if those in solvunn outside of the council are aware of them after all.]

A response. [well, it was hardly a response.] Something pointed us to a new direction. We're looking into it. Travel in Solvunn takes a while.

[does steve know that thor is gone? her expression pinches in concern for a moment before she walks past steve and looks around this uninhabited apartment. it's the same as the rest, but different; it's a little more sparse, too, but wanda draws her interest towards the books on the shelves, arms crossed tightly in front of her. none of these books offer anything of interest, anything revealing of where they are. it feels like reading in a dream—nothing sticks in her mind after glancing at the words.]

Did many die in Libertas? I imagine there were a lot of injured, and a lot of destruction. [she's glancing from one book to the other, to no avail. she turns back to steve.] Thorne's harvests were destroyed. Fear, uncertainty, discontent. Many things can feed rituals.

[—but, again, suppositions. she shrugs.]

This doesn't feel like it's about the war to me.

[assembles]

[ Even with Steve's trip to the border between Thorne and Solvunn, it's not like he really has much of an idea of what life is like there, save what people like Wanda and Thor have told him. The contrast between idyllic farm life and human sacrifice is pretty damn jarring, though.

Something pointed them in a new direction. That sounds ominous and he wants to know more, but Wanda has her own set of questions.

He steps over to also try and look at the books with her, but the information within is either nonsensical or it just refuses to stick in his mind. He heaves out a sigh as he returns one of the books to the shelf, then turns to Wanda. ]

A lot died, and then plenty more came back from the dead and had to be burned to ash. [ It wasn't pretty, to say the least. ] Murdock was one of the people who helped out — that's who I meant by your friend.

[ He drops that in, seeing that they have the time for it now, keeping a close watch on Wanda's reaction out of curiosity. From there, he moves toward a nearby window and peers out. The level of the ooze has definitely gone up since last they checked, but they appear to be safe enough for now. They really have no choice but to ride this out, anyway. ]

... And if it isn't about the war, then what is it?

[carmesi]

[if steve is expecting a reaction at namedropping matt, then he'll be awfully disappointed—but maybe it's the lack of a reaction that speaks droves in her stead. wanda's actions remain muted, her expression unmoved, as she, too, strays away from the bookshelf and watches as steve turns back towards the nearby window to assess their current situation.

the fact that he speaks about matt with such levity means that he's alright. it might also mean that steve encountered him under some non-lawyer circumstances; she doubts the undead need a lawyer to tend to their rights before a burning.

so, one thing at a time:]

I don't know. [wanda watches his back, eyes fixed on the center of it. her voice is devoid of any confidence; the rules of this world are so different from the truths and the darkness the darkhold had shown her.] Cannot be something that will go without opposition. If it were something good, then I'd imagine it wouldn't be having these hidden machinations.

[or, maybe, whoever is trying to make it happen has no voice.

wanda wonders if they should start trying to climbing up through the apartments. she can make a path for them and block it off behind them. it will be tedious, but slow and steady wins the race. but, first:]

...the way you keep bringing up 'my friend' — you know about Matt.

[about his 'secret', of the things he gets up to at night, a scarf covering half his face. about her and him, too, because steve is anything but subtle. only now does wanda move her eyes to steve's face, should he turn to look at her.]

Is he alright? [she asks, despite the ache she feels. matt had said some horrible things to her, embittered and angry, and wanda wished she didn't want to seek him out. still, she cannot help but care.] He was acting strange when I saw him last.

[assembles]

[ Wanda's right that if there is some unknown party involved in all of these changes that are happening not just to them, but to the world around them, then they probably don't mean to do any good. Another villain on the horizon? Another Ultron or Thanos? The idea is, frankly, exhausting. But that doesn't mean Steve will turn away from it.

Wanda calls him Matt, not Murdock, and she seems just as certain of something about him as Steve. That causes him to turn his back to the window, meeting her eyes which give away very little. To the point that it's almost suspicious.

Nat may have taught her a little too well.

Whatever she might be trying to hide, though, it's clear that she's concerned about Matt. She wouldn't ask if that wasn't the case. Steve nods, crossing his arms over his chest as he tilts his head up slightly toward the ceiling, thinking back. ]

Everyone's been acting a little strange, haven't they? But when I found him, he was beating down undead like... well, like he'd done it countless times. [ Not exactly lawyer behavior, last he checked. ] I'd caught him doing his vigilante thing late one night before the Nocwich trip, so it made it a little easier to put things together.

