THE REGENT'S ADDRESS [OPEN TO ALL]

[aionpcs]

[It comes on fast, once the Regent has your spirit in their hold. Around you, you may see other Aions stumble in the same moment, as if shaken by the same tectonic motion. An inexorable darkness claws at your senses, and you have only a few moments, hard fought, to reposition yourself so that you don't simply drop to the ground when it overtakes you. It has similarities to Communion, to the way another entity's thoughts and words reach out to your mind, but by the same token it's entirely foreign.

This presence is not like another person, it is like a raging, screaming cacophony that drowns out everything else in its path. Whether you be Kenoma or Pleroma, the Regent's presence in this metaphysical realm is staggering. To the Pleroma, though, it also feels caustic, as if the movement of their aura is enough to erode your own, with time.

Gradually, a new world forms. Unlike other Communions, where you are ultimately grounded in reality, here you can been dragged to what seems to be its own distinct psychic realm. A vast, void-filled courtroom, where only the throne at its front has a defined form. Around you, you see shadows of other people, other Aions, that have summoned along with you... but for the moment they seem spectral and unclear, their identities obscured by the realm's aggressive focus on its master.

The Regent sits at their throne, their body swathed in dark fabrics that drift and flutter like smoke. They have no face to be seen, only a faceted silver mask, without any markings or the barest indication of what might be beneath it. Their size is indistinct, maybe a bit taller than you are. They at first sit reclined, but straight up as their 'guests' arrive.]

It's been a long time coming, my subjects.

[At first, they are the only one that can be heard. Though you feel as if you have some physical presence here, a shadowy body of your own, if you attempt to speak no sound emerges.]

To the Pleroma: well done surviving thus far. Granted, I feel as if my Kenoma have made things easy for you. How strange, that most of you were allowed to wander a city within my empire without recourse. Able to summon that wretched creature to your side, even.

I hope you've enjoyed yourself, in the time you've had, because this will be no more. You've spread your infection in Venera, in Godsblood, and it is only necessary that these wounds be cleansed by the touch of the Kenoma. Your presence gives the people ideas... ideas that would disrupt the fragile peace they've come to enjoy, after so many years of suffering. As a kindness, I will only trim the vine, rather than burn the vineyard. What Venerans have taken up your cause, I will see shorn from my empire. And in Godsblood... an example will be made, as of the Sovereign's moon.

My Kenoma will do this for me. Fight them, if you want. But know that I am no longer asking for your fealty. I am demanding it.

[As if opening their court for questions, you will find yourself more able to act. Those that speak or take action will find their physical forms taking shape, standing in the court as people rather than shadows. If you want to question the Regent, now is the time to do so.

OOC: This post is a free for all! We will try to response as the Regent to people who directly engage with them, but you are also allowed to threadjack and interact with each other if you like. Please note that we will not be responding to tag ins done later than the 12th.]

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HE DIDNT MEAN TO

[passio]

[ it would be nice if that were true. dextera wants to believe it—he would, if not for too many factors holding him back. he’s confided this only in a few people, but himeka deserves to know why he resists.

he shakes his head. ]

I… I don’t have any memories. I’m afraid that if I become someone new, I’ll lose who I once was. So I have to…

[ … ]

I have to stay as I am.

[semicharmed]

[ Matt can't blame Amos for asking the question. It's literally the first thing he thought of while he was gushing blood on the cavern floor. But he's had some time to consider, and a certain number of his whirling thoughts have percolated and begun to settle into hypotheses. (Others, meanwhile, clatter around in his head without landing in any one place. Like that dog Estinien Wyrmblood. ]

I think ... that might be true, [ he allows. ] Sufficiently weaken the tether, and the entity might not have a way through into this plane. Or might not have enough energy to be a thing that acts on her own.

But even if that is true, I think there might be some downsides. Like ... first and foremost being, we probably shouldn't be killing other Aions when we need to be growing our power to do what needs to be done. A few more've come through since we got here, but we're still in pretty limited supply.

