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expiationmeme2023-01-23 02:02 am
TEST DRIVE MEME #1
Welcome to the TDM for Expiation, a pan-fandom adventure game with fantasy, science fiction, and sometimes subtle horror elements. We ask that top-level comments are reserved for new characters and players looking to experience a taste of the world and overarching storyline. Feel free to submit any TDM / prompt-related questions to the corresponding comment below.
New players / characters looking to app are free to use TDM threads as samples in their application. Preexisting players / characters may use TDM threads as part of their AC proofs.
You may find the below links helpful in getting to know themes of the world, locations, the people, and so on.
A WARM WELCOME
The journey here has not been a particularly convenient one. The last thing you can recall is the room of blinding white and the incomprehensible voices that were speaking about you. Then came the dropping of the floor beneath you and suddenly you were falling into black. As you come to and regain a more clear vision of the world about you, you find that you are surrounded by pleasant greenery.
Deciduous trees are sprinkled here and there in some miscellaneous fashion. There are plants and flowers all about, the chirping of birds. Above you rests a fairly clear sky with a dotting or two of clouds. The sun is pleasant. Overall, it’s comfortable. Perhaps too comfortable.
MEADOWLANDS ARRIVAL
Within eyesight, though you can’t possibly know the footing distance, there appear to be fields. A portion of them dedicated to long stalk vegetables and the rest a neatly organised collection of leafy greens. Upon closer inspection, you’ll find that some of these look ready to be picked right away. Not much further past the fields are other buildings. Simple in style and not at all grand in structure or make. There’s people, too. It looks lively. The locals will tell you that you’ve set foot in Aldrip.
Not far from you, in fact relatively close if not in hand already, is a rolled parchment bound by a rather nondescript twine. If you unfurl it, you’ll find a generic welcoming message addressed specifically to you.Welcome to Expiation. We, who have found you so worthy and deserving, have declared you to be one of the Chosen.
The cryptic written greeting is followed by a collection of recorded statistics—physical and mental attributes, along with other observations about your person that clearly weren’t made by you (but may not necessarily be inaccurate).
Nearing the bottom is a peculiar line—You have been charged with ▬▬ and in accordance with the doctrine of this world, you have ▬▬ until you will face your sentencing. Prepare your defence adequately or face the repercussions.
In spite of that strange little addition at the bottom, which may or may not make sense to you, you’re not the only one arriving in the meadowlands. You have some options. Maybe check with a nearby fellow otherworlder, scour the fields, meet the locals. First impressions, after all, can sometimes last a lifetime.
WILD COMPANIONS
The collective of newly-arrived aren’t the only ones exploring the meadowlands. Curious about the various sounds created by those not native to the world, there are animals living in and near the surrounding areas drawn to the attention. Different types and sizes of birds and beasts or other creatures that may resemble ones from your home world begin to close in on your location. Do they mean to do you harm or are they only simply wary about who you might be and what you’re doing?
Some of them are incredibly friendly, especially if you’re inclined to provide them with food, or if they’re younger and they simply don’t know better. But be aware, for every young animal, there is likely to be a parent not far behind, and less inclined to be understanding of your strange fate in this new predicament. As such, no matter how cute something may be, reconsider taking it with you, else you may simply stir the ire of their families.
If you find yourself in a position where you’ve inadvertently stepped into a territory not meant for you, you’ll need to find either a strategic escape or resort to force and self-defence. Fortunately, some of these larger, more aggressive beasts, are much the same ones that the locals in Aldrip have been seeking to cull for the safety of the citizens. Maybe you can make some fast friends with the Expiation natives by bringing them something you’ve had to put down.
THOSE WHO WERE THERE
Those Who Were There are what the locals refer to their gods as, considering them responsible for their continued growth in the world, the abundance of their crops and sea life, the greenery that surrounds them, native wildlife, and some of the strangely advanced luxury items that make their livelihoods a touch more convenient.
You’ve arrived at an opportune time. Although the peoples of the continent freely show their appreciation for their higher beings, every once in a while, they celebrate by way of joyful festivals, grand songs, and more expressive means of their devotion.
