aionlogs | The Door Opens

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The Door Opens

WHO: Emet and open to any Kenoma
WHAT: After being confined, Emet gets out and explores
WHERE: Various locations around Achamoth
WHEN: Three days after this.
WARNINGS: None right now.

After his exit from the dinner party, Emet-Selch appears in his room amidst a billow of black and purple. He can immediately sense a change in the air, as if there are eyes watching him from some undefined place. The presence is the familiar one from the Dining Hall.

He inhales deeply and sighs. "Oh? Have I earned your attention now? How gracious." He takes a few steps to a luxurious cushioned chair and sits. As if in reply, the bolt on the door to the room clicks shut.

I. Days Later, The Door Opens
It becomes clear that the room is meant to be his prison. With no clear exit, fixtures that are impervious to magic or tampering, no assistance from the outside, and no food or water, the thought does arise on whether it is meant to be a grave as well.

Three days on and the lack of nourishment has made him weary. Thinking turns difficult, as does all else. He resigns to sitting in the same cushioned chair with his head resting on the back, eyes closed as he tries to gather his thoughts for a viable solution. There is a book on his lap that he has since stopped reading for lack of clear focus.

It's then that the bolt to the door clicks noisily, indicating that it is unlocked. He drearily peeks at it from across the room.

Emet-Selch stands - steadies himself with a hand to his forehead - and makes for the door. Finding some food and water would need to be the utmost priority.

II. The Library
It seems that the natives take particular 'notice' of his presence. People part in an effort to avoid him as he moves through the crowd on his way to find the Library. Many give the mark on his wrist a disapproving glance. Nevertheless, Emet-Selch can't help but give a small smile of delight. "A true blessing to move about wholly unbothered." He comments. Perhaps the Regent's ire is owed a commendation for this one thing.

He sighs. "Although that does make finding the Library a much more laborious task." So he explores as much as he can in order to find a room filled with books. Perhaps it would have more about this world. Or the meaning behind the sigil he now bore.

III. Magic Lessons
With that excursion out of the way, now comes the matter of looking for a place to work. There must be some open field or facility meant to train individuals - this city has a military, after all. So he sets out to explore the Citadel.

Once he finds a suitable open area, Emet-Selch begins to work. His magic has been strange to him since arriving and this is a good opportunity to work on it with so few people vying for his attention.

He lifts a palm into the air and tries summoning his creation magic to make the smallest of things. Any observers may see him motioning at nothing in the air with his palm, a few glimmers of magic sparking in the air now and again as he tries to conjure. Frustratingly, nothing seems to take form...

IV. Other?
HMU If you'd like another prompt!

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Whenever Emet finally does find his way to the library proper, he'll find another of his fellow Kenoma already there, seated alone at a table with a small books tidily stacked next to him. Eustace looks up from his reading right around when Emet saunters through the archway, his ears sensitive enough to pick up footsteps from outside in the hallway. He expects any of the other Kenoma, or even a servant, so it's enough of a surprise to see Emet - particularly after the fuss that was That Dinner - that his eyes widen ever so slightly, brows lifting up.

It's more surprising to note how the library attendants don't go rushing up to Emet the same way they had for him. There's clearly more to the Regent's disapproval than mere verbal chastisement. He supposes he owes Emet a favor for finding out for the rest of them what defying the Regent entails, intended or otherwise.

Instead of being helpful though, or even concerned, Eustace simply watches from his seat. He's always been more reactive than active, preferring to get a handle on a situation first instead of rushing in straightaway. If Emet addresses him he'll answer, otherwise he'll watch just a little bit longer....

Childe is heading back from his daily training. Since he spends most of his days training throughout, that means he stops by before and after to see if there any progress on Emet-Selch's 's whereabouts . He has started to wonder if he was taken somewhere else with the inability to pull any hint that the elder's room was even occupied the past 70+ hours, but the short detours of exploring the citadel proved fruitless to locate the other. It would be suspicious if he looked too hard.

Which is one reason he is visibility surprised to see Emet-Selch emerging from the room this time and looking kind of like shit. Childe's retainer looks panicked seeing him but Childe quickly shoos them away to continue back to his room with his gear and not wait up for him. He's recently bathed and swung by the kitchen to get some bread, cheese, and water that he insisted on munching on as they walked back to his room rather than having his retainer bring him something more substantial once they returned to his room.

Childe greets Emet-Selch with a casual but chipper "hey." Once he's sure his retainer is gone, though, his expression turns serious.