[ The nature of Matt's relationship with Wanda isn't quite as clear. He's going off of the fact that he saw the two of them together a lot in Nocwich, an odd detail given that they were from different factions. Matt had even dedicated his lantern to her. So, he's got a pretty good hunch about it. ]

[carmesi]

[it's honestly a little surprising that people don't put two and two together, but she supposes it is hard to imagine a blind man capable of doing all those feats. steve, though, wanda knows he's calculating and smart under his silence and paused glances; not just a musclehead without a thought of his own.

he's probably surmised more than what wanda would willingly give away.]

He let me see through his thoughts. When I... was unwell, he came and found me in the Horizon. [wanda crosses her arms tightly in front of herself; matt had found her in one of the more sane moments of her madness, whereas steve found her adrift, exhausted, too emotional to see properly. she feels bad for that, still, but she can't change it.] He wanted to make sure I was alright, and we talked, and— he told me what his crazy was.

[the vigilante business in hell's kitchen, some of the fights he had gotten into, the young boy he had saved, wilson fisk.

wanda huffs out some air, something between a sigh and a laugh.]

Don't compare him to the Avengers, though. He stands by his own morals.

[quietly, she uncrosses her arms, wringing her fingers together, sliding her thumb ring back and forth for a moment, as if figuring out if she wants to say this at all. but, if nothing else, steve deserves her honesty, especially with how much he's done for her.]

...he's a good man, and — he's important to me.

[she doesn't need to specify how, does she?]

[assembles]

[ For someone who had likely been more like a stranger to find Wanda when she was at that low point and treat her without judgment — that must have been a big deal. Steve can only imagine. Murdock has his own kind of crazy, huh? When Wanda specifies that he can't be compared to the Avengers, Steve nods with a quick understanding.

It's not a job that's for everyone, that's for sure. Murdock hasn't often treated him like the enormous figure that he is back home, and he isn't quite able to tell if that's because he doesn't think much of him, or if he'd rather not measure people by their reputations. Either way, they've managed to get along well enough so far. He thinks. ]

I figured as much. I'm not gonna ask him to join or anything.

[ But then he notes the change in Wanda's posture, how she grips nervously at one of her rings. Like what she wants to say next is going to be the hardest part. Once the words come out they're surprisingly simple, but they also confirm Steve's hunch.

He smiles in spite of himself. ] Don't worry, I'll be nice. [ He could give Matt some sort of speech about not hurting her, but it's not really his place and Wanda can take care of herself, so what is there to say? He steps over to her, one hand reaching out to grip her shoulder — calm and warm. ] I'm glad, Wanda. Really.

[ The grief that she'd suffered from what happened to Vision, the hole that it left inside of her — Steve hadn't known if she'd ever be able to move on. If she could ever give her heart to someone else. Maybe it isn't that serious, he doesn't know, but the fact that she's trying at all is a good sign. ] It makes me want to get to know him better.

[carmesi]

[the breath she lets out— it's relief flooding her veins, her insides turned to knots now loosened at how easy steve's reaction is about all this. she's never said it, but wanda's always liked when he would put a hand on her shoulder or pat her back. steve is not one that expresses himself with physical contact, but when he does? it's so warm—it's so comforting.

wanda nods several times, aware that he is being sincere. that he hasn't hesitated nor brought forth questions to himself about her and vision. she's had this conversation play in her head a hundred different ways—what she'd say, how she would say it, when she would bring up what—but his gestures and words show her that she really didn't have to make a case for herself at all.

this is probably why she allows herself to reach forward, wrap her arms around him for a moment. she's sorry for the trouble she's put him through lately, for not being so forthcoming; all this time, he's never treated her nor seen her as any less. it's an apology that she can't voice, in the form of an embrace.

pulling back, she sets sentimentality to the side for now. steve and her are similar in this regard — they'd rather turn inward and keep to themselves. this? it's a big step for wanda.]

He makes blind jokes on purpose. He [is an idiot] thinks he's being funny.

[thank you.]

Should— we start heading up? I can use my magic to make a path through the ceiling.

[assembles]

[ When Wanda wraps her arms around him, Steve blinks down toward the top of her head as she tucks herself in against his chest, but he doesn't tense up or even make any sort of comment about it. If he draws too much attention to it, she might think she's not allowed this sort of thing. Steve isn't the most physical person, it's true, but he does what he can to offer comfort when he knows it's needed. So he returns the hug, brief as it might be, his arms encircling her to give a quick squeeze.

She's been through so much. This is literally the least he can do for her. ]

Guess that's one way of addressing the elephant in the room. [ He tosses out that response about Murdock, but he can definitely hear the fondness in Wanda's voice.

She likes this Matt guy. He's glad. ]

... Assuming it works the way it's supposed to. [ Her magic, he mans. Everything's still sort of off here. ] But we'll figure that out as we go. Come on.

[ Eventually they'll make it to the roof, and maybe then this place will release them. ]