And then there's the energy question. Like, what I've been wondering is--so the Regent said the Innocence manifested because of the Pleroma. And that seems to be true, though from what I saw, there's some Kenoma powering her too. But maybe it's specifically because there are more of us now, and we've been--some of us--have been getting more powerful. Paul and his healing, me and ... I can do at least some new things now. I wonder if this is an inevitable byproduct of Aions getting more powerful.

[baltimores]

You can do new things?

[ That's the first Amos is hearing of this, and he cocks his head at Matt, curious. He can tell that Matt hasn't progressed in his acceptance of the Kenoma, is still at about the level they all were when they first emerged from the cavern, but hey, that's a good thing. He's happy for Matt, one brief moment of joy amid every other point he's brought up.

So, back to those. ]

Can't really help getting more powerful if we've got a war to fight. That problem takes care of itself though, doesn't it? If it's mostly coming from the Pleroma, then we should be killing them anyway. Harder to grow our power when we've got another force fighting against us, so I dunno if it's exactly a loss to get rid of them.

If there are Kenoma powering it... I dunno. Maybe without the Pleroma it'll be weak enough it won't be a factor. Or maybe we'll just have to get rid of them too. You know, trim the vine. Like the Regent said.

[ It's not so much that he's eager to kill anyone — it just seems like the most straightforward solution, so, guess they just gotta kill people. They're both just spitting out theories right now, anyway. Before they go off to do what they need to do in Godsblood, in Venera.

But it'll feel good to actually do something. ]

[semicharmed]

[ Matt murmurs, ] I still think they'd be more valuable converted than dead.

[ The Regent signed onto that approach when it had come up at that first dinner, even if it hadn't been their first choice. Technically, demanding the Pleromas' allegiance does speak to a goal of conversion rather than killing, but it'd been phrased in such a Regent-centric way ...

Anyway, Matt doesn't want to linger here. ]

The other thing I worry about, though, [ he rallies, ] is that if Legacy entities can manifest like this, then as we get stronger, maybe we'll encounter others. Like--what if a Visionary entity appears, only it's covered in eyes instead of wings and it sends everybody on some kind of LSD trip? You could make an argument that the metastatic, creative nature of the Pleroma makes it more likely to spawn these beings, but since some Kenomas are feeding into the Innocence, I'm not confident enough in that interpretation to make plans around it.

[ Amos makes a good point that fighting burns energy, though maybe there's something to be said for steel sharpening steel. Matt's positive that rounding up random civilians is a much bigger distraction with less of a payoff. He wishes the Regent would explain themselves more often, so he'd have at least some hope of understanding. ]

[warmare]

[She will not look at him. She has already decided that she will not, and Hayame was nothing if not stubborn to the point of self-sabotage. She must memorize each enemy face before this realm of the spirit fades, she is only halfway through...

But her vision is darkening in the corners, she can't focus, all she can hear is this man's voice in her ears, so very sure, so damned confident in his rightness... Hayame has no nails to dig into the skin of her palms, she cuts them to the quick so as not to snag or wear on her bowstrings, but if she did...]

How dare you claim to share my fate?

[When her voice creeps out past the harsh grit of her teeth, it is dark and fell, weighted with every indignity and slight, both real and perceived, that she has suffered since she awoke in this world. Of which... There were many.]

You who walk on two legs like everyone else here.... whose only crime is freakish height, you think you understand me?

[Her tail quivers with anger, her hackles and the vestigial remnants of man that runs between her withers and halfway up her more human-looking spine rising. Ever since she had come to this place she had been reminded every day that she did not belong. No one looked like she did, walked like she did, lived like she did, in a body that needed a glamor just to blend in attempting to shop or travel. No one was stared at in Godsblood like she was, struggled on the vine rope and wood bridges connecting the buildings of Greentruth like she did. Especially not this-]

You, who still look like a man, presume this?