"What the hell happened to you?" he asks in a quieter voice although it's still well above anything like a whisper. Despite having eaten some of the cheese cuts to not look suspicious, he hasn't touched most of the food or the water at all. Truthfully, he's been getting it daily in case he manages to find the other and if he was being punished by lack of nourishment—a common tactic in Snezhnaya ... which seems pretty obvious to be the case now... along with isolation (also very familiar.)

Despite asking the question, he holds out the plate and mug of water to Emet-Selch in concerned silence, clearly preferring he drink and eat over answering the question first.

Edited 2022-04-07 01:17 (UTC)

Attempting to search and find what he needs is not ...pleasant. Emet-Selch stalks the unfamiliar halls feeling progressively more faint. Needless to say, it's a welcome respite to have someone offer him food rather than have him continue to search.

Emet-Selch does not bother with an answer at first. He reaches for the mug of water that is offered to him, lifts it to his mouth, and drinks the contents all in one fell swoop. He exhales deeply afterward.

"It seems that my concerns upset our host." He leans against a wall to take some of his own weight from him and breathes in. Eating immediately afterward would only parch him further so he would need to wait before that. "They decided to air their grievances in the form of imprisonment and starvation." Amongst other things.

Emet-Selch takes his time picking out a few books of his own. They're interesting-sounding titles about the history of the world, the landscape, weather patterns, technology, and basic science. Then he looks for a place to sit.

There are mostly empty tables now that the citizens have all but abandoned the library, save one with a distantly familiar face from the weeks past. Emet-Selch purposely walks past them just so he can catch a glimpse at what they have chosen to read. He takes a seat at the unoccupied table next to them and then he cracks open the first book in the pile that he's gathered.

A long pause follows.

"Have you found anything that piques your interest?" He asks without looking up from what he's reading.

Edited 2022-04-07 22:33 (UTC)

As Emet goes about his business, Eustace slowly turns his attention back towards his book, though one ear stays swiveled in Emet's direction. His own stack of books is nothing special; most of them (including the book in his hand) are titles regarding the Regent, with one on the history of Achamoth and another on the local religion shuffled in somewhere at the bottom of the pile. He hasn't had a chance to get to those just yet.

For a while, there's nothing but the sound of languid footsteps and pages turning filling the air. Eustace doesn't forget that there's a fellow Kenoma in the room, but he does relax in his seat, focusing back on his current choice of reading material. It's not until Emet speaks some time later that Eustace refocuses his attention, gaze flicking up away from his book.

And then back down, when he notices the other man isn't looking at him. His voice, when he replies, is cool, with almost a touch of (feigned) boredom to it.

"Only history, if that's what you're interested in."

More specifically, history of their beloved new boss, the Regent. Unsurprisingly, most of it's written with a highly positive spin

"Oh, you're still alive."

Whether or not that oh-so-friendly observation is enough to get Emet-Selch to look over or not, it's followed by slightly-dragging footsteps as Gen comes meandering over from the direction of one of the other training fields. He'd taken to peeking around the area once in a while, so the appearance of that familiar face had certainly been a surprise.

"Thought they --" The Regent, obviously, though he doesn't respect them enough to say their name. "-- straight up kicked you out at first, after that whole thing. Took me a while to realize it was you the servants were talking about."

A pause before he gives a curious cant of the head. It's as close as he, a surly teenager putting too much value into pretending to be tough and stoic, will get to asking 'are you okay?' when he adds, "You were just locked in there, right? Or was there more to it?"

Emet-Selch lets his hand fall to his side at the sound of someone's voice and the fragments of his conjuring dissipate as a result. Ah. If it isn't the 'student'.

"Imprisoned, undernourished, superintended, and it seems as though I have earned the ire of most else." He doesn't sound particularly upset by these circumstances, in fact, it is said with almost a sigh in his voice. "All of which will not make what I said any less true."

"Indeed. We find ourselves as strangers in this world so it would be beneficial for us to learn of it."

Though it may be superfluous to do so, he lifts the book that he's reading up so that the text on the spine may be seen - a clear indicator that he is also reading history as its description is something to that effect. "This one claims to be World History. I gather you have something different, judging from the title on yours."

As before, it takes him a moment to parse the hoity-toity style that Emet-Selch always speaks in. But then Gen glances over his shoulder, back towards the grandeur of the Citadel's towering spires, before returning his gaze towards Emet-Selch. His voice is a touch lower when he mutters, "-- yeah, I'm not gonna disagree with you."

Despite how tough he acts, he's scared of punishment from the Regent. Of course he is. Otherwise he'd be more open about his (very modest) respect for Emet-Selch for having the gumption to speak out during that banquet. A pause before he tries to move on from that subject, nodding towards the rapidly-dissipating remains of that conjuring.

"So, what. You're just supposed to act like nothing happened, otherwise? Working towards the same goal?"

