EVENT #10: AFFLICTION - IC POST

[abraxasmods]

Event #10 - Affliction

go to the OOC event info & plotting post

---

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?

---

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.

---

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.

---

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

[godshattering]

[ The quip earns a short laugh from him as he drops his hand away to the bartop again because: if only. ]

I wish. I would've even taken the old 'oh no, I overslept for an exam' since I had that one a few times even after we were no longer at the monastery. Then again, at least my mind was accurate for that one since I did do that once. Teach never let me hear the end of it, in his own way.

[ By helpfully reminding Claude of the time for everything and anything scheduled, even right up through the war. There'd been a vague sort of smile on his face at a much more pleasant memory - especially compared to the last time the Singularity decided he needed to see Teach everywhere - but it fades with knowing what should be a throwaway line about minds and accuracy is too close to what he's avoiding.

He's silent for a bit, once again running fingertips over the scratches and dents in the wood their arms are resting on. Though Claude had thought admitting this much, little as it is, would make the urge to talk about it vaporize: it hasn't. It feels more pressing, as if the weight of it's sitting in his throat now like it wants to choke him. It might. Another drink goes with that like it'll clear it away; it doesn't. ]

The ones I had - they were all about Gronder, and they weren't that far off from the ones I had about it long before arriving here. Just a lot more vivid.

[philancer]

[ At the mention of Gronder, Sylvain winces, immediately knocking back another long swallow of his own drink. He has a feeling they're both going to need more. ]

Shit. No wonder you're drinking. I hadn't even stepped on the field yet before this place yanked me here, but facing that place is enough to give me nightmares, too.

[ He doesn't even mistake Claude's meaning for anything about their childish mock battle there. No, he knows exactly what Claude is referring to, even if he doesn't have the details of what he knows from the other man. He's not sure he wants to know them. Not to mention, nothing seems to go the same in Claude's world, not from how he remembers it. Maybe it was different? ]

[godshattering]

[ At first the present tense doesn't register. There's enough going on that'd drive about anyone to drink, really, and because of that: sure, it makes sense Claude's sitting at an empty bar by himself in a not-thought-through-at-all attempt to avoid people. Attempt being the operative word there, since, well. He's already mentioned the part where last time around people tended to congregate where they're seated, so he lifts his drink with a shrug of one shoulder while sitting back upright. ]

It was bad enough without having others witness it on top of all of - that. That definitely didn't improve the experience.

[ And - hold on. Something clicks, he thinks, and while he takes a drink Claude eyes Sylvain sideways from behind his glass. Not subtly either; now the gears are turning. Setting the glass back down gives him a second to shuffle those thoughts in order. And, well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say. ]

Are you having nightmares?

[ Normally that's the kind of thing he'd work on teasing out of someone with more prying over time, with a little bit of sensitivity involved first rather than this relatively blunt approach. Even with all of the strange things going on, this is the first he's heard of any of them now. Assuming that they're even related, or that he hasn't rushed to fill in a blank which doesn't exist. Maybe he's overthinking it. Wouldn't be the first time. ]

[philancer]

[ Sylvain just downs the rest of his drink in one go and reaches to pour himself another. He's keenly aware of Claude's full attention on him now and while he's distinctly uncomfortable about it, he's not surprised by it either. ]

Something like that.

[ Did they still count as nightmares when they happened while you were still awake? ]

[godshattering]

Surely you know that's as good as saying yes in not so many words.

[ Of course he does, Claude thinks, because Sylvain's used one of the many methods that he himself uses to sidestep something. That's the point of not having to say yes at all. The confirmation of being right doesn't offer Claude any comfort. It means the weight of something is sitting heavy on the other's shoulders and that there's a possibility those vivid dreams he'd done his best to gloss over are back.

A possibility which means also closer to being true as he watches Sylvain get another drink then looks at his own mostly empty glass. All the better to tip the last of it back to finish it off to refill it once the other's done in case they're about to be here for a while. ]

You wanna talk about it at all?

[ Probably not since Claude knows he wouldn't himself, but. The offer still stands. ]

[philancer]

[ He dislikes lying to his friends, even when his answer is a shitty one.

Instead, he takes a deliberate swallow of his drink again and gives Claude a pointed look, one eyebrow arching upwards in skeptical regard. ]

You wanna talk about what has you down here drinking alone at this time of night? I'll spill if you do. [ He's all about fairness, after all. ]

[godshattering]

[ The question being reversed onto him without any kind of proper answer first isn't terribly surprising, though he focuses on refilling his own glass and then sitting back first. Claude, on the other hand, has zero qualms about bending the truth when it involves concealing something he doesn't want to talk about. ]

As I said, Gronder.