FESTIVITIES
Aldrip seems to be a bit busier than usual, with a little more foot traffic than what may be considered a normal day in the life. There’s music in the air provided by lutes, panpipes, and the dulcet tones of men and women alike, expressing songs and tall tales of those they have come to revere as celestial beings. They believe that honouring their betters can be done with song and dance as much as it can be with offerings and prayer.
The town is bustling, a plethora of additional street stalls selling all kinds of local cuisine, jewellery, weapons, and accessories branded with insignias that represent the same wave motif as can be found on the charms every newly-arrived will receive. There’s raucous laughter, a plethora of drinks (alcoholic and non) that are passed along merrily to those wandering through if one doesn’t have a drink already. It’s the perfect way to integrate yourself with the people whilst taking in the celebration.
A portion of the town has had the land cleared, set up with a minimalistic coliseum ring for archery competition and one-on-one combat. Winners of these exchanges don’t get anything grand, but are presented with plenty of free food and drink, and some may even be awarded with some modest badge accessories from the local shops for providing the people with some sport.
Out by the fields, closer to the shoreline of the Talion Sea, there’s a grand pillar of fire that’ll burn all through the day and into the dark of the night where more music follows and accompanies spirited dancing.
SENTIMENTAL OFFERINGS
If you’re searching for a momentary reprieve from the bustle of the festival, there’s a modest walkway of cobblestone that will lead you from the main streets of stalls, drinks, and making merry. Following the way it winds and curves will eventually take you to an elaborate display of dried flowers, jewellery, fanciful cloths, and other items. Some of these hang from nearby trees. Some are draped over an altar fashioned of dark wood.
A local who spies you there kindly explains that it’s a place to leave items of offering for Those Who Were There, as gratitude for all they have granted their loyal people. They also explain that the more sentimental attachment you hold for the item you give up, the more pleased the gods will be with you. What does that mean, exactly? It’s difficult to say, but it seems that it might endear you to the locals at the very least.
Those who leave an item will receive a noticeable wave-like mark on the interior of their dominant hand wrist, almost as if it’s a brand of some kind. This is temporary mark and will only last the length of the festival, but if locals see it, they will be more inclined to give information on the land, the people, and perhaps even extra drinks, food, or shop wares.
Even if you don’t leave an item, as you’ve only just arrived and you may not have much on your person, the locals won’t punish you or think ill of you. It’ll give you a chance to gather yourself before you go back to the festival proper. If you choose to go back at all. The relative quiet is so welcoming, after all.
THE GLITCH EFFECT
NO SIGNAL
If you’ve arrived in this world with a mobile device or something akin to (notebook, laptop, and so on), you’ll find that whilst there are no electrical outlets, there are slender and flat platforms available to keep items of this nature with a charge. You cannot connect to a network and there’s no signal for a connection to grapple onto. That said, programmes that don’t require a connection to be of use (note taking applications, calculators, games), are still operable.
You may find, however, in the use of these programmes that perhaps images are not displaying properly. The colouration may be inverted. There may be unexplainable lines drawn across graphics. Text may not accurately be presented, instead a jumble and tangle of letters, forming what looks more like a mass of verbal tendrils across your screen.
Bizarre and strange sounds may emerge from your device, sometimes a low hum that may be indiscernible to others. Sometimes a high frequency that lingers in the air. It may be just a flash of sound. It may be several seconds long.
Furthermore, it is possible that you may find strange imagery imprinted on the screen temporarily, even where there should be no graphic at all. It’s there for a moment or two before it fades away, almost as if it’s subliminal messaging. The strange imagery is difficult to make out—a highly detailed eye, or perhaps what appears to be an angular face. No two images will be the same, though some may hold some eerily similar depictions.
This strange happenstance will occur periodically until the festival reaches its conclusion.
STATIC BUZZING
Don’t think if you didn’t arrive with a mobile device or related that you’re free from some of the strange electronic phenomena. Devices that are native to Expiation will experience similar errors. The difference is that the devices as a collective (personal computers, printers, cameras, the platforms for charging devices, and more) will emit a fluctuating and repeating frequency of sound cycling from high to low. Some will be able to hear it, some will not, but for those who do, it will come accompanied with a static buzzing sound, as if a connection somewhere is on its last proverbial legs.
