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Entry tags:
- !event,
- #dionys,
- #innocence,
- #xishen,
- abel nightroad: martyr,
- amos burton: lover,
- anduin wrynn: sovereign,
- barnaby brooks jr: lover,
- bruno madrigal: martyr,
- ciel: martyr,
- claude von riegan: seeker,
- dorothea arnault: celebrant,
- emet-selch: champion,
- estinien wyrmblood: firebrand,
- eustace: firebrand,
- father paul hill: martyr,
- han sooyoung: artisan,
- himeka sui: wanderer,
- howl: celebrant,
- jayce talis: visionary,
- jonathan crane: sovereign,
- kaeya alberich: lover,
- kim dokja: martyr,
- koriel xii (dextera): lover,
- kotetsu t. kaburagi: champion,
- liem talbott: champion,
- majorita: firebrand,
- makoto ("m"): firebrand,
- meteion: innocent,
- rand al'thor: martyr,
- ryunosuke naruhodo: champion,
- sebastian michaelis: celebrant,
- tartaglia (childe): firebrand,
- wrathion: seeker
EVENT #6: BY HEAVEN OR HELL
By Heaven or Hell
THE BURNING
Achamoth, as it turns out, is no stranger to public killings... the burning of two Pleroma, however? That's special. Abel and Himeka's upcoming execution date seems to be regarded by the city's populace as something akin to a holiday, with the upper crust of the social stratum fighting for positions of prominence in the festivities, including the best possible seats. It's been decades since any Pleroma have been brought to heel in Achamoth, and it would only be prudent to place yourself at the forefront of this exciting new trend. There's a sense of pageantry to it: ritualized ceremonies, public sermons, and strange religious 'décor' are all part of the process.The city is in the throes of these preparations when the two Pleroma captives are finally brought to a central square not far from the Citadel's front gates. Two burning pyres have been set up for them, about ten feet apart. While Abel and Himeka's bodies are chained to their stakes, their shards will be handed off to Silco, Ciel, and Makoto to be brought along separately. The set up of the execution is thus: while their bodies are ravaged by flames, their shards will be bound to an altar in advance of the pyre. Via a kind of alchemical 'fuse', the pyre being lit will trigger a reaction that will gradually result in a explosion on the altar just large enough to destroy the shard in turn. The shards will be bound in position with a series of jewelry-like metal prongs that could be pried away, but would take some time to do carefully.
As the Pleroma make it to the city, the sun will be setting on the 17th of Firaseri, with the execution about to be underway. The pyres will not yet have been lit, but are fully prepared. All Kenoma will be called upon to guard the city, with the warning that the Pleroma are mounting a raid to rescue their imprisoned comrades. For Kenoma both new and old, it's a time to test your mettle. Those that defend Achamoth valiantly can expect to be rewarded.
INNOCENCE ON FIRE
The city of Achamoth looms ahead, a seat of power in Horos in every fashion. It sprawls outwards, claiming the lands around it in a lazy confidence. The spires of the city grow up and up like a mountain, dragging the eye towards the Citadel. The walls that surround it are modest in height as if offering a challenge to any foolish enough to attempt to climb them. Who would? The Regent's eye is ever-present and the guard towers that line it like beaded pearls on a string are reminders that nothing goes in or out of the city without notice. Openings in the towers and the walls threaten the use of projectiles while dark, shimmering crystals float above with the quiet hum of protective magics. Only a fool would breach these borders.Initially, getting into the city unmolested will be a considerable struggle for the Pleroma. It's military is robust, its fortifications solid, and even without the Kenoma's added resistance, the sheer numbers could be considered insurmountable. Stealth could get them some of the way, but its sentries are watchful, and immigration is strictly controlled. With faith alone driving the Pleroma towards their goal it's fortunate, then, that something is there to answer their call.
Estinien will feel the presence of the Innocence Entity rise up in him again, and this time it is offering him a choice. He may utilize its power to save the ones he loves, while risking both the brutality of the Regent's defenses and the threat to his own soul by channeling such power. It will stand with him against the darkness, it says, if it is truly his will. Emboldened by the power of the Firebrand and his love for his comrades, it is no surprise that he accepts.