[ It's not what he said and it doesn't entirely apply, but it's also technically not a lie and therefore circles right back into being the truth. The subject's been hanging around his mind long before chatting about nightmares now, what with how they'd stumbled across and around that very topic during that supply run check-in. So he meets Sylvain's gaze evenly, holds it for a second, and raises an eyebrow right back. ]

Facing off across people we were once friends with on the same field we had that mock battle years ago was awful. The aftermath was horrible. Everything about it was every description you can think of meaning 'terrible' and because of that I still think about it now like it was just yesterday.

[ His only plan in going ever so slightly on the offensive here doesn't involve any aggravation but rather a hope to push back only enough to change the subject if he's successful. It's much easier to talk about Gronder vaguely than about seeing the faces from it it here where they don't belong. It's lost on Claude by not talking about it he's only giving into that feeling of being isolated and adrift that's been haunting him since the strange dream. And that despite his stubborn efforts to keep it tucked away, maybe some of it shows as an occasional flicker across his face. ]

[philancer]

[ He nurses his drink through that explanation, his expression unusually grim and pinched.

He doesn't know what's worse - having to remember that like yesterday, or dread that it might somehow be his tomorrow. ]

Is it terrible that I keep thinking that the silver lining to this place is that I didn't have to step out onto that field yet? Or at all? I'm hardly a stranger to the battlefield at this point but... there was nothing I wanted more than to not even get out of my bedroll that morning. [ It was hard, feeling so conflicted about returning home. What would he even find there? ] Finding a familiar face on the opposite side of the battlefield... it's been my greatest fear ever since the war started. It's almost enough to make me regret having made so many friends in the other Houses.

[ The very idea of having to face off against Caspar, Dorothea, Bernadetta... Even Raphael and Hilda. It cut almost as deeply as considering having to come face to face with Annette or Dedue or Mercy. It made him want to not pick up his lance at all.

Which, of course, just incites that nagging sense of guilt and regret that's been haunting him so thickly these past few days. The whispers that taunt endlessly at the edges of his consciousness. He visibly winces, rubbing fingers against his temples to ease up the sharp ache he hasn't been quite able to get rid of ever since that strange dream that seemed to have triggered all this in his head.

He's somewhat made that connection, because he knows he can normally ignore things like this far easier than how he's struggling at present, which is enough to make him suspicious. But it's not like knowing what's happening is doing anything to make it happen less. ]

[godshattering]

[ Claude understands that sentiment more than he ever wanted to since finding out it was a possibility - let alone their reality.

It's a comfort to have anyone familiar, anyone he knows here after being here alone, and it's something he's grateful for since that's been more of a comfort than he could've bargained for. But it's also a bitter comfort because they haven't lived what he has to share it, and now they don't even know which version of it is right. If 'right' is even a description, let alone the best or accurate one when they all have quite clear memories of the war in differing ways. It's been months and he's no closer to making sense of that than he was from the first time Sylvain called Teach 'she' and mentioned taking up a base in Garreg Mach. Even as someone intent on keeping secrets any which way he can, it doesn't get any easier.

So Claude watches as Sylvain grimaces, assuming it's from the topic as he thinks of several jokes he could make to forget they ever even talked about this while they bury themselves in drinks like nothing's wrong. Gods know it's something he's used plenty himself. But he was the one who asked, and slamming that door shut after nudging it open is hardly fair. ]

I get it. [ Quietly, all cheer forced or actual far from present in those words. ] And more than anything, I wish that neither of us had to understand anything about that. No one should ever have to, and we shouldn't have to worry about it happening again here.

[ There's little to no comfort he can offer from being on the other side any more than being on the brink of it; knowing the end result doesn't make it easier to bear. Claude shifts his gaze back to his drink. The liquid within is at a standstill so he can watch as his reflection warps into something mocking. Something that drags up more that he should say, and for a long moment he sits and weighs whether he trusts Sylvain enough to voice it. In the end, he finds he does. ]

I had a dream the other night. One not about Gronder, it was - I don't know what it was, but since then. [ He stops abruptly. There's only one way this will sound and he's not fond of it, and even with that trust in mind he curls the fingers of one hand under to rest a partially formed fist against the bar. ] Since then I've been seeing everyone's faces everywhere and it feels a lot like that morning did.