[She means it both ways, both as a male and as someone who looks far more human than she does. Still defiantly not looking in his direction, no matter how she wants to wrap her hands around his neck or since him in a different way... Hayame spits the words out one by one, heavy and full of blame.

Actually, she spits, dismissively and disrespectfully upon the ground, as if to clear her mouth of the taste of his presumption.]

adds him to the adoption list

[aquaveiled]

[ Any memories? How...

Ah...it can't be that easy, can it? She can't fully understand his situation in a few short exchanges. But that doesn't mean she'll stop trying. ]

Well...

[ Himeka moves to stand in front of him a little. ]

I'll say that the person I've known so far has been curious...creative, and thoughtful. Those are pretty good traits to have if you ask me. So, yeah, you should definitely hang onto those.

[ She inclines her head. ]

If you don't have any memories...that must be just who you are. But that doesn't mean you can't make new memories to define yourself by too. By you choice. Your actions here count.

[baltimores]

Don't get me wrong, I'd rather they be on our side too. Just thinking realistically here. If they can't be converted, it leaves only the one option. Or if they're keeping that thing alive, then even if we convert them... That thing's gotta die.

[ He would sacrifice any Pleroma to get rid of the Innocence. The Kenoma he's less inclined to, but if it's gotta be done, then it's gotta be done. And he's really not going to be swayed when it comes to the necessity of taking it out... though Matt's idea of a Visionary entity earns him a funny look. ]

If we get rid of the Pleroma, maybe they don't appear. If they do because the new ones are from the Kenoma, then maybe they actually help us.

[ Because the Pleroma is full of shit, and the Kenoma actually has something productive in mind.

... ]

I mean, at least an LSD trip might be fun.

[ Just saying. Because the Regent's orders aren't wearing on him at all, so this really is where his focus lies; if they're ordering them to round up random civilians, then there's a good reason for it, and Amos has no qualms about doing it. Just another day. ]

cw: Suicidal ideation

[tohell]

That may be true. So what? [ Since when does anyone here need to be a paragon of altruism to wish for more than the grisly end that may await a man his fellow Kenoma have come to know? And really, Barnaby professes that he doesn't expect such high standards, yet he drives the point home in a way that clearly wishes for it. Expressing all the severe disappoint of a parent's highest hopes dashed. As though everyone here has fallen impossibly short; incapable of measuring up to the martyred figure Barnaby now judges others by. ]

He and I don't need to be the same to prefer that you continue to exist, Barnaby. [ Makoto is nothing like the ghost of a man J had chased across the endless span of centuries. Every excruciating minute hollowed of even a shadow of the prior love he'd felt, nestled under Wald's protective care. His own body had been a living grave of a soul that never found peace, yet couldn't wrest itself free from the cage of flesh and blood it lay eternally snared within. In finding someone just as desperate as he'd ever been, half-starved for love and acceptance, J was offered the hope that his greatest wishes may be fulfilled. The same principle can be applied to Kotetsu and J. He doesn't have to be some heroic figure burned deep into the landscape of Barnaby's heart to provide what he needs. Namely, an obstacle to this self-destructive impulse that could put his life at risk. ]

And nice try, with your adorable ultimatum. But isn't it a little arrogant to assume you're the one calling the shots here? [ The world upon which demons preyed was filled with suffering: War, famine, disaster. People as a whole understood this fundamental fact. And with the awareness of fresh horrors unfolding upon the most helpless and vulnerable with their every breath, somehow they were still miraculously capable of going about their day, cycling through the same dull routine. Does the allowance of evil, a conscious acceptance that it will perpetuate into infinity, make those who turn their backs on it, to work a nine to five and come home to their wife and kids, guilty in their inaction? Of course not.

Evil is watching a child approach a busy street and not feeling compelled to stop them. Or witnessing a small animal drowning, it's head struggling to stay above the water of a bucket or family's pool, and choosing not to reach in to save their life. He may not necessarily be driven to take on those responsibilities. But here and now, with Barnaby in front of him, J does metaphorically reach out to offer a helping hand. ]

I can help by pointing out that you're doing a real bang-up job of looking out for yourself, without dropping everything to run off with you or turning a blind eye.

