EVENT #1: THE EMPTY THRONE

[aionmods]

The Empty Throne

DESCENT

Nearly two weeks after being dragged from shrine caverns, you hear along the grapevine that the "the throne room is complete." It doesn't take long to figure out what that means; the ritual grounds that you have been hearing mention of are finally prepared, and it's only a short while before you are once again being gathered together for travel. As a small mercy, at least this time the journey is short.

Through a passage that has been blocked by a gathering of soldiers for the entire length of your stay, a stairway is revealed to you. It leads deep into the ruins, through unfamiliar structures and into the bowels of the earth. Though your feel your are mostly going downward, the walk is still long on account of how many stairs their are, and the soldiers escorting you are restless. They are now being led by the stray, mask wearing Achamites that have been accompanying the group till now, silently observing. Whatever place this is, it seems that they now hold court.

Funneled into the chambers below, you are greeted by a massive, domed enclosure of stone. Positioned around its circular radius are twelve thrones in various states of disrepair, sized as if meant to seat giants. The backs of these thrones all differ slightly in design, though most have great cleaves of stone broken loose from their architecture, as if subjected to some great cataclysm. Each is engraved with a sigil, though some have been obscured by the destruction wrought. The throne closest to the entrance has been almost entirely demolished, making it impossible to glean much about.

The dome's ceiling appears to be hundreds of feet tall at its apex, its smooth surface disrupted by stalactites that puncture through its form like teeth. As a result, many chunks of the original structure seem to have cracked and collapsed in to the floor below. When examined closely, these fragments of the domed ceiling seem to be made of a material strangely reflective in quality, though caked in many years of dirt and grime. If large enough sections are cleaned, patterns may emerge, revealing designs that look almost like star maps. The floor beneath your feet as a similar, but subtly different quality, covered in wreckage and ruin but can be cleaned to reveal complex patterns of intersecting lines.

A careful eye will indicate that these lines all lead towards the center of the room - the one space that has been cleared and scrubbed prior to your arrival. Here, the lines converge, with carefully preserved marking in the stone that bely increasing levels of runic complexity the closer you look. This is where the ritual will be held, you are told.

THE RITUAL

There is not much time to regain your bearings before you are being shuffled forth towards the ritual space; no, all the waiting has already been done. Under the command of the smaller group of Achamites, the Hylicians will make heavy use of the whips in leading everyone to their places along the rune-inscribed circle. Before that, however, small cuts will be made to each prisoner with an athame, either on their hand or arm. With a sharp, burning sensation in the afflicted skin, these cuts will spread into wounds reflecting the image of one of the eleven sigils displayed on the thrones encircling the group, and matching the shrine they were originally pulled from.

With this accomplished, they can finally be taken into the circle. With a design comprised of four triangles overlapping, the design of an open eye carved at its center, all prisoners will be led to separates points on its design where the lines cross. Seemingly arranged by their shrine sigil to be closest to whatever throne represents them, they will be brought to their designated positions one by one. Any attempts to flee or disrupt the process will be dealt with swiftly and harshly, exacerbated by the increasing levels of paranoia and fear in the soldiers themselves. Whatever is being done here, they don't seem happy to involved with it either.

When everyone is in place, the seeming master of ceremonies will finally emerge. A dark haired woman will appear from the shadows, motes of golden light fluttering about her otherwise darkness-clad visage. Moving towards the center of the circle, she will stand over the marking of the eye and begin working her magicks. As if on cue, the soldiers will withdraw any remaining whips and scurry to the outside of the circle, only for new bonds of ethereal energy to lash out of the ritual circle itself, binding each and every prisoner and dragging them down to their knees. Among the soldiers, you can hear mutterings identifying this woman as "the Aion."

"Come," she says to the coterie of robed Achamites, who will approach the circle with an assortment of vials collected into cases. There is enough for each prisoner to be given a drink, and so they will; a vial of abyssal liquid will be forced into each one of your throats, no matter how uncomfortably it must be done. While no less ruthless, the Achamites have a different way about them as they work, forcing themselves upon you with a strange familiarity that feels more akin to a mother forcing their child to take medicine than the suspicious hostility of the soldiers. As the foul liquid touches your tongue, it takes on a consistency almost like a living thing, crawling down your throat even if you refuse to swallow, all while the Achamites stroke your hair and make saccharine assurances.

Once all the prisoners have been fed their vial, the Achamamites too will retreat from the circle - all except for one. Joining 'the Aion' at the center, the two of them will begin enacting a planned ceremony of sorts, that culminates in the following scene:

The Achamite kneels before the Aion, lifting their masked face to meet their dark gaze. They speak, in practiced tones.

