PLEROMA | VOICE, ALSO FORWARD DATED TO AROUND THEN

[coerthantorment]

[Estinien still isn't sure how he feels about this method of communication, but now that it seems like something may be on the horizon, he'll sacrifice his mental well-being to get it done. He pushes inexpertly into the psychic realm, reaching out to all of those touched by the Pleroma.

It comes through roughly like his voice, but with a persistent sense of wary anticipation tinging it.]

Hail. This is Estinien Wyrmblood... with any luck, I have been able to reach you.

My dreams have been plagued by queer echoes of the selfsame vision we all had upon our arrival. It feels as if the shrines are once again stirring, and that more lost souls have fallen within their hold. If so, we can be sure that the Regent and their new thralls will one more move to claim the victims as prisoners.

We cannot allow this to happen. This time, I plan to meet the Kenoma's forces head-on, challenging them for the strategic positions around the shrines they took for granted last time. I know that not all of us have the training or abilities required to fight against such odds, but for those that do, I implore you to join me. 'Tis possible that we can spare these new arrivals the same dire fate.

Regardless of whether you join me on the field, I would find great value in knowing everything you can offer concerning the nature of the Kenoma's Aion forces. I fought a handful of them in the caverns, but many more escaped my focus.

For those that will lend their strength, but who have gone to the city... it is now within our power to guide you to our more secure location. There are those we can confer here that will help us plan our best way forward.

[At this point, he will let his message drift. Compiling information and threadjacking are very much welcomed! We are shamelessly ripping off the Kenoma here.]

Comments

CHILDE

[traversal]

[ she's been listening to all the conversations all this time and also debating if she should say something. they want to survive, don't they? in any case, she projects an image of childe. ]

Childe or Tartaglia has extensive combat experience, can use Hydro and Electro magic and summon a whale, and is proficient with any weapon you can think of. Even if he can't aim a bow to save his life and would rather throw the arrow instead ...

[ shots fired, pew pew.

should she say about his foul legacy form? ... no, she'll keep that to herself, for now. loyalties, etc. ]

I understand everyone owes him a beating, but can I have the first punch?

[dragon_rider]

I didn't say that. Where in any of that did I say that?

[ It's said with some exasperation, met with a breath. ]

Your immediate answer is that everything has to be a fight and I get it — you have a warrior spirit. I can't even deny that rather we want to or not it may come down to fighting. However, I'm not giving up on those people. Any of those people.

Loyalty isn't something you can force. That goes for both angles of the situation, from the people we lost to them recently to the ones waking up. There's still a chance for them. As for the new people — I stand by what I said:

If our first response is to fight over them why are they going to trust us? They're going to be just like us, with no idea who is telling the truth and what to expect.

[inutilis]

[ Himeka's 'voice' is met with a little bubble of something welcoming from Abel in response; his voice is gentle when he replies. ]

Can you tell me something, Miss Himeka? [ a bare pause, ]

What was it that led you to deny the Kenoma back then?

[inutilis]

Really! That... that's amazing, Mr. Eleven-- I had no idea such a thing were even possible...!

[ it's straight out of a fairy tale, honestly. he's fanboying a little, ]

...What is it that they say?

[bearshermark]

[There's a rush of (pleased) self-consciousness going on suddenly]

A-ah, well, it isn't as though I've had a chance to commune with every plant in the forest, but I've tried many of the trees. The ancient ones and their emotions are difficult to parse, but what I do know is that the forest seems healthy and it all breathes contentment.

[inutilis]

[ Hiccup...

the strength of Hiccup's conviction can be felt through their communion, and it meets - mirrors - Abel's own in perfect symmetry. there is something comforting about it, a harmony that makes the priest's words come through with no shortage of something amicable and warm behind them. like he's conversing with an old friend rather than a veritable stranger. ]

Then... we're of like minds, it seems...! On all points, and that-- that is quite reassuring to hear, sir.

