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Entry tags:
- !event,
- #innocence,
- archduke j: visionary,
- barnaby brooks jr: lover,
- estinien wyrmblood: firebrand,
- eustace: firebrand,
- father paul hill: martyr,
- kaeya alberich: lover,
- kim dokja: martyr,
- kim kitsuragi: martyr,
- liem talbott: champion,
- majorita: firebrand,
- makoto ("m"): firebrand,
- meteion: innocent,
- ryunosuke naruhodo: champion,
- tartaglia (childe): firebrand,
- yuya sakaki: lover
EVENT #5: SOVEREIGN CITIZENS (VENERA)
Sovereign Citizens
VENERA
In contrast the Aion's last visit, they now arrive in Venera on a completely average day... or so it seems. Unlike Godsblood, Venera has been given no warning as to what's about to befall it; the Kenoma are simply authorized to arrive and begin their bloody work without fanfare. Even their entourage of Achamite soldier don't stick out that much; in the time since the plague left, the city has refilled with occupying forces. Notably, the Hylician ones seem to be keeping out of the way, almost as if they've heard some things and would rather not be involved too closely in what's to come.As opposed to the ghost town it was during the plague, Venera is now reasonably active, with most attending to their usual business. Shops are open, and its people are withdrawn but superficially friendly when meeting strangers. Initially, the targets of the Kenoma hit list will have no way of knowing what's coming for them, but after the first couple attacks word will begin to spread. Those that have recently been engaging in seditious behavior will become harder to find, leaving their usual homes and workplaces to stay elsewhere, and making other attempts to escape the Regent's attention.
Once those alerts have been raised, the Kenoma will have to engage in more detective work to find their targets, questioning other Venerans and seeking out fugitives in the homes of their family and friends. In the meantime, some of those who believe they are in danger may become desperately enough to seek out the Pleroma directly, imploring them for aid. Unfortunately, seeking out one sect may just as easily draw the attention of the other. Most uninvolved Venerans will be too terrified to intervene one way or another, reluctant to aid in the persecution of their neighbors but fearful of consequences. If your Aion travels openly, it will take some effort to pin them down long enough to hold a conversation.
SEEDS OF DESPAIR
Several days into the culling of Venera, the Aions will have witnessed the city gradually withdraw into itself. The streets become vacant as more and more people decide it isn't worth the risk to be seen outside, abandoning work and play alike to hide out in their homes, refusing to answer their doors to all except the most desperate pleading. Those that can't avoid their daily obligations are quiet and morose, trying their best to remain unseen and unremarked upon.
If your character has been observed as a Kenoma, either now or in their previous visits to the city, the citizens will look upon them as if they are the messengers of death. If you are seen as a Pleroma, they will resist your gaze, as if fearing your presence alone might leave them marked. In rarer cases, you will see those with stronger spirits, with glares of hatred or determination. They are powerless now, but seeds have been sewn, and whether they are the seeds of despair or of action are yet unclear.
By the time the Kenoma's hit list has been fully addressed, several have been killed and several more have been rushed from their homes to flee the city entirely. There have been holes left in the tapestry of the community they were once part of. One way or another, their absence will be felt keenly by those they left behind.
If your character has been observed as a Kenoma, either now or in their previous visits to the city, the citizens will look upon them as if they are the messengers of death. If you are seen as a Pleroma, they will resist your gaze, as if fearing your presence alone might leave them marked. In rarer cases, you will see those with stronger spirits, with glares of hatred or determination. They are powerless now, but seeds have been sewn, and whether they are the seeds of despair or of action are yet unclear.
By the time the Kenoma's hit list has been fully addressed, several have been killed and several more have been rushed from their homes to flee the city entirely. There have been holes left in the tapestry of the community they were once part of. One way or another, their absence will be felt keenly by those they left behind.
QUESTIONS
What is the best way for Aions to travel to Venera?
Estinien has plans to get an early start for the Pleroma by teleporting to the Lover's shrine and flying somewhere closer to set up a portal from the ocean caves near the Godsblood Lodestone to a spot of farmland closer to Venera. Paul will be setting up a portal directly from Achamoth to one of the Achamite outposts in Venera.
How much force can the Kenoma use while interrogating Venerans?
While they are generally not permitted to kill Venerans who haven't tried to physically fight them, they will be permitted to apply both physical and mental pressure upon those that refuse to provide them with information regarding the whereabouts of their targets. This duress should be proportional to the resistance the Veneran is offering. The Regent is not inviting them to terrorize Venera on a level to a level they cannot reasonably blaim themselves for.
Estinien has plans to get an early start for the Pleroma by teleporting to the Lover's shrine and flying somewhere closer to set up a portal from the ocean caves near the Godsblood Lodestone to a spot of farmland closer to Venera. Paul will be setting up a portal directly from Achamoth to one of the Achamite outposts in Venera.
How much force can the Kenoma use while interrogating Venerans?
While they are generally not permitted to kill Venerans who haven't tried to physically fight them, they will be permitted to apply both physical and mental pressure upon those that refuse to provide them with information regarding the whereabouts of their targets. This duress should be proportional to the resistance the Veneran is offering. The Regent is not inviting them to terrorize Venera on a level to a level they cannot reasonably blaim themselves for.