"To the Kenoma my body, to the Kenoma my soul."

In response, the Aion holds the Achamite's face between their hands in almost a loving gesture. She speaks softly:

"By the blood of the Martyr, I accept your sacrifice."

From the Aion's hands a darkness spreads across the Achamite's body, as if they are melting and dissolving on a cellular level. She kneels along with them, cradling them as their body breaks down, pooling in a void-black liquid around their knees. It drains into the lines of the ritual circle, surging out towards the prisoners.

Within moments, the ritual is complete.

KENOMA SICKNESS

As this dark power surges throughout the ritual circle, you will find yourself almost consumed by the tide. Whatever foul creation you were forced to swallow wakes within your chest, and you can feel it move within your veins, inside you lungs, behind your eyes. As quickly as it begins, the flood of darkness washes over you, but not without leaving you stained.

Something has changed in its wake. As you return to your senses, you will notice the magical bonds of the circle have fallen away, leaving you free to move; for once, the soldiers will not move to lead or restrain you. Instead, the Hylicians warily back away from the ritual space, retreating towards the only path upwards, where they form a defensive line. The Achamites that linger make a series of ritual gestures, praying in voices too soft to hear. The Aion woman stands in the center, her hands blackened with residue from the person you just watched fall to pieces in her arms.

"You will be given time to find your truth," she says. "Use it well."

As you recover from the experience enough to stand, she and her Achamite entourage are already retreating to join the Hylician guard. Gradually, your situation will become clear: they intend to keep your trapped down here. However, it will not be the same as when you waited before. Instead, the soldiers simply intend to block your only exit out, and otherwise leave you free to roam the full diameter of the throne room, seemingly free to do whatever you want as long as it isn't trying to break free of the cavern's confines. Each day, they will offer to their prisoners a limit supply of food, water, and firewood, but nothing more. Beyond that, you only have your increasingly dirty white robes and the same bedrolls as before.

❖ COMMUNION
The first change you will experience is an itching darkness in your mind, like a psychic wound that is becoming infected. The sort of thoughts you would normally try to force down become increasingly hard to resist; despair, hatred, and fear will plague you, and requiring great feats of will to silence even temporarily. Phantoms of the things you'd rather forget will become a constant companion, all while a presence seems to whisper: when you accept your fate, the pain will stop.

Worse than this, the darkness of your mind may not remain private. As if awakened by the ritual, your empathetic sense has become impossibly strong, to the point that you feel the broadcasted emotions and thoughts of others, and in turn, your darkest thoughts will be psychically projected to others with a volume proportional to the intensity with which you feel them. This effect is most potent between those sharing Legacy, with the capacity for their identities to become momentarily confused. In all cases, this connection may bleed into your dreams, or manifest as hallucinations.

❖ TRANSFORMATION
Yet, your mind is not the only thing that ails. In proportion to the strength of your emotions, your body may begin changing to match your state of mind. Physical transformations akin to those mentioned here will begin to manifest, themed to your inner suffering and the most negative aspects of your self conception. These alterations may shift from moment to moment, depending on the turbulence of your emotional state. They may or may not be painful.

❖ AFFLICTION
Along with the above effects, characters may also experience various more mundane ailments; essentially anything traditionally associated with illness could fit. Weakness, nausea, body aches, and chills are all common options. Along with this, void-black ooze may start to trickle from virtually any orifice. While it may stain clothing and skin, the material itself will dissipate after a few minutes in a manner reminiscent of ectoplasm. This effect may also appear around your Shard, as if the stone itself has begun to bleed.

RESISTANCE

Even as the Kenoma threatens to overwhelm you, you still have the power to fight. Though it may be a grueling war of attrition, you can force back its advances with sufficient will to survive and resist the darkness. Of course, your captors are not going to make this easy for you. Those that fight hard enough to expel the Kenoma from their bodies and spirits will take at least a week to do so, and for that duration they will be trapped within this chilly cavern, haunted by their worst thoughts and emotions.

The bedrolls barely strand up against the cold, your clothing doesn't at all, and to be comfortable you'll require fire. Yet, there is a limited amount provided to you, along with food and water, and the soldiers do not seem to be making any effort to distribute it evenly. Achieving basic warmth and sustenance may become a battle against your fellow inmates, all while you struggle against the enemy infecting your body. Cracks in the dome of the cavern lead into some smaller caverns and crevasses in the stone that can offer some privacy or protection, but the more splintered the group becomes the less the supplies will hold up. Fortunately for you, neither the cold nor starvation will kill you, but it will make you suffer.