[philancer]

[ Sylvain glances over to study him, tracing a finger around the top of his mug as he considers those words. ]

You're not the only one to find strange things happening after a strange dream. I've heard similar things from others around here this week. Other Summoned. [ Because people seemed strangely inclined to confide things in him this week, beyond even what he's accustomed to. ] You're seeing the faces of friends from our home? Just their faces? Like on other people, or full illusions walking among the others here?

[ He doesn't know if the difference there would actually mean anything, but he's still curious about the details. ]

[godshattering]

[ It's a relief, sort of, when Sylvain seems to take this in total stride and doesn't comment on the strangeness of what he'd just said. Not enough for Claude to relax, totally, since of course that comes with questions as he looks evenly back at the other man. ]

Illusions is probably the better word for it, not that it makes it any more comfortable to see those who've passed away. Sometimes it's just their faces on someone else, sometimes it's like they're walking around crowds here.

[ That's... not exactly what he meant to say, but with war and repeatedly staring down past friends on battlefields - everything adds up to only one reason in his mind for the particular faces he's seen with increasing frequency. And he's less concerned with that partial reveal given he's rationalized it as not much of one in the face of everything, over the rest of what Sylvain's said and now Claude frowns. ]

So your nightmares - whatever they are, they aren't the same thing I'm seeing. You're dealing with something else?

[ That's new, compared to the nightmares where everyone suffered, if they're being affected by... whatever this is, differently. ]

[philancer]

[ There's a few things he wants to poke at in what Claude says there but his brain literally trips over the words 'those who passed away'. It's enough to make him pale, swallowing convulsively and suddenly he regrets drinking or putting anything of substance in his stomach. ]

Wait. We're all... They're all dead?

[ The words come out a little choked because while he'd known that was a possibility after Gronder, in an abstract way, hearing it phrased like that is something else entirely.

Claude's being haunted by the rest of them as dead ghosts. Not just hallucinations. That dread that's been haunting him for days now of all he fears might come to pass... is what is actively stalking Claude, it seems. ]

[godshattering]

[ He doesn't look away when Sylvain speaks though he wants to, and we before it's swapped for they is only scratching the surface. Here again feels like a misstep but he's at a loss for how to fix that. Even now he can recall the exact moments he knew that not all of them would be walking away from what was to happen at this battlefield or that one, and whether Teach would try to convince whoever it was to join them if he could, and Claude would then devote his plans to keeping who he could safe.

It was war. But then - he has to remind himself it's only past tense for one of them. Or only him.

Is it better to rip the metaphorical bandage off now rather than later, several months down the line, when things may have shifted even further in who knows how many ways? The answer to that is no clearer than the first time Claude realized it was something he couldn't avoid here and the question's lurked in the corners of his mind ever since, so his deliberately short answer in response is, ] Yeah.

[ Because what else is there to say? For all the many ways he has to spin a thread of a conversation into something wilder and more distracting, it seems like they've all deserted him now. Nothing to do but watch Sylvain process it and silently brace himself for whatever comes next. ]

[philancer]

Shit.

[ Sylvain sags against the bar, scraping a hand over his face as he tries to wrap his head around this. It doesn't make any sense, not that much has in this place but this...

He wonders if he's included in that answer. Although Claude hadn't seemed shocked to see him when he'd shown up, not like one would expect, when seeing a ghost. But what did he know? Claude had always been good at hiding his true thoughts about things and maybe Sylvain had been too off his game to notice anything beyond the surface.

He didn't want to think about what this meant for the rest of the Lions. Annette. Mercy. Dedue. Ashe. Ingrid. Dimitri. Felix. He had friends in the other Houses too, of course, but those from Faerghus... many of them he'd grown up with since he was young. And then the years together since then...

He reached for the bottle, refilling his glass again, his expression unusually grim, his eyes a little glassy with emotions he was trying not to let fester right now. The whispers were taunting at the edges of his mind again, that new horrible information something easy to latch onto. To drag through his guilt and regrets all over again. ]

We're going to need a bigger bottle.

[godshattering]

[ Some part of Claude had mistakenly thought finally saying this aloud would bring relief like what comes with removing a stubborn and painful splinter or treating a poisoned wound. Instead, he finds it's the opposite. There is a momentary flash of relief when Sylvain doesn't immediately ask the names of who in particular died or whether he's on that list. But then it's replaced - rightfully - by a sinking feeling as the other wilts before his eyes under the weight of this information, and he's not surprised a refill is in quick order.