Light will flood the sky above Achamoth, an ethereal aura combatting the encroach of the night. From a great miasma of wings and flame, a colossal dragon emerges, coiling above the city skyline. Its luminescence rains down upon the city, and all Achamites exposed to it will be enchanted into finding the idea of committing acts of violence unthinkable, at least so long as no violence is brought against them in turn. With much of Achamoth's defenses having lost the will to fight, only the Kenoma will stand in the Pleroma's way as they penetrate the city, making their way to Abel and Himeka's pyres.
As the Pleroma forge ahead, this draconic being that was once Estinien Wyrmblood will guard from the skies, drawing the attention of the Kenoma towards it and it threatens to bear its might against the Citadel itself. Fortunately for the Kenoma guarding the city, they will know that the Regent has a plan. All they must do is hold off the beast long enough for the Regent to wield their own strength in turn. The battle against this creature will take place here, with combat rules being explain in this OOC post.
As the power of the Innocent washes over Achamoth, those of its Legacy, or those marked by its Promise or Touch, will hear it speak on the winds in a chorus of voices:
Aions of this new dawn... I have honored your choice... fight... if you will... and I will follow...
FIREBRAND RISING
Beneath the moon of Firaseri, however, the Innocent isn't the only force at play. Firebrands of both sects will find themselves spurred on by a rush of Legacy-based power, as if inspired by the tumultuous environment of an anti-authoritarian raid. How precisely this manifests will depend on which side they are fighting for.❖ PLEROMA
The Firebrands among the Pleroma raiders will feel a sense of vindication and rightness come over them, set as they are to challenge the Regent's rule. Their powers will be amplified during the battle, and those that witness them and are inspired may find their performance boosted. The nature of these enhancements is fairly flexible. For the Firebrands, the use of their regular skills and abilities may be amplified beyond normal boundaries, whereas those following in their wake may find themselves with usual endurance that allows them to push their their usual limits.
❖ KENOMA
The Firebrands of the Kenoma's inspiration is more complicated in nature, given their roll in defending Achamoth's status quo. However, they will find themselves bolstered while facing the pacifying might of the Innocence Entity. Firebrands will experience a natural resistance against any Innocence based attacks that would stop them from fighting, and will be able to use this blessing to rally NPCs that would otherwise be rendered useless to their cause, in defiance of the entity's command for peace. In general, they will see a boost in strength while fighting the raid boss in particular, unable to be deterred from their goals.
In general, all Firebrands will feel untethered by their regular inhibitions, fighting for their desires at all costs. Abilities intended to bind them or control their will, will be largely ineffective, and they will find shields both physical and magical particularly easy to break through.
QUESTIONS
Q: What is the best way for Pleroma to travel to Achamoth?
A: Akua and Estinien are both setting up portals from Godsblood to the outskirts of Achamoth from which to begin mounting the assault. Caitlyn will be providing a back-up in the case either of those portals go down.
Q: Can my character make use of the chaos and try to raid the Citadel?
A: They can try but there will be mod rolls involved for any attempts. NPCs inside the Citadel will not be affected the same way the NPCs outside in main area will be. We do not want it to seem like the Citadel is defenseless otherwise.
Q: If Kenoma cause damage to the city during the raid, how will the Regent feel? Will there be consequences?
A: It should try to be avoided, but the Regent will understand if there is collateral damage in battle as long as they aren't being careless about it.
Q: Is the "no-combat aura" completely incapacitating NPCs?
A: No, it is only stopping them from aggressing the Pleroma. If they or their property are attacked they will defend themselves, and are otherwise operating with a normal level of cognizance. Kenoma Aions can order them out of the area to avoid being hurt if necessary.
BOSS BATTLE:
Q: I would like my character to take part in the battle but want to limit the outcomes in a way that isn't too devastating. Is that possible?
A: We think in that case we would basically only be acknowledging the possibilities between the "The attack either misses, is ineffective, or it triggers a counter attack from the boss." and "The attack hits with moderate effectiveness, as determined by the nature of their action." range. So, you can't get taken out, but you also can only deal moderate hits at best. You could still trigger a counter attack from the boss, but the damage taken from that is more flexible and free form than the 1-5% zone. If you make an attack with this restriction just add a little OOC note to your initial attack tag.
Q: How can a support character engage in the combat?
A: If your character is providing support, you may team up with an attacker to submit a "group attack". This means that your character is putting their effort towards supporting that attacker character that round, and will not be able to submit their own separate action. In exchange, that attack will receive two mod rolls instead of one, and the attack itself will be based on the more favorable of the two rolls. (Sort of like rolling with an advantage in modern D&D.) We will make as many rolls as there there are character combining their effort and select the best of them.