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"Hmm," he says, meeting that unblinking glare with a calm look (still a little menacing, frankly). "I don't know why you're so frightened, it isn't as if I hurt you last time. Are you afraid I've come to cut off your hands and feet? Why would I do something like that?"
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Which, on that note: That completely out of left field 'hypothetical' threat instantly shatters Ryunosuke's whole 'pretend to be a statue so he'll leave you alone' strategy.
"I-- I beg your pardon!?" he snaps, utterly scandalized and somehow managing to become even MORE tense than he just was a moment ago; his hands are already behind his back and out of sight, but as he yelps, he does unconsciously swish his tail around his front and kinda... Cover his feet up?? And scrunch in on himself.
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"Hm," he says again. He reaches down to give the end of the tail a little tug. "This is new, isn't it?"
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"Yes," Ryu confirms with a strained and uncomfortable groan, and the tail almost immediately tries to jerk back out of Binghe's hand. "Yes, it is."
There are a lot of things about Ryunosuke that will read as 'new' to Binghe, considering he'd had, more or less, fully human features the last time they'd encountered one another, innocence contagion aside.
The tail is easily the most notable and strange thing, being an entirely new limb that's just there now. But there are a lot of other little things as well: horns jutting from his forehead-- a pair this time, not the single horn that Binghe had so rudely used to yank him about with last time-- larger, elongated ears that swivel and flick about like a deer's... Sharper teeth, and claws as well, though those are a bit harder to catch sight of.
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"What caused this?" he asks. He hasn't let go of the tail.
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He tries again, politely but firmly, to tug his tail back. He answered your question? Please stop??
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"H-huh? N-no... I'm. I'm quite certain he's one of yours...?"
Something is niggling at him, in the back of his mind. A suspicion he'd had when that Kenoma had first introduced himself.
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He gives Ryunosuke a pitying look.
"Have you been getting injured by mortals?"
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Ryunosuke returns that look of pity with an unamused scowl; or maybe he's scowling about what Binghe is doing with his tail now. Kind of hard to say.
"Do you know of a Kenoma with blue hair? Who wears an eye patch, and wields ice and cold weather as his weapon?"
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"Ah," he says, smiling blandly. "That Sebastian."
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He also doesn't expect this guy to tell him the real name if he asks, though, so. That's fine. He'll just sit here and think about the fact that the Kenoma who put him in this position didn't even see fit to give him a real name, and what that says, both about that Kenoma, and about himself.
Actually... Come to think of it... He's never gotten this guy's name, either. Should he even bother to ask? For all Ryu knows, he'll probably just give him a fake name too, just to rub salt in the wound.
Deep thoughts going on in Ryunosuke's head right now. And he doesn't particularly want to talk to Binghe in the first place so... He goes back to holding his silence for the moment. The very tip of his tail twitches agitatedly.
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"In any case I doubt he could have done this to you. I wonder..."
Some other kind of curse, like the Innocent's..? Or something else.
"I preferred the other horn."
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"Ah... You did, did you?" he says flatly, like he actually couldn't be less interested in hearing Binghe's opinions on his various magical growths. Like buddy what does that even MEAN, you preferred the old one? That's a weird thing to have preference on!
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OK, He's going to try very, very hard to NOT speculate wildly over all the sketchy possibilities for why Binghe might be anticipating grabbing his horns again in the future.
"...I see. How... Rude of me."
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Binghe laughs. "Yes, very. Maybe you would have been hurt less if you'd been easier to kidnap, ah?"
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He would have been 'hurt less' if he'd just not bothered coming to Venera at all, actually. But there was no way in any hell that was ever even an option; not with what the Regent had planned.
Ryunosuke glances away.
"The wounds are worth it. As long as they got away," he murmurs quietly.
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Would he have done the same for Auntie Cher, Binghe wonders? He isn't sure; he's not even sure if he wants to think he would, or he wants to think he wouldn't. But still, what Ryunosuke's saying makes sense to him.
That doesn't mean he feels more favourably towards him, but... he wonders if Ryunosuke would let his guard down if he thought it did?
He decides to let himself look as thoughtful as he feels, instead of concealing all of his private indecision behind a blandly smiling mask—and instead of letting himself get annoyed at being made to think about this at all, when the reason he came in here to make a nuisance of himself was to take his mind off things. He frowns at the warehouse floor for a few moments longer, and then sighs.
"I can make them heal faster," he says.
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"...Really? How?"
He looks openly skeptical but honestly if Binghe is offended by that, well. Rewind time and undo that whole first impression business if you have a problem with it, buddy.
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At this point he just wants to see if he can make it happen. He failed last time, after all!
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He should have guessed!
To Ryunosuke's credit, he does his best to reign in his reaction so as not to be, you know... Openly repulsed or rude about it? At least Binghe gave him an explanation and some warning this time. That's an improvement! Technically!
He still looks pretty dubious about it though, repeating skeptically:
"Your... Blood... Heals wounds..."
Why???
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Of course he can do other things with it than heal wounds, but it's not like he's lying :)
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Haltingly, and sounding like he's on the verge of the world's biggest migraine, Ryunosuke says:
"You... You do realize you could have just lead with that from the start, back then. Yes?"
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