[ neither of them are willing to write the Kenoma off as acceptable casualties in the event of a confrontation, but neither will Abel or Hiccup permit the Kenoma from hurting their allies. if it comes down to it, they'll do what they have to in order to protect others. ]

...Sometimes the right way is undoubtedly the hard way, frustrating as that may be, you know? But it'll be a bit easier together, and though it might sound terribly cliche of me to say this: I have faith in that.

So-- tell me, are you going to head to the shrines yourself?

[inutilis]

[ ...ah.

ah.

the sense of trepidation that carries along with Dokja's words is felt rather than heard - and Abel is making a face on his end he is glad Dokja can't see. o-oh, my goodness. ]

The Martyr's shrine was-- ah. Well, there were a good few of us, right? If it is a popular place for Aions to wake, it might be a good idea to head there together.

[ together. for practicality's sake. to save fledgling Aions, not because Dokja is scared of Ciel and Abel will troll protect accompany him. ]

[inutilis]

[ Abel is a 'martyr' according to the brand on his inner wrist, yes; perhaps Estinien feels he is making good on his Legacy - but Abel doesn't intend to die in the name of his cause. the prices he expects to come due are not the sort that require the forfeit of his life - but time, blood, energy... perhaps.

but he feels that there is something he needs to clear up, here. ]

I can't save anyone or anything if I throw my life away. I hope you know that isn't my intention, and if it comes down to it-- if in the name of protecting you or any of those I've come to know as more than allies, but friends... I'm not afraid to do what I must.

[ even if there is regret, remorse, reluctance in those words - they ring firm and true. ]

You've known suffering, haven't you? You know what it's like to feel lost, to drown in something bigger than yourself. [ Abel can tell. he sees it, feels it in this man and the pain he had expressed in the cavern, the sensation of struggling against a force from within. ] ...If there were no kind hands to reach out to us when we've fallen, Estinien-- if someone had written us off as the enemy, where would we be?

...I have hope. I'll carry enough for you, too, if you need me to.

[ for Amos, for Misa, for Gen and Makoto and so many others-- this is not the way it has to be, and Abel refuses to accept it. ]

[salvageable]

[ Excuse me, what were those first two—

He can't shake his restlessness from this stupid connection. Not only had she bested him in combat, she'd also just. Seen him at one of his lowest points and had gone so far as to draw it out even more. Like, who does that?

But... together... does have an okay ring to it. And he did say he'd go with Abel to keep him safe. ]

If that's where you've decided on, then okay. I'll go with you.

[ Hey, maybe she won't even be there. ]

[inutilis]

It sounds... peaceful.

[ communing with something ancient, a force of nature-- it definitely sounds like a unique and calming experience. it fits Eleven, Abel thinks. ]

Does it feel much different than it had at home? Using your abilities?

[dragon_rider]

[ The smile Hiccup finds himself wit is soft and warm, something that matches the sensations he feels from the other (thought doubt lingers, ever-present, about himself). Still, the laugh tangles in his voice when he adds: ]

You're telling me. I'm used to being the odd one out.

[ It came with being born into a Viking tribe where fighting for survival came first, afterall. But he knows in his heart change is possible — He has to believe in that. ]

It's not cliche. We're stronger as a team. You'd be surprised what a small handful of people can do against an army when they trust each other enough. [A beat.] Or maybe you wouldn't be.

[ It doesn't sound like he would be, at least. Though the question adds a bit of hesitation for no other reason than he feels ill-prepared. He's seen what some of these people an do and he's reckless, but not stupid. ]

... I don't want to sit in safety when other people can be in danger. 'Though with these guys I might just get in the way again.

[aquaveiled]

They sound a little off to me. Or rather, different from the elementals I'm used to listening to, but they are similar enough that I think their message is becoming clearer. How about you?

[inutilis]

[ n-nothing haha dw about it? dw, ]

I have. Talking it out with you helped me come to a peace of mind about it, so-- that's what we'll do, alright?

[ he sounds surprisingly confident!! ]

Long as you're up for it, of course-- you could always help with teleporting and that sort of thing instead, Mr. Dokja?