If any character rolls in the 1-5% zone they will still be taken out, however. Click the link above for more information.
Q: Can my character take a hit for another character after a mod roll?
A: We would be willing to accept this in the case of the defender taking the hit for the attacker, which would mean that if it's a 1-5%, they would be taken out in the attacker's stead.
A: Akua and Estinien are both setting up portals from Godsblood to the outskirts of Achamoth from which to begin mounting the assault. Caitlyn will be providing a back-up in the case either of those portals go down.
Q: Can my character make use of the chaos and try to raid the Citadel?
A: They can try but there will be mod rolls involved for any attempts. NPCs inside the Citadel will not be affected the same way the NPCs outside in main area will be. We do not want it to seem like the Citadel is defenseless otherwise.
Q: If Kenoma cause damage to the city during the raid, how will the Regent feel? Will there be consequences?
A: It should try to be avoided, but the Regent will understand if there is collateral damage in battle as long as they aren't being careless about it.
Q: Is the "no-combat aura" completely incapacitating NPCs?
A: No, it is only stopping them from aggressing the Pleroma. If they or their property are attacked they will defend themselves, and are otherwise operating with a normal level of cognizance. Kenoma Aions can order them out of the area to avoid being hurt if necessary.
BOSS BATTLE:
Q: I would like my character to take part in the battle but want to limit the outcomes in a way that isn't too devastating. Is that possible?
A: We think in that case we would basically only be acknowledging the possibilities between the "The attack either misses, is ineffective, or it triggers a counter attack from the boss." and "The attack hits with moderate effectiveness, as determined by the nature of their action." range. So, you can't get taken out, but you also can only deal moderate hits at best. You could still trigger a counter attack from the boss, but the damage taken from that is more flexible and free form than the 1-5% zone. If you make an attack with this restriction just add a little OOC note to your initial attack tag.
Q: How can a support character engage in the combat?
A: If your character is providing support, you may team up with an attacker to submit a "group attack". This means that your character is putting their effort towards supporting that attacker character that round, and will not be able to submit their own separate action. In exchange, that attack will receive two mod rolls instead of one, and the attack itself will be based on the more favorable of the two rolls. (Sort of like rolling with an advantage in modern D&D.) We will make as many rolls as there there are character combining their effort and select the best of them.
If any character rolls in the 1-5% zone they will still be taken out, however. Click the link above for more information.
Q: Can my character take a hit for another character after a mod roll?
A: We would be willing to accept this in the case of the defender taking the hit for the attacker, which would mean that if it's a 1-5%, they would be taken out in the attacker's stead.
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... Kim Dokja.
Why can't that bastard understand? His teeth grit, grinding as he siphons the sadness into anger. Anger is better than tears, better than grief, and better than guilt. The lightning splinters from his blade, going nowhere and striking at random directions; the element responds to his whirlwind of emotions. ]
You shouldn't have come here.
[ They shouldn't have tried to reason him out of his choice. They should leave him be to walk on this warpath. For them, their companions, their world—all this for love. They will save every piece of Dokja and they will be happy. Joonghyuk will learn how to live after the scenarios, knowing he fulfilled his purpose with his identity validated.
Until then, he points his sword at them. ]
If you have nothing useful to say, turn back.
[ Sooyoung is given a strong, unyielding gaze. Joonghyuk hopes she can read his mind—he trusts Kim Dokja to her. He trusts that they will find third choice between these two factions. He trusts that she will come for him if he loses his way... He's fortunate that she's here. For Dokja, he doesn't know if he will ever be able to make that man understand, but he misses him. In spite of all complicated emotions, they stem from this raw sense of yearning.
For now, he wants them to flee. Survive. But if they continue to meddle, he has to teach them a lesson. The ground around him starts rumbling as a blue aura wraps around him. It's Transcendence, but his fable sings softly among the metal clangs in the background. Fable, 'Hellscape of Eternity', has begun its storytelling. ]
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As if he's already accepted it all. In that interim of time that neither she nor Joonghyuk will ever be privy to, the decision he must have made on his own. It's not that he can't be. Or that he refuses to be. It's that he doesn't need to be.
Doesn't need to be saved...?