[ There's no way to save everyone who may suffer the ills of the Regent or the consequences of a war they've only just set foot within. And honestly? The demon doesn't wish to. That demands too much of a person standing on the precipice of oblivion, who flirts with gravity and dares it to tip him over the edge. Living every day feels like an endless cycle of pulling the air out from his lungs, then forcing it back in with the violence of reviving the dead. His own life is a candle left out in a drafty storm. Wavering and willing itself to stay lit, until the one meant to snuff it out finally makes his move.

To add Barnaby to that scale practically tips it over. J's cup already runs over with reasons to walk away, and yet he cradles this small attachment in the grand scale of things, for the tiniest fear it may too burn out without the shield of his hand. ]

Neither of those options are in the cards anymore. [ It's the closest thing to a warning he'll give Barnaby as to where the consequences of his actions may lead. J will gladly stand at his side, should his fellow Kenoma decide to shelve the formation of any mutinous ideas. If not? Well, that puts J in the uncomfortable position of weighing the risks of letting him go. That could lead to the Regent examining his egregious negligence in failing to report known dissidence, and using it to condemn him. And while the demon couldn't care less about himself, what would happen to his ward if J's shard was crushed beneath the Regent's boot?

Come Hell or high water, J will never place Makoto's head on the chopping block by daring to find out. He'll sacrifice himself, all of Horos, every Aion and the rest of the Universe first. ]

[hundredpower]

Good-- and I will. Thank you for your concern, Meteion.

[He smiles, making a mental note to take his feelings into consideration more around her in future, if she's more sensitive to such things than the average Aion. He's still grateful that she cares, all the same.]

[hundredpower]

[Barnaby gives him a long, flat stare, and for a moment it seems like he isn't going to say anything. Until finally:]

If you're acting out of self-preservation, then don't pretend you care about me beyond that. And don't bring his name into this.

[That's all Barnaby has to say, his expression tightening as he crosses his arms, looking away to focus on the Regent and the latest Pleroma to shout their defiance. He and J can debate this back and forth all day, but he'd rather not complicate things by having someone overhear them -- if thy haven't already.

Even if part of him is beyond caring. The Regent, it seems, already knows about his treacherous intentions, and whatever happens next is inevitable. He just has to bide his time, and stay away from J, for as long as possible]

[lachtara]

[ It's difficult not to smile in the face of such disrespect. It's so ...funny. In part because of her height compared to him - her being taller - and another that he is so terribly small in this form. So terribly feeble in this body. Her disgust resonates in a way that she may never know. ]

Yet "one other person who cannot understand"... [ He sighs faintly, and shrugs. ] Let it never be said that I did not try.

[ He does not debate her on that point. Let her claim he cannot understand while she furthers her own descent into the depths of loneliness, misery, and despair.
 
Emet-Selch flicks his glance to her hands, where her knuckles turn white from her clenching them so hard. Ah, pure unfettered anger. ]

Do you think killing me will sate that abyss of longing within you? If you tear apart every Kenoma piece by piece, stormed the Regent's halls, and crushed the throne to declare your victory, what would await you after?

[ Nothing. Nothing would await her. No one would await her. She would be left with the same frustrations that she has now. An outlier. Alone. ]

[tohell]

[ Excuse me, has he listened to a single word J said? Even if Barnaby's petulant mood-swings have cooked his brain so hard he can't think straight, what happened to the last however many months of camaraderie? Has that too suddenly been burned out from the interior of this hothead's skull? Apparently!

