aionlogs | [open] some Kenoma come up to Godsblood the other day...

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[open] some Kenoma come up to Godsblood the other day...

WHO: Amos, Gen, Eustace, Childe, any Pleroma
WHAT: Amos wants a gun, Eustace wants to make a portal, and in order to make it happen they go to...
WHERE: Godsblood.
WHEN: Towards the end of Visoseri/start of Soviseri
WARNINGS: None, unless you count bullying of various Pleroma; will add as necessary

The content of this entry is intended to be an OOC explanation of what's going on to keep everyone up to speed; any characters who may be in Godsblood during this time period are free to top level or tag out. This is not an event and simply a unique instance that some characters are kinda sorta technically in enemy territory, which opens itself up to thread opportunities that would not otherwise be possible.

Basically: four Kenoma are journeying up to Godsblood, albeit not all together and through different means.

Amos and Gen will be arriving via a boat directly from Achamoth, and accordingly, will be outed as Kenoma Aions right from the get-go — the populace should know who they are, and word of their arrival would likely get around. Amos is there because he wants to build a higher quality gun than what they have in Achamoth and Godsblood is the place to do it; Gen is there to serve as backup/moral support/because they're friends, okay. Story plotting link here for more details.

Eustace and Childe will be sneaking in via carriage from the Artisan shrine/a portal and will therefore not be known as Kenoma Aions upon entry to Godsblood — unless there are characters there who already know who they are, that is. Eustace is setting up a portal to facilitate travel between Achamoth and Godsblood. This is not public knowledge and non-Kenoma Aions/NPCs are unlikely to know about this. Story plotting link here for more details.

The mods have also provided some guidelines for how interactions could go between characters so that any Pleroma wouldn't necessarily have to out themselves as Aions when it comes to interacting with Amos or Gen, who are publicly declared as such. Highlighting what was said further down in Amos' plotting comment:

It wouldn't be unreasonable for a visiting Aion to be chatting up people within Godsblood so sharing a meal ... wouldn't be a dead give away, but it might tie them to the Aions on the rumor network if they do it in public. Whether they are just strangers Gen and Amos are dining with or whether they are connected to Achamoth won't be clear, but it would definitely have implications ... It's definitely a risk, at any rate.

As for meeting in a busy street or a public park the connection is still possible but a lot less likely, since the odds of them chatting up some rando in the park is a lot more likely than sitting down for dinner with them. It'd also be a lot more obvious if someone was spying on them, unlike a closed environment like a pub or eatery, so that'd probably be the safest option without going somewhere deserted or private.

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[ Jesus, he really is skittish, isn't he. Amos sighs, gives Dextera's shoulder a friendly little clap before withdrawing his hand — and then leaning down to get a better look at his face, catch his eyes. His brow furrows as he tries to place things— ]

Shit, you were with me in that first batch, weren't you?

[ Amos' eyebrows rise at the revelation, genuinely surprised; his voice is low, at least. He's not trying to draw attention to them, just... this is. Hm.

He's amicable as he continues, conversational. Outright cruelty really isn't in his repertoire, and he's more curious than anything else now, ignoring that nervous energy. ]

This where you guys got to after? Huh. It's a good spot. Wouldn't mind it myself.

[ dextera doesn’t enjoy being skittish, but amos is large and imposing, and most importantly, he’s an intruder on one of the few places dextera thought he would have solace. now that the kenoma are here, isn’t it only a matter of time before they wring out greentruth’s location? is that what they’ve come for? dextera has to think it’s just a friendly visit, or else communion may betray him before he can stop the thought from slipping free.

his jaw tenses with the mild resolution not to let too much go, and he tentatively raises his head so that amos no longer has to seek his face. his eyes twitch nonetheless with something more neurological than neurotic, but at least he’s not actively avoiding acknowledging amos anymore.

to amos’ first assessment, he nods, and the second answer comes after a slight pause. he’s under no obligation to give details, but he can say this much. ]

…

[ he reaches in the coat he wears even in the heat to withdraw a small notebook, stocked now with phrases he can point to for situations precisely like this one.

well, perhaps not precisely. but he flips the pages open and points to one pre-written sentence. ]

I like it. [ more amenable than dextera feels, which is equaled out by the way he slides his finger down the page to a different sentence. ] Please leave.

[ Yeah, aside from the obvious, he's really got no idea what Dextera's problem is. This basically is just a friendly visit. He's not here to start shit — hell, he didn't know he'd find any Pleroma here at all. Catching sight of that aura would've been a game changer if Amos wasn't here for something specific.