[ does Dokja want an out...... how much is he Scared, ]

[aquaveiled]

Apparently you faced might of his butt and triumphed where many others dared not to even try.

[aquaveiled]

[ His question gets a considerable pause. ]

I faced utter despair once--my friends and I did. Not just our own fears, but that of everyone around us. Countless horrors were made reality and people mowed down their own loved ones as they lost every sense of themselves to that fear. Even the smallest shreds of doubt could begin a painful process that doomed everyone...it was shite, to put it lightly.

[ Another pause. She considers her words more carefully these days, at least around more serious subjects than she has been wont to in the past. ]

That didn't make this any easier. If anything, I didn't want to live through it again. But it's not just for ourselves that we have to face this, is it? It's everyone. Our stars may be at stake as well as many others. What can we do but resist?

[salvageable]

[ Just promise him she won't make him go down on his knees again, Abel.

Also share a little bit of that confidence please. ]

No, it's fine. There's no reason for me not to give it my all.

[ Especially when Abel is going to be out there!! Potentially doing stupid things!! Might as well have two idiots doing stupid things together so that way it'll cancel out. ]

[coerthantorment]

[Estinien is at the point, with all of this, where he wants to just coil into himself and escape. He's never liked having to engage in these sorts of discussions, but he also doesn't have the comfort of a team that he trusts to make all the moral decisions for him. He feels simultaneously justified and like he is in the process of doing something wrong, and in the end, he doesn't know how to feel at all.

When he speaks again, his psychic presence is more compact and reserved, holding back that excess of feeling.]

I was merely answering your question, Hiccup. Nay. We would not be just as bad as them, even if we were to meet them with blades drawn.

[inutilis]

[ the warm fuzzy vibes here are really nice considering the subject matter; it feels really good to find this kind of camaraderie, and it makes the rest of this just a little bit easier to swallow, bitter a pill though it might be. ]

'Get in the way,' I see...

[ Hiccup likely doesn't possess the otherworldly powers of some of their kindred Pleroma, then. Abel gives a thoughtful hum; he understands better than most that 'powers' and 'abilities' don't always necessarily make one stronger or more capable than anyone else. ]

Tell me, sir-- what would you consider your strengths to be? If I were to ask you to name three things you're especially good at right now... just right off the top of your head, perhaps-- what would you say?

[coerthantorment]

[He's not sure if Abel actually has any way of knowing it, whether it was something that slipped out in their time in the cavern - but his words strike with particular violence. It almost feels offensive, to be called out so specifically, but he feels himself recoil at the sentiment.

He can't bear to think of those days, those people. Not right now. So, instead, Abel will feel the stir of Estinien's emotions, as if only witnessing their tumultuous currents from above. Then, it's gone.

Somewhere in Greentruth, Estinien has set his shard back into his chest, deciding to disengage from this entirely.]

[goldendeceiver]

No kidding? I'm not sure what all of you have been up to exactly, but that sounds handy.

And I imagine you'll blend in just fine. The pointier ears seem to be pretty common among a lot of people here. I've even been able to ditch my hooded cloak without too much fuss being made.

[goldendeceiver]

I'd rather not if I don't have to.

[bearshermark]

It's different. Yggdrasil would show me visions when I communed with Her roots. It wasn't like this really.

[goldendeceiver]

[ Just get him the needed materials for it, good father.

There's a pause, and the feeling of a sigh. There's no point in worrying about trying to be cagey about the name of the city they're in on the off chance anyone can listen in on these conversations, not when half a dozen people have dropped it already, huh?

Alright... ]

We might. It depends what happens to be in those woods, and if any of it is worth trading for.

[bearshermark]

It's different, yes. I only ever communed with Yggdrasil's roots in Erdrea. But I know the forest is ancient and seems content.

[goldendeceiver]

Haha... You're not really going to start calling me that, are you?

[ Don't get him wrong, he likes boobs as much as the next person who is into women, but something about being nicknamed after one... ]

That's good to know though. If things go really south we might have to send the newcomers your way too.