Her jaw is clenched so tight it aches, and her hand holding her sword trembles. Why can't he see? Just the fact that he can say that out loud to them... It's sad and painful and lonely. Maybe Kim Dokja doesn't need to be saved from this world? Maybe he needs to be saved from himself.
...She can't do this on her own. Why can't Yoo Joonghyuk see that? Dokja needs him. The history between them is twisted and dark and full of as many knots as there are stars in the sky, but it has meaning. Every story does. And their story has the most. But saying that out loud now...]
Kim Dokja.
[She won't tell him to run. She knows he won't. She keeps to her feet as the ground rumbles, as Yoo Joonghyuk taps into a fable that Sooyoung herself doesn't have, as she searches for the words she can say.
Not an "I'll save you", but. If anything can speak to Dokja, then maybe this will --]
Help me save him.
[She lets go of the Avatars she has around the city, manifests them next to her so she has one each flanking her on either side as she starts to dash forward. It won't do anything, but it's something. Maybe she should have stolen something useful? Too late now. They've talked so much about saving Dokja, but she hasn't forgotten the reason she confronted Joonghyuk in the first place. Get him out of here first, and then deal with it all after. Isn't that the plan?]
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"Help me save him," she says.
And Dokja's grip on the hilt of his sword tightens to the point that his knuckles grow white.
She can ask the whole world of him and he'll give it to her. A poor imitation of what she's done for him, but in this case, there are two lives at stake and they're both more important than anything else in this wretched world. For Han Sooyoung and Yoo Joonghyuk, Dokja can sacrifice his everything. He puts aside the agony and torment of watching two people he loves face off like this and steps forward, Electrification dancing around his form and overlaying itself atop his ether blade.
That's right. Ignoring his personal feelings, Joonghyuk has still strayed into the hands of the Kenoma. It doesn't matter if Dokja has yet to still place his trust into the Pleroma almost six months later. At least with the Pleroma they aren't being destroyed from the inside out. They aren't having their minds warped and their bodies torn by a creeping poison that preys on despair.
He has to bring Joonghyuk back. ]
We're leaving together.
[ With a sidelong glance at Sooyoung, he races forward toward Joonghyuk, blue streaks crackling behind him as he slashes forward, an eruption of lightning should their swords meet. Head on like this, he doesn't stand a chance. Not against Transcendence, but all he needs to do is buy some time for Sooyoung to get in there. ]
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"We're leaving together."
It reminds him of the 1864th round, that train car that was dropping off their company at their respective stops. At the end, it was theirs, and Dokja had promised them he would leave with them. He told the truth. He also lied. Like their story, it was a paradox. The fable tells its story, louder, reminding them of the journey he has trekked to get here—alone, without them, and he will keep running.
Dokja meets metal with an ear-piercing shriek as surges of lightning battle for dominance, flickering and snapping. Their sword clatter and Dokja can feel the strength increase affiliated with the aura around Joonghyuk. Transcendence allows him to surpass his limits for a short time, which should mean he can shove him away, maybe send him flying to make a person-shaped hole in a building.
Yet Joonghyuk keeps him close... Maybe to get a better look at him, expecting to not see him again when this raid ends. Maybe to set this death sentence: ]
Then your shards will be in my pocket.
[ That is still together, isn't it? It's comforting to believe they'd be together as the incorrigible trio, no matter the result of this battle.
He adds more force behind his blade, pushing Dokja back with an unending onslaught of unrelenting swings. When he finds an opportunity, he kicks Dokja away in the stomach, so he can send another lightning bolt at Sooyoung and her Avatars. He hasn't forgotten her, but how close is she now? ]
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Right above him in fact. Her avatars aren't near her -- scattered by the earlier lightning bolt -- and instead have taken up positions around Joonghyuk: one behind and one in front. She grips the hilt of the blade, copying the same move he did moments before, poised to stab downwards. She'll let gravity take her all the way down, close enough to hopefully land this blow --
but also, close enough that she's entirely in his range.
She wouldn't have gotten this close without Dokja's help, and knowing that makes something hot surge in her chest. She'd had yelled at him to leave just moments earlier, had pushed aside like he was in her way, entirely out of rhythm with his movements. ...But now?
...She missed this. She only wishes that it wasn't at the expense of fighting Yoo Joonghyuk. Morons. Idiots. Aren't they supposed to fight together? Shouldn't they be on the same side? It doesn't feel whole at all. ...But, it feels better than earlier.