He's patient enough as he waits for Dextera to answer, understanding dawning on him when he pulls out that notebook. Alright, fair enough. The first sentence he consumes passively, the second... well.

Amos straightens up, exhaling a bit as he does so before meeting Dextera's gaze again. ]

When you say that, [ and here, his own voice is a casual drawl, like he's just shooting the shit, same as any other day, ] do you mean leave you alone, or leave Godsblood? You can just hold up one finger for the first one, two for the second if you want.

[ despite his display of defiance here, when amos presses him on what he specifically means, dextera finds it hard to maintain that. of course he wants amos to leave godsblood—even more than he wants amos to leave him alone specifically—but there’s something that he can’t quite convey just by holding up some fingers and trying to shoo amos off.

it’s not an unfamiliar problem. he exhales through his nose, a sound of frustration more internal than directed amos’ way. ]

…

[ there’s a pause as he really seems to consider it, but he does decide to hold up two, less confident than he was when pointing to words on a sheet of paper. even so, his hesitance comes from a different place than general nerves, or cowardice; being unkind is warranted when it comes to some of the kenoma, and he does think he’s allowed to feel defensive, but—conflict, a little guilt, prickles up his throat.

no longer meeting amos’ gaze, he quickly takes those two fingers to search for another word. ]

Why?

[ The concept of people wanting him to leave really isn't a new one to Amos, but there's something almost nice about it here. Instead of wanting him to leave because there's clearly something wrong with him, people want him to get out of here because he's Kenoma — which he assumes is Dextera's whole problem. And yeah, that's fair. There isn't anything he can do about it in either case — being his broken self, being devoted to the Kenoma and the Regent's cause — but there's something less personal about it in Godsblood. Something so much easier to overlook, knowing that he didn't care about anyone else's opinion before, but here, he really doesn't.

So his demeanour remains calm and content as Dextera wrestles with whatever it is he feels he has to. Sharing a legacy, it's easy to pick up on that conflict he's feeling. Understanding where it's coming from, though? That's impossible for Amos, so all he's really got is a blank smile in return.

One that spreads a little wider at Dexter's followup. A little softer, a little more genuine. ]

Just working on a project. It's nothing you need to worry about. I'll probably be out of your hair soon.

[ He's honest in saying that, because technically... yes? Sure, he's working on a weapon that'll make it easier to kill people. Dextera is Pleroma, hence someone he'll potentially want to kill at some point. But that's neither here nor now. It's not like he's going to shoot Dextera in the middle of the street, so there's no reason for anyone to freak out.

... Although. And here Amos takes a glance at their surroundings, the part of the city they're in, and he really can't help himself, that not-nostalgic feeling making itself more prevalent within him. ]

I do really like this place, though. Can't imagine I wouldn't be back at some point.

…

[ dextera does keep more company with the kenoma than he should. he has little right to be as suspicious of amos as he is, and it’s with something almost like dread that he regards amos’ increasingly genuine demeanor. he believes what amos is saying—reads into it, even, with the generous assumption that it’s a personal project separate from the demands of their respective positions.

it doesn’t make him flip the switch to welcoming, but if there was any hostility before, it’s been evidently replaced with a different, more self-directed unease. a conflict of desire, knowing his duty as a pleroma versus his duty as a person, and not particularly wanting to do either of them. ]

…ngh.

[ he comes to a decision, and turns to a brand new page to write something. without amos doing more than just being his honest, casual self, dextera has managed to work himself down to the most passive request he could possibly give an ‘enemy.’ ]

Please don’t take this place away.

[ Everything Dextera is feeling just goes over his head. It's a little confusing, the way anything negative expressed towards him seems to shift into something self-directed. It leaves Amos unsure if he's being entirely clear, but his own hesitation dispels when he sees Dextera writing something new. Something very specific for him, then.

His brow furrows at the words. ]

Is that what I'm doing?

[ His confusion is real — he'd had no idea his presence here could be interpreted that way. He'd come up to Godsblood because Xishen had told him it was his best bet, and upon arrival — upon spending a bit of time here — found that it was kind of like a personal paradise. It's really nothing more than that, even if the presence of Pleroma had caught his eye.

So then it's all he can do to tilt his head in question, blink before coming to a decision. With one arm, Amos gestures down the street they're on — and that's just part of just one street in a city filled with them. ]

It's a big city. People can live where they want, right? Doesn't mean we gotta bother each other or anything.

[ At least until he's ordered to, which is something he knows is a realistic possibility. And if that day comes, then any coexisting will be off. But until then... what the hell, why not, right? Why would his presence change anything, really?