Still. Before Sylvain can set the bottle down Claude grabs the end of it to get his attention more so than to dissuade any drinking and holds on to keep them paused there with it in mid-air. ]

Hey, look at me for a second.

[ Normally he'd exercise his mile-wide streak of patience here until Sylvain gives him some semblance of eye contact no matter what kind it ends up being, but who knows when that could be? Instead, he shakes his head and continues. ]

We don't know what any of this means when Petra lived something else entirely, and you've already told me you remember things that I don't because they couldn't have happened for me. Maybe this is another difference from... whatever this is. [ He'll sound less confident on that last part because how different can it be with them all at odds no matter how it happens? But it has to mean something; perhaps that's just his own quiet desperation that he's been dragging around for months or longer. ] It doesn't have to mean things always turn out the same if that's what you're thinking.

[philancer]

[ Those words are true enough and a little comforting in their own way, even if the news as a whole was devastating in itself. He's naive in thinking that all of them will get out of this war unscathed, but... ]

Yeah, but did you ask Petra about who all was dead that she knew of? [ On one hand, he expects Claude to be thorough. On the other... there's just some things one might not want to know even then.

He sighs and shakes his head, running his fingers through his hair in agitation. ] You're right. It might be different. It seems that perhaps the Professor might be the catalyst for all of it, though. And even if she was with us that morning at Gronder... that still doesn't reassure me about the fates of the rest of you.

[ It's not just the Lions he would mourn, after all. ]

I don't even know whether or not I might have missed it. I've been here how many weeks now? Will I go back to standing on that field the morning of the battle, or - and this is even if we ever go back - will I find it done and over with?

[ And how would his absence change things? Would it change things?

...he really hates time travel. Universe travel? He doesn't even know which one is more to blame here. ]

[godshattering]

[ Claude opens his mouth to say - something, then shuts it immediately after when he realizes he doesn't know what it'll be. Then he follows that up with a frown down at his drink as he lets go of the bottle to let Sylvain put it back or do whatever else, but his glass doesn't offer him any answers. ]

No, I didn't ask her. But I've thought about it enough to know there's no way they marched to Derdriu without a few deaths along the way.

[ 'A few' is likely an incredible understatement given what he knows about the Empire's commitment to their plans. Some of that reasoning only became clear after making it to Enbarr but even then, there's much he thinks he'll never learn. It's not like any of that will offer Sylvain any peace, so he makes the choice to (yet again) keep it to himself.

Instead he drags a hand down his own face. He has no answers for the rest of that. Not for what they're missing, what they've left behind, what they might find when they get back - or whether they ever will. ]

If I thought it'd help, I'd say I hope you miss it but I don't know if that'd be better or just make it all worse for lots of reasons. I haven't heard of anyone who's left here and came back from anyone I've talked to, so maybe we don't want to know what happens.

I have had the same thought about Teach somehow being the key to everything. I can't think of anything else that would make sense... not that... well, that makes no sense no matter how I put it. [ A weak substitute for a laugh get huffed here as he lifts his glass to take a drink like it'll focus his thoughts. ] But he has to be, somehow, if not the actual Goddess as ridiculous as that sounds. None of that explains how any of us are here.

[philancer]

Maybe how we're here has less to do with whatever's strange about our memories and more about whatever's strange about this place's magic?

[ Because let's be honest here. The magic in this place seems really weird to him. Especially at the moment. ]

Although even then, from what I've talked to you and Petra about, it still seems the Professor is the one thing that stands out as the catalyst behind just about everything we remember differently.

[ At least debating this gives him a momentary distraction from getting lost in a spiral over all the needless death they're both avoiding addressing. ]

[godshattering]

[ He'd gone back to spinning his glass in place slowly to give himself a way to fidget, but at Sylvain's first question that he hears almost as a proclamation of sorts, Claude goes rather still and turns to stare at the other man. ]

Are you saying the Singularity changed something about what we each know?

[ Did he hear that right? It would be a stunningly simple solution to narrow down to one starting point to spiral out from, one Claude hadn't even considered himself, and even if it'd also open more and more complications immediately following it. But - maybe it's not the Singularity, magic or otherwise. He thinks back to his conversation with Geralt about the process of summoning those here from other worlds, and though it'd been short it was every bit as illuminating as this. ]

I've spoken to a few people who have been here for a year or longer. One of them told me at first, when it was just Thorne summoning, they knew enough about who they wanted to call here to know if they'd made a mistake by bringing someone else instead. I should say that Thorne considered it a mistake, but it stands to reason that the Free Cities know what they're doing too by now if they learned from Thorne's notes.