It feels better than it had in a very, very long time.
She'll take a gamble on those feelings, and hopefully when the dust settles -- after this last trike -- something can be born from them.]
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They'll never know the lengths he'd gone to in order to disappear. The people he'd pulled into his mess for the past half a year. The lives he'd inexplicably damaged as he so often does. Not when there's a reason to fight now.
As Joonghyuk's sword batters down on him, Dokja tries to hold on. His arms shake with every strike of steel, the relentless onslaught pulsing throughout his entire body to the point where he can almost feel his bones rattle. When the kick to his stomach comes, it feels like it goes through him, breath knocked out of him in an instant.
But still, he reacts. Instead of being knocked back, he coughs out a breath he doesn't have as he swings his arm around to grab Joonghyuk by the ankle before it can be withdrawn to hold him in place. Like this, Dokja doesn't go far, only doubles over and wretches as he feels something wet expel itself from his mouth.
He'll have to hope that this can buy enough time for Sooyoung. ]
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Except Dokja hugs his ankle, staggering his movements and preventing him from leaving the immediate area. At most, he shifts back, dragging Dokja along the dirt a feet, while also accidentally stepping on him. On the other man's back is a nice dirty boot mark, planted very firmly—nostalgic, isn't it? It allows for Sooyoung's sword to slash his torso, momentarily clinking against something that rests high above his chests, between his collarbones. Through the frayed fabric, they both can see a dark lining that reflects a gold shimmery color at certain light.
But he doesn't let them stare for long without reprisal. With Sooyoung close, he takes his sword with two hands and poises it for a quick, but fatal stab. It happens in seconds and he intends to drive it deep so she can't escape. His gaze stays upon her face, eyebrows knitted not in anger but perseverance. Quietly, he's searching for her shard.
... Decapitation would have been easier, but he wouldn't humiliate his companions that way. At least this is honorable, intimate. ]
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and immediately slumps, strength already draining away. The golden shimmer of Yoo Joonghyuk's shard winks back at her, but instead of feeling bitter at her loss -- the shine of it comforts her, just a little. ...Maybe it's a sign that he still has a chance, that the Kenoma hasn't gotten its hooks into him. If anyone can resist -- then it'd be him, right?]
...Fuck. [blood salts the back of her teeth,] This is -- really...
[embarrassing?????? after all her big talk about saving him... after what she'd said to dokja, in her attempt to rouse him.... huh.... this is her second time dying in front of kim dokja, isn't it...
that guy... it's too bad. she kind of wants to see his face. you know, just in case this really is the end?
which, again, would be totally embarrassing if it is.
(so it better not be. i need to pay this bastard back. ...both of them.)
she breathes once, twice, then stops. the slant of her head droops over, hair falling back to reveal the reddish black shard located behind her ear, pristine despite the blood staining the rest of her.]
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But it wasn't supposed to happen like this. Dokja's pulled to the ground and he gasps in a breath, another mouthful of dirt (is this payback?) to go along with it. He's only there for a split second, already on the verge of twisting away, when he hears it before seeing it. ]
No! Han Sooyoung!
[ A pained cry rips out of him, his eyes shaking as he stares in horror at Joonghyuk's sword pierced through her. He did it. That bastard actually did it. Dokja's blood runs ice cold as a frigid numbness overtakes him before his mind scrambles to aid him. He's quicker to panic now, here without the Fourth Wall, and slower to piece together reason, but recent events with his own circumstances bloom at the forefront of his otherwise distressed thoughts. Her shard. He has to get her shard.
A tremendous rush of wind blasts toward Joonghyuk with a ferocity meant to knock him back as Dokja shoves himself to his hands and knees, gathering what strength remains in him to sprint forward to gather Sooyoung in his arms before her body fully dissipates. Shit, shit, shit. They were just... He had only just gotten them back. How could this... how could he... ]
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When he lifts his gaze, he sees the two of them; Dokja hovers over Sooyoung, holding her close, and this brings back a memory. He used to be in that position... A part of him is gratified seeing Dokja suffered like how they all suffered from his sacrifice. What he inflicted upon them was an unhealable wound. It placates only to fester and the only escape is becoming numb.
... Still, his heart aches to see them like this, but he steels his resolve and stifles the pain. His glare stayed pinned on them, unwavering and intense. ]
Give me her shard.