It's not like he's committed to a tyrannical rule that wants to eventually destroy reality as they know it. It's not like he doesn't have a problem with killing anyone within a moment's notice. It's not like his mere presence should make anyone concerned for their safety. He's just a guy, after all. Same as anyone else, just with a special perk or two. It's really — really — not a big deal.

Or at least, he can't comprehend why it would be. ]

[ dextera has nodded to amos’ initial question, and he’s already scratching an answer as amos explains his perspective.

what amos says is not wrong, exactly. under normal circumstances, it would be easy to step back from this conversation and acknowledge that there’s space for the both of them.

but this is not a personal vendetta dextera is holding, nor is it two city factions encountering each other on equal ground. a conflict in godsblood could easily turn bloody, even without the presence of the pleroma-aligned who have chosen this city over greentruth. he doesn’t want that, and his heart anxiously flutters as he progressively internalizes the idea that he must stop this here. illogical as it is, he bears it. ]

…

[ his pen pauses, his answer mostly finished.

unfortunately, they’re in the middle of the street. it’s not the place for a prolonged conversation, even if no one can hear dextera’s side of it, nor does anyone know that he himself is an aion. at least it isn’t so strange for an everyday godsblood resident to suggest it would be better for the regent’s forces to fuck right off; dextera can do that, even if it’s much more mild through his demeanor.

he punctuates his response and turns the notebook around again. ]

Others will follow. The city will be subjugated. You’ll lose it too.

[ He really, really doesn't get the anxiety. Amos is completely relaxed, at peace, borderline in his element. It's what he's been like his entire time here, as soon as it had become apparent people would generally be cooperative with him. They may not like him, but that doesn't make a difference. If he comes back up here — when? — it's just going to be more of the same.

It's part of the reason why he can take this completely at his leisure. Middle of the street? That's fine; he can go where he wants. And he's talked to plenty of people while he's here, plenty of normal citizens. The only thing that makes Dextera stand out is that he has to write his side of the conversation, and Amos has no reason to proclaim aloud that the two of them are, technically, at war. It could be the place one day; it's not the time.

As is emphasized by Dextera's response. Amos' face is neutral as he reads it, and he gives a small tilt of his head when he's done. ]

Yeah, I'm not seeing the problem with that. [ It's only now that it's occurring to him that this could be seen as the first step of a larger invasion, something to finally get Godsblood under control. Hadn't been his intention in coming up here, but. ] I don't exactly got anything to lose, do I? Hell, if anything, subjugation's gonna get me better access. Not like I'm in a rush, but if that's what the boss wants...

[ He shrugs. Then the Regent will get Godsblood, properly under their control. He really can't see any downsides. ]

[ it’s almost impossible for dextera to stand against someone who’s so assured, when he himself is full of skittish doubt for his current position. he believes firmly that even one individual member of the kenoma being present in godsblood is an omen for far worse in the future, but he knows better than anyone that reason doesn’t work with the entrenched.

it’s just, though he knows the people who have lived here in godsblood all their lives would put up more of a fight—probably already have—than dextera is, they’re all only human. if the regent wanted to invade with the aions on their side now, it wouldn’t be difficult. ]

…

[ a sigh, frustration towards the impossible settling in. his expression is twisted in a conflicted frown as he looks down at his paper; even writing doesn’t seem to give him all that he needs to get across his thoughts, and the fact that he got to experience speech so briefly in venera makes the lack of it now that much worse.

hard against the paper, he writes quickly. ]

You like it the way it is. Obedience will destroy it.
So don’t ruin it.

[ he pauses, flips the page back to write one more word and then shows it to amos again. ]

Please.

[ He's not entirely unsympathetic to Dextera — it's just that, when it comes down to it, he doesn't care. It's a fleeting feeling, a lack of object permanence. In this moment, sure, he gets it. But Dextera's viewpoints don't align with his goals. And Amos really sees no reason why he should compromise his goals. So.

He'll hear him out, but in the end, it's like stuffing a note into a crack of a massive stone wall. The sentiment written down might become a part of the wall's makeup — but there's just so much wall that it's easy to drown things out.

It's all he can really do but give a halfhearted shrug. ]

Ocean's not going anywhere, is it? Docks aren't going anywhere. Resources aren't, either. There'll still be people here, living and working and doing whatever. Things get shuffled around a bit, but then everyone settles into the new normal.

[ The please does elicit something of a stronger feeling, though. Amos looks down at Dextera with a deeper understanding. Gently puts a hand on his shoulder for a moment of physical contact. Something more real, a tangible sign of connection — because he knows what it's like to live through something like this, and the least he can do is try to give that impression. ]

Sorry, kid. Just what happens when the churn comes. It's nothing personal.