There isn’t a means to stop the sound from emerging without depowering the device in question and even the locals don’t seem to know what to do. There are several devices strewn about Aldrip, however, so even if you should unplug one, there will be others expressing the same assault on the ears. Aldrip’s people don’t seem particularly alarmed, however, explaining to those who ask that this sort of thing simply happens every so often, and should they but have faith, Those Who Were There will handle all things ‘in good time.’
Unlike the personal devices brought in by newly-arrived, the electronic devices of Expiation will not display incorrect / jumbled graphics, text, or bizarre flashing images, which may be considered a blessing in disguise, despite having to experience the potentially annoying hum. This strange occurrence, too, will mysteriously end once the festivities have drawn to a close.
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Of his Sight, absolutely. Yet moreso, his heart. His soul. His all. Taking notice of any of the brilliant hues of any of his own kind's soul here, of all places, would have been a given. Regardless of the circumstances. Regardless of the time, the place. For their souls had always shone so much brighter than all else.
Yet this man- this dear, dear man- His soul... it is all but blinding. To him, it permeates all.
He does as bade. He leans, so slowly, toward the water's edge, allowing the tiny pink creature to enter the water. And instantly, darkness envelops him. Teleportation, but of course- and instantly, he finds himself at the other man's side.]
Hades...
[Never mind the fact this dear friend is preparing to cast something!
Never mind the fact the eft may still decide to charge!]
Do forgive my saying so, yet I must ask. Were you not taller?
[Height is hardly the crux of the physical change visited upon this man from the last time they had seen each other. But it serves to address all of it. On Hythlodaeus' part, he cannot help but smile.]
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[Though he had provided his true name and his true face to a certain hero deep in the depths of the Tempest, it has been centuries, if not millennia, since someone last called him by it. A real someone, that is, and not simply a phantom of his own creation. Hearing it now, his soul wavers for the barest blink of an eye, his brows arching in unobscured surprise.]
[Yet why is he surprised? There is nothing surprising about any of this, other than the timing, the circumstances, and a certain absent sense of triumph. He had lost. Yet despite that and his own waning memory of those halcyon days, the Hythlodaeus before him is real. He has no doubt. For who else could appear so pleased with himself for reaching such a conclusion about his current form? And at the worst of times!]
Of all the things you could have said to me, you're truly going to open with that?
[Wrenching his focus away from that mirthful smile, Hades scowls at the mother eft. The smaller creature has wobbled through the water and found purchase clinging to the other's side, yet the adult beast's displeasure still rumbles audibly.]
[A barrier? Or an enfeeblement perhaps...? Hades huffs, the sound hissing through clenched teeth.]
You're just as insufferable as ever.
[Though that is not necessarily a complaint. (It is a complaint.)]
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The first being the eft of course. Which has, by the by, all but signalled its coming attack with the sudden arching of its back and the filling of a large mucus sac overlaying its throat, ready to fire a rather disgusting projectile- The second, the vague, creeping, so very familiar ache of guilt that all but gnaws upon his soul. Saying that, for the moment, it is a simple thing to push both aside. The creature, he is most certain, will not pose a problem given who is beside him. The reliability of the man alone, Hythlodaeus is certain, would see the beast felled before it could even fire.
The guilt...
Well.
He has felt so much guilt. So very much of it. Could he not just cling to the single sense of joy he has experienced for millennia?
To do so is selfish. It cannot be denied.
And yet, he does. Because anything- truly anything- other than sorrow, other than guilt, is everything.]
Oh, come now. [His voice is even, steady. Betraying the smallest laugh of sheer delight.] Your body is very much changed. Do you truly think me unconcerned?
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[That hardly sounds like a fashionable entrance, now, does it?]
[An impatient sigh follows, energy crackling and rising over the span of Hades's gloved hand.]
Nay. I think only that you could spare a sliver of attention for your large amphibious playmate rather than simply leaving me to clean up after your mess!
[He hurls the spell directly at the creature just as its mouth has begun to open. A purple haze disperses about the beast, causing its arched spine to flatten and its sorry excuse for limbs to grow limp and insubstantial as it sinks onto its own belly there in the shallow water. Still - at least for the moment.]
[Hades slowly straightens, lowering his arm - though not before realizing that he has stepped foot into the stream in order to stay the creature and is now up to his ankles in brisk, silty water.]