And by the way, Mr. "Everything is Black and White", those two things are not mutually exclusive. Some people have the sense to not fling themselves directly in harm's way, knowing it will ultimately doom them and ruin any chances for them to actually achieve their goals later on. Unfortunately, J seems to divide the lion's share of his time between two people determined to stubbornly ignore the illogic of their reckless decisions. ]

That's where you'd be wrong. [ J gives a snort after he's finished staring at Barnaby like he's a fool, as though he's heard the most ludicrous smattering of words his fellow Kenoma could throw at him. ] The shard I'm trying to preserve isn't my own.

But seing as how you're not up for a chitchat, I won't darken your door any further. [ The demon spreads his hands with a shrug, even though he knows this conversation has met its untimely end. Oh well, beating a dead horse wasn't getting him anywhere before Barnaby finally chose to give him a cold shoulder. Obviously, he's only wasting his breath here. Shame.

With only Barnaby's back to send him off, J turns around on pawed feet to make his slow traipse to more welcoming company. Well, as friendly as Makoto might feel after burning holes into the side of his head with a lingering glare for the duration of his chitchat. He does pause after that initial step away to turn his head, eyeing Barnaby from his peripheral so that he might offer him the consolation of a more appropriate farewell. ] See you, Barnaby.

[ And with that, J finally departs from Barnaby's company for good. Strolling with hands tucked behind his back and tail swishing side to side, J wanders off across the illusionary courtroom. ]

[warmare]

[No. Let it never be said he did not try. Let it never be said that more than one, two, three people had tried, and all of them had failed. What would a man know about the struggles of a woman? What would a two-legged one who could walk freely among the native and the aions both without standing out or attracting undue attention know about the loneliness she felt as someone who never looked like she belonged, not in a single city or forest on this continent?

And when he asks her that... what she will do if she manages to kill every one of her enemies... Hayame almost looks away from the face of the Kenoma she has switched to memorizing and down towards Emet-Selch, who despite being shorter than her she still called a freak for his height... something only possible because she was raised in a world where most humans did not top five feet and a half.

That is the moment when she knows for sure that he does not understand.]

I will not kill you to comfort myself.

[It's worse than that. If comfort came of it... how nice that would. If she could sate her longing and loneliness in death then she never would have begun to feel that way in the first place. She will kill them because they have wronged her, stolen from her the one chance at an honorable death that she'd had, potentially killed everyone in her world, let alone the few she cared about-]

Nothing awaits me at the end but death. Once you are all gone, I will follow, and it will end.

[It's simple. If she made it that far.

She doesn't think she will, not after seeing the Regent manipulate shadows to render Estinien and Rand both useless with just a snap of fingers. But she will still try... and if she is lucky... perhaps she will get close.

Or take as many of the Kenoma with her as she can.]

[passio]

[ curious? creative? thoughtful?

it’s as if she’s describing a different person. the words are so far from how he sees himself that he wonders if he’s somehow tricked her; his brow furrows, but at least he doesn’t argue with her about her kindness. ]

…

[ his voice is soft when he responds, but at the very least, it’s a different kind of softness from the hoarse misery he was wearing when she approached. ]

Thank you… Himeka. I just want to make sure… I’m making the right choices.

[lachtara]

[ The irony is palpable; Is destruction with a wreckless abandon not allegedly the Kenoma's goal?

His tone is bright as he continues on. ]

Then I will leave you to your oh-so-lofty goals. Or lack thereof, in this case.

[ He turns to leave. ]

One must wonder what is truly the greater show of a warrior's mettle; dying a needless death without purpose, or plunging into the heart of darkness itself and ripping from its bosom the world that you crave most?..

[ And with that, he'll begin to make his way off. ]

[semicharmed]

[ Amos' funny look earns him a mordant one in return. How is that any weirder than what's already happened, Matt's arched brows and quirking mouth seem to say. It's a complicated sentiment to express without words, but those eyebrows are putting in the work.