[ dextera is not unfamiliar with this kind of person. amos almost reminds him of the sentry angel—tall, imposing, loyal. maybe dextera could have made friends with the angel if they weren’t utterly opposed, and the same sentiment sneaks in here. it’s not that their personalities are incompatible, the way he’s run into with people on both sides, but a much more deeply entrenched ideology leaves them at insurmountable odds. ]

—--

[ he seems to take a moment to process the weight of a hand on his shoulder, and in that processing, decides he doesn’t want it. he belatedly jerks away from amos, but rather than lashing out, he clutches both his notebook and pen tighter. he’s moderating his own violent impulse, all too aware that a fight will benefit no one.

and, if he sizes up their physicalities anyway, he will most certainly lose. the sentry angel was able to kill him instantly and dextera suspects the same of amos. ]

…

[ it’s strange, to acknowledge that someone is trying to be kind while they also represent a massive danger to his way of life, and the lives of millions of people. the conflict surfaces in his expression, and he withdraws another step. as a conflict of beliefs, amos has soundly won. ]

[ There's a pang of Amos-doesn't-know-what when Dextera jerks away from him. It's not hurt, or surprise, or anything like that. There's nothing that could resemble distress or betrayal. Dextera owes him nothing. Not his time, not a response to the truth he's imparted on him; nothing. But still, Amos can't help the sense that he just fucked up, even though he has no idea how or why — because it's still an inextricable truth that he's right.

It's with a confusion, mostly directed at himself, that he watches Dextera's followthrough. On some level, he recognizes that Dextera is making sure he doesn't lash out. And it probably is a smart decision on his part, for as much as Amos didn't come to Godsblood to start shit, well... if he was just defending himself and managed to return to Achamoth with a Pleroma shard in hand, who could blame him.

It's for the best that things don't progress, much as a part of Amos wishes the opportunity would present itself. But as Dextera takes a step backwards, it's clear. It's not going to happen.

Amos finds his shoulders slumping; he sighs before he looks back up at Dextera. ]

You know there's nothing you can do if that's the case, right. Won't make a difference who you try to warn. You'd have better luck fighting the ocean. If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen.

[ He'll let him walk away, but he'll supply him some friendly advice, too. Genuinely friendly, genuinely kind, with all that nihilism can afford to offer. If the Regent wants Godsblood back, then it doesn't matter what the Pleroma do — that, Amos believes wholeheartedly.

He doesn't expect them to necessarily take things lying down, but... can't say they weren't warned of the inevitable outcome. ]

[ the amicable nihilism is familiar. it’s not like the others he’s spoken to on the side of kenoma, who are either hostile or conflicted. even makoto has his own unique approach, a kind of self-destructive selfishness that doesn’t align with the cosmic truth as much as it does the grounded politics of whatever the regent is doing. amos speaks as if he’s already living through an end set in motion.

it’s not as frightening as it should be, but it’s unsettling.

the pleroma taken root instead of him repulses the idea, and the memory of people like amos, giving up and letting themselves be taken into the world until it ends for good, churns his stomach. he can see it in his mind’s eye: this strong, powerful body in front of him, twisted and distorted in unspeakable ways as the power he’s given himself to utilizes the weakness it’s already met. their connection as two of the lover legacy surely impresses this complicated mix of nausea and distress; dextera isn’t trying to hide it, after all, neither through his expression nor the tempered empathic connection. ]

…

[ he exhales the hot breath of someone just about to empty their stomach, but self control and a very real desire not to let nor force amos to see that keeps it in. instead, he turns, fleeing with the words of his fellow pleroma in mind—not everyone can be swayed, and they’ll have to be prepared to fight when the time comes. ]

[ Dextera's emotions do hit him, swelling in the air around him, impressing themselves on him, and they're... unpleasant.

Amos has no intentions of understanding the Pleroma. They're in the wrong, and they always will be. But while he might be unable to decipher what it is Dextera is feeling, other than the fact that he knows he doesn't like it, they do inflict a degree of empathy on him. An understanding for him to reach: while the promise of an empty void can be so soothing for him, that isn't necessarily the case for others. What brings him a sense of serenity brings Dextera the opposite.

And isn't that just weird.

He watches Dextera go without a word. They've nothing more to say to each other; really, they've both made their points rather clear. And whenever it comes up again, he might have a new perspective to consider — unless it conflicts with what needs to be done.

In some ways, there's more respect for those who understand that when they're at odds, they will indeed need to fight. ]

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[open] some Kenoma come up to Godsblood the other day...

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