[The sound of that laugh, he supposes is reward enough, so long as they can be done with the thing and move on to someplace dryer before it reawakens.]
...If you are so concerned.
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[Well. He would have finished that thought, but the spell has already gone off. And yes, he cannot help but halfturn in amazed wonderment at the effect of Emet-Selch's magicks- at how such a furious creature could enter such a deep, docile sleep in all but a moment- though his attention to it (nor the ambystoma atop it) does not last long.
Almost immediately, his gaze is back upon the man before him. And he cannot help it- never could, really- but there is most certainly a hint of smugness to his voice.]
Precisely as expected. Your skill with magicks never ceases to amaze.
[But oh. Oh dear. The bottom of the strangely coloured robe that the other is wearing seems rather soggy, which as he would expect, would result in quite a great deal of distemper. He moves to the edge of the riverbank, extending his hand to him.]
no subject
[Hades does not, as it happens, accept the proffered hand. He does, in fact, glance at it, and for a moment is seems as though he might take it, might wish very much to take it and to verify for himself that it is indeed solid and real. But instead he merely follows Hythlodaeus, sloshing through the shallow water and the clinging mud to join him on the bank, the hem of his robe dripping where he stands.]
[...Or where he bows, rather. The years have not been kind to Hades, as Hythlodaeus has no doubt already observed. Though his form cannot precisely be called old, the signs are there. The sunken eyes, the weary wrinkles, and a tiredness that seems to dominate his mien.]
Might I suggest we be gone from here? Although I doubt the thing will awaken for some seconds more, I would prefer not to waste my afternoon continuously subduing the creature. Unless, perhaps, you've a mind to take it with us.
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[All elation, excitement, ...honestly, joy, aside, the fact that his offer was not taken sobers him somewhat. There is a moment- fleeting, most certainly- where his eyes meet the other man's. Something is perceived- and he cannot help but feel himself sink. It is gradual, most certainly. Yet his smile does turn somewhat rueful. It doesn't leave him, of course. Yet there is knowing in it. A vague understanding of something very unspoken, unsaid.
His hand returns to his side, and he nods.]
Tiresome as such is and ever has been, I would not seem ungrateful for your assistance. I fear matters would have become rather dire were it not for your arrival.
[In silent agreement, he begins to walk. And, as it would simply not do to be in such silence, with such a dark cloud over them...]
I have little idea as to how this has happened. Or what is in store for us. ...Yet I am also grateful for your presence.
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[Hades knows well the sacrifice which has paved his own path, what his people have relinquished for the sake of the star. Many of their names he remembers, many of them he had encountered throughout his tenure as The Third Seat. That Hythlodaeus is able to be here with him at all surely means that something must have changed. Could it then be that Zodiark (or at least, the shell of what He once was) is no more? It is inconceivable.]
[Dark cloud or no, now hardly seems the time to play coy about their present state of affairs. His shoulders sag as he emits another long sigh, and he murmurs under his own breath, just loud enough to be heard.]
...So am I.
[His eyes dart away then, and Hades returns his attention towards the path ahead, his voice regaining to its usual volume and inflection.]
Though I am certain you would have discovered an opening one way or another, either with or without my interference. I simply noticed your soul shining more brightly than the others, and so I came.
As to how this happened, I confess I know as little as you do. All I can say for certain is that I know not where we are. "Expiation", or so it is written. Yet there is no place such as this upon present-day Etheirys nor anywhere within the Aetherial Sea.
no subject
[And an accusation, more than likely. His eyes once again flick over Emet-Selch in small concern, for however powerful the sorcerer- he feels it. He cannot help but feel it. The issue of any alleged crime is not touched upon though. Not when the thought conjures the memory of a particular conversation upon the moon...]
Well!
[A gentle, very gentle bump of his shoulder against Emet-Selch's padded and armoured one follows as they walk.]
I suppose the first thing to do will be to find the office which has distributed these missives. I do think I saw some buildings to the south. Of crude make, most certainly- and while I doubt they are indicative of a city, making contact with any form of civilization may be a prudent first move.
no subject
Assuming such an office exists. It may be that the nearby town is little more than an outpost, and the government center is located elsewhere within the province.