[ This is the bastard Dokja cheered on all his life! Wow. ]
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He'll bring her back. He'll keep her safe until then, his fingers gently curling around the stone before he shifts to get his feet under him, staggering back to stand. Carefully, with stilted movements to suggest he's still reeling from what had happened, he tucks her away into his pocket. There had been anger at first, disbelief curled around that, but there's a hole in his heart now and he's bleeding out of it.
When he finally lifts his gaze to meet Joonghyuk's own, there's something so incredibly empty in his eyes. ]
Yoo Joonghyuk, [ he says, voice barely above a whisper. He holds his position, sword held limply at his side. ] ... Do you hate me?
[ He knows the answer, fears it. Knows what it means when he'd been told about the group regression, but even so, he has to ask. ]
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A part of him wants to bear everything, but it would fall upon deaf ears. Joonghyuk has heard the other man say he doesn't want to be saved. He knows Dokja is aware of the group regression... Shoulders slump as his lips press into a thin line. Heavy steps begin again. ]
... You never returned my pocket watch.
[ Dokja should know the answer, shouldn't he? What the pocket watch means, how he feels about the other man—he is his companion. The person who ushered him into one of the most ideal regressions, guiding him to the end where he didn't need to be a monster. He was allowed to be human, to move forward much like the hands of the watch Dokja left for him as a gift.
Still, the man is obnoxious and insufferable. Loud. Chatty. Rude. A conman dressed in a pure color, not that Joonghyuk liked white in the first place. Black is a better... It would be a lie to say the man hasn't earned his ire with his reckless plans, the extent he would hide them, his lack of self-preservation, his lack of consideration, and his self-righteousness. Kim Dokja would always leave them with nothing to say—they never had the chance to say anything. (How hard is it to stay? To consider happiness? How can he keep giving it away, paying with flesh and soul, yet not accept it himself?)
...
Dokja left them all a story. For Joonghyuk, hate wouldn't be the tale that leads him into tomorrow. Is this the answer Dokja fears? That for many people, they can only survive thinking about a special fable where they were all together. ]
Give me her shard.
[ Joonghyuk now stands in front of Dokja, sword held at his side, and extends an open gloved hand. In certain spots of his drab gear, across all of the cuts, blood pools to deeper darken black fabric. His shard glistens a golden shimmer through the slit Sooyoung's sword made as a greeting. ]
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He wishes they would hate him as much as he hates himself. ]
You never asked for it back.
[ That's always been the problem with them. They don't talk. They let their misunderstandings get ahead of them and wait until it's reached a catastrophic point of no return. He had been so depressed on that day he'd found the pocket watch resting alone on the bed, and he had remained that way for the days following. As if he would give it back after receiving such a blow. There's a pettiness in him too, after all.
When Joonghyuk finally stops in front of him, Dokja's gaze is steady as he stares up at him. He knows this face better than anyone, and despite himself, despite what had transpired only a few minutes ago, there's such an open fondness in his dark eyes. All he'd ever wanted was make it so that Yoo Joonghyuk could reach the end, for there to be a period of rest for the man who had suffered everything that could be suffered. And to think that it had been Dokja on the other end of that tale, subconsciously moving the strings with every comment he had foolishly typed out in an effort to not be alone. To have someone to struggle with and to know that triumphing over those struggles was possible.
He'll never be able to atone for what he's done.
But in this moment, hand held out to him, Dokja seeks to give what it is he's always sought out from Yoo Joonghyuk. ]
I should have been the one to find you in the shrines.
[ He lifts his own hand to slide his fingers against that gloved palm, rests them against that offered wrist before they shift to curl around Joonghyuk's hand. When Dokja squeezes, it's gentle. Apologetic. ]
I'm sorry I wasn't there. [ His other hand drops his sword, reaches out toward the shard he sees peeking past fabric and his fingertips lightly brush against the cloth there, not yet making contact with the stone. He remembers what it had felt like when concerned hands had passed his shard along, the coil of discomfort that came from distrust. Nothing like that exists between himself and Yoo Joonghyuk, despite what he might want or wish. He knows this as fact. ] I'm sorry.
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[ Because it is his... After he returned it, after their battle and reintroduction on that isle, Joonghyuk had decided the pocket watch belonged to him. Much like how he accepted Dokja back into his life, even though he would choose a different worldline from their own.