And that would mean they might know about our... differences in memory, for lack of a better term, or that they know about Teach.

[ And that - as far as Claude's concerned - if Sylvain's right, is far more worrisome. ]

[philancer]

Wait, they knew who they were summoning?!

[ This is news to Sylvain and he straightens in surprise, eyes widening at this revelation. Then he realizes that was louder than he intended and he glances around before hunching in his shoulders to keep this conversation between them again. Oops? ]

How is that even possible? Do you think they still have ways of seeing back to our home?

[ He doesn't want to think about them knowing about the Professor. That feels worrisome on so many levels he doesn't even know where to start. ]

[godshattering]

Thorne would've had to if they knew when they got someone they weren't trying to summon, otherwise how would they know if they made a mistake? That was back when people first arrived and needless to say they've had plenty of practice since then.

[ As have the Free Cities and Solvunn, but Claude assumes that part can be left unsaid since it's clear enough or else neither of them would be here. That brings up something else important, however, so he watches as Sylvain processes that and then adds, ] I don't think it's a coincidence that most people I've talked to in Cadens have military experience if not battle experience, Sylvain. That means they know at least that much about you, me, and anyone else.

But as for what they know or how they knew we exist in the first place, and whether they can keep looking now that we're here? Your guess is as good as mine.

[ A pause for another drink since this conversation requires it, and that's before it turns back to Fodlan proper since that feels inevitable with all of this being put out into the relative open. ]

I don't think we'll ever find that out without getting close enough to the government to look at whatever records they have. That's not something I'm in a rush to do even if I want to know the answers.

[philancer]

[ He frowns and takes a long swallow of his drink before setting the mug back down, fingers tapping restlessly on the top of the bar.

It was something to consider, at least. ]

How close do you think we'd have to get?

[godshattering]

[ Somehow - for some reason - that question isn't what he expected. It's reasonable (and something he's considered himself, when it was just him here, and when being alone hadn't made it viable) but for once Claude goes with his immediate reaction and his gaze is back on Sylvain in an instant. ]

Close enough for it to be a bad idea for, oh, about a hundred reasons, and that's assuming anyone's willing to tell us anything or where to find it even if it did work. [ Though he's careful to keep his expression neutral, the tone's a couple degrees cooler than anything ever directed towards Sylvain before though he's struggling to name exactly what feeling's behind that besides wariness of the Free Cities. Since there is something else, but that's not important. Maybe. ] Other Summoned have disappeared and no one seems to know how, or why, or where they went. I'm not particularly eager for anyone else to become one of them.

[ It's less that 'surveillance on the government is a bad idea' since really, it isn't; it's more about that whole not disappearing thing and maybe, if one reads between the lines, less directed at himself. Is he telling on himself again? Probably. Too late to take it back now. ]

[philancer]

[ Sylvain arches an eyebrow at that tone, a little caught off guard by it. That hadn't been what he'd expected from Claude at all. ]

Aww. That almost makes it sound like you'd miss me.

[ It's said jokingly, but there's a definite note of self-deprecation there. He takes another drink, shaking his head as he still considers this news Claude's given him. ]

Bad ideas haven't really stopped us before. The risk might be worth it, if we could find out something useful. Especially if it's about the... Teach. Regardless, it wouldn't be a quick effort. Getting that kind of influence and trust here would take time. And a lot of careful actions.

[godshattering]

[ The first part of that's going to be put aside for now. It's done with the note to himself that now it's his turn to silently question the tone in it, like it's a joke concealing something else inside. Sylvain's not wrong about the sentiment, but there's an elaborate web of things wound around it that even Claude's not looking at too closely. No need to start now as far as he's concerned.

It's also true they've never been stopped by a bad idea, but there's a world of difference between needling each other into eating too much glowing candy among all the other harmlessly dumb ones since, and what this would mean if they decided to undertake it. Or if Sylvain does, since Claude's well aware there's nothing he can do to stop the other man if he decides to. All the better to check on a suspicion he has while keeping a level gaze on the person next to him. ]

And what experience do you have with doing that?

[ Because Claude has the experience in question, even if the application was different and not for nefarious (to him) purposes. It's also not something he's particularly eager to repeat without some serious thought first, but - he's listening. ]