At the very least, the natives should be able to provide some form of clarification beyond what can be gleaned from the missive - as you've suggested. I've encountered several others waking within these fields, yet they are equally unaware of what precisely has transpired.
[A shake of his head, for although Hythlodaeus has the right of it, he has no doubt this venture will prove tedious.]
I suppose that means some diplomacy is in order.
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[Or not at all.
His words are light- jovial. Yet there is an undercurrent to them, a tiny note of faint worry. Serving a purpose. Now that is a troubling thought. Punishment seemed to be the only reason thus far, yet he could not help but wonder what exactly gave them the right to disrupt the order of things and raise the dead to atone for their perceived crimes.
Atoning too. Were any of the crimes real, atonement meant nothing here, so very far away from those allegedly hurt.
Yet. Diplomacy. He smiles at Emet-Selch then, just in time for a squelch.]
If you'd prefer, I would be pleased to take the lead.
[The smallest hint of laughter is in his tone, and his soul- just for a halfsecond, glimmers.
...Blame the squelch.]
no subject
[He repeats the words with a note of disdain. He will be curious to see precisely who these people are - these ones who believe themselves to hold authority over matters beyond them. As to the hows, such a theory calls the Crystal Exarch and his discoveries within the realm of time travel to mind, of summoning others forth from the beyond - not simply shades or approximations, but an entire person both body and mind. Have such magicks been mastered by another? It's an altogether disturbing thought for a field he himself has not managed to unravel.]
Suit yourself. I've had more than enough diplomacy for at least another lifetime and shall be more than satisfied to watch the proceedings from afar.
[As much as he claims to find peace in simply being an observer, they both know he has a tendency of stepping in when things are about to go awry.]
Though if I may, you might as well be out with it. I can tell you are amused, and I would prefer it if you got the giggles out before we start delving for answers.
no subject
[He has precious little idea that Emet-Selch's skill in diplomacy has most certainly developed and changed likely beyond even his own given the lifetimes upon lifetimes he has lived, and what he has chosen to do with those lifetimes. So, that is not quite the reason he says such.
Instead, it is something else entirely. Chiefly that accused or not accused, (and really. why would such a very great man be accused of anything untoward?) an introduction would be a good thing. Those of this world should perceive him, should see him, should know him.
...That, and he values his insight. They always were better working as a pair- covering weaknesses, and amplifying strengths. And truthfully, the notion has him decidedly less worried about the entire thing.
So it is settled. He makes a few strides along the field, until...
Well. That is said. And he cannot help it. He truly cannot. Yet there is something about the other man's tone that sets him off again.
His hand moves to his mouth. And he cannot help but laugh.]
...I've missed you, Hades.
[So very much.]
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[Yet he will play along for at least a little longer, if only for Hythlodaeus's sake.]
Close enough that I can both see and hear what transpires, elsewise the entire affair would be a dreadful waste of time.
[He watches Hythlodaeus even now as he trudges through the field beside him, the feathery heads of some of the stalks of grass flaking off and clinging to his still-damp robe. And though he indulges him, there is a touch of guilt. Even now he picks up on some of the small details which have waned from his memory over the years- the arch of his nose, the lightness of his step. Even knowing that both of them have passed, there is life in that laugh, an unapologetic brightness that he has never exactly managed to recapture.]
[And his words, though genuine, twist in Emet-Selch's chest as sharp as any splinter of white auracite ever could. Enough that his expression turns momentarily pained, the muscles of his jaw twitching before he shifts his attention towards something which cannot harm him and something which he does not particularly care about - the exact angle of the nearest roof, perhaps. Or a group of plants choking one another out for an extra ilm of sunlight.]
[Of course Hythlodaeus, too, is missed. If it were not so, it would not hurt as much.]
How good to know there is at least one person who still appreciates my sense of humor.
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Yet. The company certainly helps. While this, in so very many ways, does not feel quite like any of he or Emet-Selch's long, lazy afternoons upon the star they both adored with all of their being... (when he was not having his time or his powers wasted on impromptu turnip hunts)
...It feels pleasant. Very pleasant, just for the sake of company. This company. This dear man, with all of his complaints, and all of his grousing. Even if his brow is sterner, his eyes dull, his back bent, and his steps laborious, he is still very much him.]