Hmmm. Maybe he can borrow that one when Emet's done with it. Though he's not sure how much he'll understand of it; even if the basics are the same (the prevalence of economics, the fervor of religion, to name a few), all the names take some getting used to.

Eustace isn't nearly so forthright as Emet as to openly display his book for the other man to read, but he is at least willing to provide more of a description than he had before.

"A history about the one in charge of all of this." Said with a slight nod of his head towards their surroundings. No guesses as to who he might be referring to. As he says that though, he frowns, looking a little displeased. "Though it's less a history and more a book of praises."

How absolutely shocking.

The subtle glance and hushed tone are not beyond his notice - the boy is cautious of being caught voicing his opinion. In sharp contrast, Emet-Selch speaks his mind at normal volume.

"Though I may not agree with the Regent's methods, I still share their motives. I intend to continue working towards that goal regardless of what transpired." Which is part of the reason for being so critical of the execution.

"Although I hope that I may instill some emphasis on preparedness along the way."

[ Three days. It's been three days now, almost to the hour, that Howl has been trying to contact Emet-Selch and receiving nothing in response. Nothing seems to work; when his retainer stared at him with vague horror upon seeing him pound on Emet-Selch's door, he quickly decided that he should stick with communion only.

His frustration is at its peak now, as the fourth day is beginning. Pacing in his room anxiously, he suddenly stops, yanks his Shard from his chest, and holds it out before him with an intense sense of both purpose and irritation. He has to try again. He has to. Who knows what's going on in there! ]

Answer me, you stupid codger. Answer! Answer. I command you to answer!

[ So convinced he is that this attempt will fail like all the others before, Howl doesn't even wait for an answer. ]

Answer me, or I'll never speak to you again. You'll be 'codger' to me forevermore! Come on, you fool! Why are you doing this to me?!

Edited 2022-04-09 22:36 (UTC)

Predictably, Gen perks up a little bit at that last part. Only slightly, because it's not in his nature to break his stoic facade, and he quickly tries to hide it afterwards. But still, it's there, and Gen fidgets afterward. Looks away, rubbing a hand at the back of his neck for a moment as he hesitates over his words.

Then finally mutters, "-- I'd still want you to teach me. If you can."

God, it's so hard asking for that like a normal person. Still, he's gotten the hint that Emet-Selch isn't the type to budge without at least a cursory show of humility, so he hurries to add, "If it's a give-and-take thing, I get it. I'll do what I can. So."

[ After his ordeal in leaving the room - and the odyssey of obtaining food and drink that followed - Emet-Selch has resigned to his room yet again with the intent of a relaxing bath. He is far from incautious about staying in his room and has brought with him food and water just in case something were to "happen" which results in another prolonged stay.

A hot bath is drawn and he sinks into it, relaxing, and nearly drifting to sleep after a while. This makes it all the more jarring when he hears a somewhat frantic voice perforate the quiet in his mind. It's Howl, yelling, demanding answers, and barking orders. Emet-Selch pauses for several moments after the tirade has ended, partly to see if there is anything else he seeks to add and partly to purposely irritate him for being so disruptive.

After a long pause he asks: ]

Would it kill you to say "please"?

A second request to teach. Emet-Selch gives him a critical sidelong look.

The first request had not been completely rebuffed, but troubling himself with teaching others was not high on his list of priorities. Considering what lack of support was given by the Regent, perhaps he needed to take a more active role to tip the scales in their favor.

He grimaces and looks off. Ugh. An active role. Though the expression may come off as though he dislikes the sound of such a request.

"I need you to understand that the laws that govern this place are unfamiliar to me. If I were to impart some of what I know, that does not guarantee you may use it the same way. Or at all.”

“With the amount of regard I have seen, I would not expect anything within these pages to be objective on that subject. The written word will always be skewed in favor those who rule.” Experience has given him an amount of authority in that matter.

“Harboring curiosities about your host?”

Written and spoken both, as far as he's observed. He remembers the sailors on the ship ride here, turned immediately wary and nervous as soon as he'd asked them about the Regent, and the citizens that had cheered at their arrival. Only a fool would believe everyone in the city to be wholly loyal to the Regent, but sniffing those people will no doubt be a task in and of itself.

At the question, his eyes flick to the bodies that linger still in the library, the silent ears and eyes that are no doubt watching their every move. Carefully, he turns another page in his book.

"I prefer to make my own judgements of people whenever possible."

So, yes, he's harboring a whole lotta curiosities, both about the Regent and Achamoth as a whole. His eyes turn back to Emet, curious.

"You? You didn't exactly receive the warmest welcome at dinner."

To put things lightly.