Upon this story's face, there are littered scars unknown to Dokja... It was a regression he didn't get a chance to read, but it's still Yoo Joonghyuk. His hand stays extended despite how Sooyoung's shard stays stowed away in the other man's pocket. This isn't what he asked for yet he lets that hand in his wander and, in turn, his fingers gently brush against Dokja's pulse. Unfortunate he can't check if the person in front of him is alive. Gloves keep them apart.
His gaze doesn't rip away from the other man. For a moment, he wonders if this is all a dream. Not once had Dokja ever apologized—this is a side of him Joonghyuk has never seen. It puts him in an uncomfortable spot, wishing to see the Dokja he knew during the scenarios, but in the end this is a part of who he is. Joonghyuk knows this.
A debt, to atone, an apology. ]
If you are sorry, then you shouldn't struggle. [ His sword is put away into its sheath and hangs off his hip like before. With a short stagger, he hoists Dokja over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. ] I will take you home.
[ Sooyoung, too, will help him, but she's dead right now. Useless.
Anyway, he's going to try to kidnap. ]
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—Hey, seriously, you...!
[ He grunts as he tries to push the upper half of his body up so that he's not dangling like a corpse, hands coming down to tug at the clothing on Joonghyuk's back. There's not a lot of kicking and squirming on his end. He already knows how useless his attempts will be, and anything that could potentially hurt Sooyoung's shard is off the table.
But really, this is a little...
He starts thumping Joonghyuk's back with his fist. Not enough to hurt, but to try and get his attention. ]
Let's stop and talk for a second, huh? At least use your words.
[ Aah, what's he supposed to do here? If he's taken back to the Kenoma forces, they'll definitely force that poison down his throat again and he's not sure he can endure it a second time after everything that's happened and the amount of despair that's been piling up ever since his arrival. Coupled with recent events, he'd definitely lose himself to the Kenoma and if he did manage to survive it, they'd probably just kill him for good.
And maybe a part of him thinks he deserves it, but not when Sooyoung and Joonghyuk are on the line now. ]
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Finally, his eyes fall upon the Dionysus erotica novel... Picking it up, he then chucks it, maybe into a fire nearby. When he's done looting, he stands back up with Dokja in tow, looking over to him, but it's simply his concave ass. Right. ]
What is there to talk about?
[ Didn't Dokja say all that he wanted? ]
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Also, when the novel goes flying, Dokja sees that it's a book and therefore thinks there is some importance to it. He directs the wind to safely blow it away from any fires. He will regret this.
But now that he's got Joonghyuk's attention, he tries to twist around so they can look at each other. It goes poorly because he's not a flexible person, so he mostly just ends up seeing the back of Joonghyuk's head. ]
The two people scheduled for execution, at least let me help save them. I'll come back once that's done and we can go wherever you want.
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Since the plan isn't to keep the two hostages, he isn't pressed about stopping Dokja from saving these two strangers he has heard nothing about. He didn't care to ask as he has no stakes in someone else's burning, but now his interest is piqued. ]
Why do you care?
[ Do these hostages mean something to Kim Dokja? ]
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There's a tense silence that comes along after Joonghyuk's question. He's not sure how to describe what Abel and Himeka mean to him, but they'd both been there for him when he'd nearly been killed and then again, when he'd been at his lowest point since arriving in Horos. It feels like opening up a chapter of his life that he doesn't feel comfortable sharing, now or ever, with Yoo Joonghyuk of all people who had suffered in the same way he'd made those two suffer, but Dokja has to make him understand. ]
... They saved my life.
[ He'd like to pay them back. But it's more than that, isn't it? Like always, he can't bear the thought of losing the people he's come to care for, especially not after everything that he's already been through. ]
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He isn't overly confident in his interpretation of the other man, but he's confident enough. There's nothing he can argue when it comes to bonds. ]
... You know that coming to rescue two people is a waste.
[ Joonghyuk, rationally, thinks this is a suicide mission for the Pleroma. What kind of group thinks they should invade and raid the Regent's capital just for two people? It makes very little strategic sense and the gains from it are negligible. ]
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It doesn't sit well with Dokja who's used to preparing for every detail, every obstacle, every course of action that can possibly be taken, but. ]
I owe it to them.
[ His voice is quiet, a heaviness laid over it with all the complications that have happened thus far. ]
Just let me save them. After that, you can find me at the Artisan shrine.
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