Hm~
[He is sharp enough, he knows this man's mien well enough, to know that his sentiment has been returned by those words. And while he wonders if he deserves- truly deserves- to hear them, he cannot help but smile.]
Do you think this will last?
[It is a question which could be taken both figuratively and literally, yes. And either answer would bring him delight. But he is far more interested in the literal response...
Especially from the erstwhile authority of the Underworld.]
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[They are spoken as to an equal, to someone who will listen and understand.]
Do I think what will last?
[He answers without waiting for confirmation.]
As I said earlier, I know as little as you do. Simply enough to know this is not the usual way of things. And, I should like not to imagine what may happen should our aether be depleted here, on what can only be a world apart from Etheirys.
It was trouble enough to find my way back to aetherial sea of the Source.
[He does not mention that he had help in that matter.]
Nevertheless, if someone - multiple someones - expended the resources and the magicks to have us brought here, I do not expect they will be content to let us make an early exit before this "sentencing" of theirs. At least, not without a struggle.
And so I think it a reasonable assumption that this will last "for a time".
no subject
This is a star, he thinks. One that does not seem to be extinguished by war, by disease, or by the apathy of its caretakers. Yet.
He hums a considered, thoughtful note as he walks, his gaze moving downward to regard an errant patch of wildflowers at his feet. Bluebells, he thinks, as he adjusts his course airily to avoid them- should Emet-Selch decide to trample them or not.]
I'll admit- that is quite the concern.
[As he walks, this time at a slight distance ahead, he turns mid-stride, keeping his view on Emet-Selch as he takes a few steps backward. There is another thing to consider, of course. The fact that his dear friend has indeed been accused is painted clearly by that answer.
His mind once again moves to the moon. The crimes barely scratched upon, yet extensively listed and categorized by that tiny fragment- that new old friend.
...He'll need to think on those. So for the time being...]
I would assume that were a wise sort with prior experience- perhaps even the keeper of the Underworld himself- attempt to commune with this star, he would find something well beyond his remit.
no subject
Among others. But, yes.
[His boot just narrowly misses the flowers as he follows in Hythlodaeus's wake, too close to say for certain if the step was calculated or merely a fluke. Inevitably his survey of the scenery returns to the man before him who seems all too eager to watch him rather than where he's going. Emet-Selch slows (Hythlodaeus cannot trip if he ceases walking), arms crossed over his chest as he looks to him pointedly.]
[He knows a casual appeal when he hears one.]
You're suggesting something.
Yet I think perhaps you overestimate my interest in this star. Whatever becomes of it is no responsibility of mine. The only thing I've any interest in communing with is the rest I've been repeatedly denied. My work is done.
[So he says. But with Hades, "work" is never done.]
no subject
Yet, it is something that has no cause to happen. Present accusations or not. They are lost, yes. They are in unchartered lands, with absolutely nothing to tether them to their broken star. But they are (for the moment) perfectly safe, and most importantly, they are together. So, all considered, it is a very deliberate choice to understate.
So. Moving on.]
...Am I now?
[He cannot help but smile then, his expression calm. Considered. Yet his soul all but glows at the edges, just for a moment.
...Emet-Selch would likely be able to see it. He is not laughing. Yet his soul is.]
Personally, I think were you to find yourself overcome by professional curiosity and take a quick look, you may find something quite unlike anything you have encountered before. Perhaps you may even find it quite fascinating.
no subject
[Emet-Selch can see it clearly, yes. Even if he had not bothered to take a surreptitious glance at so lovely a soul - one which he has not gazed upon in what feels like an eternity - he could scarce ignore the wreath of aether which surrounds it.]
[Yet his eyes refocus and he walks around Hythlodaeus, and action which will require him to pivot on his heels if he's so intent on watching him. Emet-Selch sizes up the village yet again now that they've drawn close enough to make out the shapes of figures moving about its streets. A show of force, he thinks, is unlikely to get them anywhere.]
If you're feeling so inquisitive, why do you not go and look at it? My professional curiosity is currently occupied with finding out who is in charge and what means they used to summon us here. Any questions I have about the nature of this star can wait until later.