Brash, stubborn, prideful teenager that he is, he can't help taking that look of displeasure on Emet-Selch's face as some sort of challenge that he has to conquer, and Gen bristles a touch as he steps closer.

"Don't care. I'll make it work."

-- well, no. He'd said that mostly as a kneejerk reflex, and it's obvious in the way he hesitates immediately afterward. Gives a puzzled tilt of the head. Setting aside how exactly he's going to 'make it work' when he knows absolute zip about magic in the first place ...

"What, so you're managing to make your own magic work here without even knowing how it works?"

'The fuck kind of hack are you?' is the underlying implication of that question, though he at least has the minimum sense to keep it unsaid.

[ The delay in response meets with Howl's expectations. Sighing deeply, he flops down onto his bed and is about to spiral into another bout of worry when — ]

...Emet-Selch?

[ He springs up, shocked. It worked this time? It worked this time! With that, Howl's frustration and anger seem to complete dissipate. (For now.) ]

Oh, thank the stars!! I've been trying to talk to you this whole time! Are you alright? Are you hurt?

"I understand the fundamentals of magic. There are elements of this world that operate similar enough that I can 'make it work' although not with as much potency as what I am accustomed to." A few of those words have their own emphasis to underline the fact that they have the same stubborn mentality in that regard.

Emet-Selch looks to his potential 'student' with quiet contemplation. How could he best approach this? Suppose the best approach would be to try and find his natural inclinations and build on those.

"Tell me." He begins slowly, obviously considering what to do next. "Since you know no magic, how would you defend yourself or your allies in a battle? Be the Aggressor? Or perhaps you would rely solely on diffusing the situation?"

[ Emet-selch, meanwhile, sinks down into the bathwater up to his nose. ]

I should think that speaking to you should serve as proof of my welfare.

[ A pause. Then he explains: ]

It seems as if the Regent did not approve of my disagreement. I have not had the means to contact others nor the ability to leave my accommodations since that day.

Emet-Selch gives a good-natured shrug. "I was hoping that they would be much more receptive to my suggestions." He says honestly. Although it was not his entire motivation for making a show of it.

"Though the Regent has seen fit to treat me unfavorably for my observations, it does not change the truth in what I said: We blundered a strategic advantage and our group was unprepared for a fight. We need to amend that in the future if we are to stand a chance to succeed." Some looked as though they had never participated in a fight in their life.

Emet-Selch idly puts a palm over the mark he received from the Regent - drawing attention to it without explicitly pointing it out. "Regardless, we share a common goal. I intend to make sure that we succeed."

... he still doesn't exactly get where Emet-Selch is coming from, but fine, he'll concede for now. Especially since if it's as the man says -- that it's possible to make magic happen here even without full knowledge of its inner workings -- then it gives him some hope, as well.

"The aggressor, I guess."

The answer comes a touch hesitant only because he's not sure what Emet-Selch is getting at, and is swiftly followed grudging clarification as Gen crosses his arms.

"Not like I'm a soldier or anything, but I'm used to fights. Don't mind getting my hands dirty, and there's another guy here who's been training me a bit. But I've seen what people here can do -- don't think I'm gonna get far just 'cause I learn to use a sword or something. I don't mind fighting a little dirty either, so ... I'll use whatever I can."

"Then the aggressor it shall be." Emet-Selch repeats, satisfied with that answer.

He thrusts a hand outward and a bright streak of light shapes itself into a large broadsword at his behest. The sword is as tall as Emet-Selch himself. It has a large dark gray blade with an intricate black hilt. Most notably, it looks impossibly heavy.

"A sword is one facet of it. The magic that supports the swordsmanship is what makes it truly formidable in a fight." He takes one step back and motions to the sword with a hand. It's a silent offering to take it, though it would only last as long as he is in the vicinity.

"So if you are familiar with the sword, let us endeavor to show you its magic."

Gen stiffens when that sword suddenly bursts into existence, expression hardening a touch. Partly just because it's a startling sight, but partly because he's internally kicking himself for his own dumb mouth -- he doesn't particularly like dealing with blades, and he'd only mentioned a sword as an example.

But he's not about to show any signs of balking now after running his mouth and acting strong.

So Gen ends up taking a short breath before stepping forward to (try to) take up the sword. It's probably obvious at a glance that he hasn't had much training so far, his hands struggling for a moment before finding their grip. But he has good instincts and just enough experience doing physical work; his movements are decisive and determined as he tries to lift the sword.

... and tries not to think about how ridiculous this probably looks as he shoots Emet-Selch a slightly nervous glance to ask, 'now what?'

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The Door Opens

library, i promise he will be more chatty after this tag

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communion → action

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