He's not sure the Innocence can die, since it doesn't seem to be alive in the traditional sense. But he doesn't want to say so to Amos. He's not sure enough that it couldn't die by the methods he's suggesting, even if Matt thinks they're ultimately not worth the potential backlash. ]

A Legacy-based LSD trip would definitely be revelatory, [ he admits with a small smile. ]

But ... anyway, all I really know is that magic is hard to predict, or direct. It's kinda like the difference between riding a wave and telling the wave where to crash? What's out there is a lot bigger than any one person can wrap their consciousness around.

So that's what I gave up my hand for. [ Unconsciously, Matt tries to wiggle the fingers of his left hand, the way he would if they were still there. His expression dims once he realizes what he's doing, but he plunges on. ] For information about the Innocence, so we can make better decisions about what to do. And ... Xishen mentioned the sacrifice could have longer-term consequences for my own abilities, so there's that too. A chance to grow.

[aquaveiled]

[ The right choices...yeah, that's what anyone would hope they're doing. In the end, they all are just trying to make the choices they think are right. (Well, most of them anyway. Himeka isn't so naive that she believes everyone assembled is acting out of the goodness of their hearts. But most people--yeah, most people do.)

There's so much he's carrying on himself, though. She thinks that it's telling that despite this...he's still making the choice to fight for the side that's for everyone. That shows his character more than anything. ]

We won't know if they're the right choices are until we see what happens after we make them, but...even if turns out that they're the wrong choices, we'll be here for you. To help you figure it out. Okay? That's what friends are for.

[baltimores]

[ Yeah he doesn't quite get everything Matt's going for with that look, but he thinks he gets the gist of it. Maybe.

That small smile elicits one of Amos' own, though. See? Things aren't so bad, and he shifts a little closer to Matt. If Xishen had something to do with what's going on with the spiritual energy around his hand then it's... probably... fine...

Amos places his hand on Matt's left shoulder when his expression dims in what he hopes is a clear, albeit tacit gesture of support. ]

Probably not how I'd have done it, but you know more about this magic shit than I do. So I get it. [ The basic sentiments, at least. Give to get, just taken to an extreme. ] If it's too big for any one of us, but you can help level the playing field by doing that... I get it.

[ A beat, and, ] Thank you.

[ For... for helping them, he figures. For giving up so much of himself for another way in, to hopefully murder that thing once and for all. It's a lot, but it had hurt people, and if this is the best way Matt can contribute to telling it no more, to making sure nothing like that ever happens again, then thank you is probably underselling things — but the sentiment remains all the same.

He's still waiting for him to catch up in attunement, but growth isn't always linear. This is still something good, something meaningful, and that counts for a lot. ]

[passio]

[ dextera swallows. though she hasn’t said it explicitly, there’s something helpful in the reminder that even if the wrong choice is the side of the pleroma, he’s not the only one who’s chosen it. ]

…

[ quiet, but not ungrateful, he simply nods. ]

[lifespanned]

That's the thing I'm wondering about.... to be in the Kenoma, to really be in it, you'd have to see these people as not innocent, wouldn't you?

[ Even conspiring against the Regent should be ample cause for being taken care of - that's just... common sense. Or, she thinks it's common sense. She doubts everyone will see things that way, too focused on the fact that these people are not Aions, but rather civilians. It doesn't make much a difference to her, though, evident in the casualness she treats the matter with. ]

I just feel like we'd be better off without those types? They might get in the way. And in a mission important as this, well...

[ The failure will come down on them all. Silco must think similarly, since he has such a clear picture of the archetypes that may stray from the pack - so she doesn't mind saying that they don't need such people to begin with openly to him. ]

[zauneyete]

I think that it depends.

[ Silco knew something Misa didn't, after all. He knew of those that had betrayed the cause already. He'd seen how they had... changed, after the Regent had tried to force their compliance. ]

It seems that the Regent would rather know of their betrayal, and deal with it accordingly, than let it go.

I suspect that the Kenoma has its ways of... preserving our resources.

[ He had no clue what had happened Thu Hotel, but the man had changed, afterward. He'd seemed...sharper, and less keen on betrayal. ]