[A glance.]
And I've many questions.
no subject
...Which says a lot really, given the man before him's perpetual state of tiredness. Still!]
I could take a look myself, most certainly. Yet imagine. Were this star's Underworld to have its own keeper- perhaps half as learned, as powerful, and as handsome as the one I have knowledge of- I imagine proper convention would be followed. My wandering eye would be thought of as an invader.
...And I imagine I'd not last the assault, much less have the opportunity to explain myself. Given that your professional curiosity is already occupied...
[A playful smile.]
...Dear me. It would be quite the disappointing end. Would it not?
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[Yet things are not quite so simple. There is a rigidness which returns to his shoulders, a twitch of his jaw, a hardening of his expression. He pauses there amidst his dear friend's airy banter, and for an instant the man appears a stranger.]
Hythlodaeus.
[His tone is not precisely annoyed, but there is a sternness there which he has not employed before. Emet-Selch is not smiling, yet he does labor to speak calmly rather than allow his temper grounds to run unchecked.]
[His words are chosen carefully.]
Although I have always appreciated (and suspect I always will appreciate) your perceptiveness, I can assure you that an ego boost is the very last thing I require at the moment.
Much less all this talk of disappointing ends.
[He does not think he needs to explain that one. Emet-Selch may have accepted his defeat and his own end, yet hearing such things being joked about is far from his idea of a good time - particularly when it comes to the man before him. Mayhap he does not realize the hole he left behind when he walked from Emet-Selch's life that day to pursue his own duty - his own purpose - apart from his? Yet the eons have done little to repair it or to fill it. That wound has never closed, and it is that very chasm, perhaps, which lends an uncomfortable quality to this moment.]
[Emet-Selch is not wholly the man Hythlodaeus may remember. He may be recognizable, yes, but even he has changed. Yes, even someone as stubborn and unshakeable as him. He turns away then and begins to make his way toward the village in earnest.]
Come, then. We've much to learn.
no subject
You would get one anyway. I do so enjoy giving them. would be what he would say were that look not employed. Yet doubling down is far from appropriate. So. Instead, he rolls his shoulders in a light, seemingly unaffected shrug, appearing to anyone's gaze akin to a duck having water roll off its back.]
As you say, Hades.
[A quiet promise of stopping. The other's true name added in as well, for the sake of showing him that he was still there, should there be wish for it.
He begins to move once more, his steps once again quite light, on occasion a disjointed, half-hummed tune leaving his lips. He says nothing, does nothing, to give any indication that he is affected, yet he is thinking on it, quite deeply, as they walk.
It is sentimentality, most certainly. Yet also, it is pain. It is a deep scar that has never healed. A fine crack running across his surface, threatening to deepen should it be handled incorrectly. One would expect so much more from eternity. ...Yet eternity is not the culprit. He is, despite the very best of intentions.
He continues walking.]
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[Whatever may come, he won't allow past events to repeat themselves. The very idea of watching Hythlodaeus walk away again and doing nothing to stop him, or worse, watching him perish by some other far less noble means is not something he has any wish to acknowledge. ...And yet he has endured far worse already, has he not? They both have.]
[And so do they fall into an awkward sort of silence, Emet-Selch remaining close and matching him pace-for-pace. His eyes look ahead, yet ghosts pass before them, invisible to all but Emet-Selch himself.]
[He says nothing for quite some time, his ruffled emotions gradually settling into something more manageable. When he does speak, 'tis only to murmur the title of a song, its tempo and key signature. Perhaps it's the one Hythlodaeus has been humming most recently, or perhaps something far less familiar.]
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[While he might never forget the context of the tune and how it is relevant to him, certain things- minor things- such as the name and the origin of it are all but lost. And have been for a while, actually. One of the lesser losses of the passage of so much time.
And while such a small annoyance would certainly not be even worth mentioning were there not a sudden wall of tension between them, now seems a perfectly acceptable time to mention it, even as the village closes in and soon, they will be about a much more important line of inquiry.
Speaking of, he chooses to survey the village. His pace slows as he does so, a far more contemplative expression upon his face than merely trying to remember some song.]
I'd estimate that the population of that village is in the low hundreds.
[Which would mean that information gathering may take quite a while.]
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