Yet, you may still persevere. As you fight back the Kenoma, something else will be cultivated in its place. Bit by bit, a comforting and warm presence will grow within you, gradually disrupting the maladies afflicting your body and mind. Your faith and perseverance has been rewarded with an attunement to the Pleroma, the Kenoma's cosmological opposite; given enough time, the Kenoma will be forced from your being entirely, in the form of void-black sludge. Only then will your power begin to shine through, the abilities of your past life slowly returning.

You must keep your guard. With or without otherworldly power, escape will be a struggle.

ACCEPTANCE

Or, you may choose the easy option. Maybe the Kenoma resonates with your history and emotions in a way that makes it seem like it isn't the enemy. Maybe the depths of your despair are too deep to escape. Maybe your simply lack the strength to fight. Whatever the reason, sooner or later, the Kenoma claims you. The more you let it in, the less it feels like a poison and the more it feels like strength. The darkness settles comfortably into the cracks and holes of your spirit, and you awaken to its power. You feel the change viscerally.

This world is not good enough, a voice seems to speak through the Kenoma. This suffering you feel, the cruelty that has birthed this darkness in you... it is simply the rot that is consuming this existence. A better universe awaits, one forged by your own hand, and all you need do is first bring about this broken reality's end.

Whatever effects you were suffering from the Kenoma's presence will fade away, and in its place, you will feel your endurance bolstered. The clarity is stark in comparison to the mire you were trapped in before. As the other prisoners suffer around you, the Aion woman from before and an accompaniment of a couple Hylician soldiers will approach you among the ruins, as if summoned straight to your location. She looks you over, her dark eyes impassive, and then asks:

"Did you feel it?"

She doesn't actually wait for an answer, your expression alone enough to assure her. She'll tell the soldiers that you are free to go, and that you are to be given a share of their food and a change of clothes. She'll escort you out of cavern and towards the upper ruins, where the soldiers and Achamites have set up camp. This feels natural to you, somehow, like you and her are on the same wavelength in a way that is hard to comprehend. She is like you, you sense. That dark power is within her as well.

She doesn't linger with you for long, but she will see that you are on your way before heading back to the caverns. She'll say that the voice you heard, that promise, was the Regent, the ruler of this land. They spoke of a power that could birth a new, better universe, and they weren't misleading you. It's within their reach, closer than ever, and if you help them achieve it you will be rewarded lavishly. For now, you are free to regain your strength while the others make their choices. She only asks that you stay in the area and be ready to join the Regent in Achamoth when all is prepared.

If you're prone to boredom, though, she will mention that you'd really be doing the prisoners a favor by convincing them to accept the Kenoma like you did. You could convince them with words, or by making their situations so unbearable they won't have a choice but to break. However you'd like. It won't be worse than what's coming for them if they carry on this way.

When she parts ways with you, you are left to your own devices. Somehow, you feel inclined to cooperate. After all, the Regent did have a point.

QUESTIONS

Are the involuntary transformations during the Kenoma sickness period temporary afflictions or permanent ones?
By default they are temporary, but characters can also keep a couple keepsake changes if you'd like! An Aion's physical appearance is something that is generally in flux, and so even if you keep something from this event, you can always alter it later.

What kind of supplies are going to be distributed to those who accept Kenoma and leave the caverns?
They'll be given food, water, and clothing. They'll be given more/better rations than they were as prisoners, but it's still the sort of food that is limited by the fact that they are out here on a mission. The soldiers will have some fresh meat from prey they've been hunting in the forest, and will generally be having a lot of stew-based food going. There are actual spices in it, though, so that's cool. This is all set up where the Hylicians are camping.

As for clothes, they will get a fresh set (including boots or shoes) and some soap to clean themselves up in the nearby creeks and ponds. Hylici has an aesthetic that leans towards ancient Greek/Roman, so while they won't have anything fancy with them, you are free to assume they are able to acquire anything in that general ballpark. They do also have pants, though. While it is now spring and Horos has a generally temperate climate, it can be chilly at night.

Will Pleroma attuned be able to escape once they've regained their powers?
Yes, they will be allowed to escape at that point, and a second log will be going up to cover that part of the event. This log should generally cover up until shortly after Pleroma start ejecting the Kenoma's influence. Characters are permitted to escape by their own power if they somehow devise a plan to do so, but as we know the Pleromas are at a significant disadvantage in this situation, some characters who have fought against the Kenoma particularly valiantly will be given some magical assistance to help the survivors escape.

Will the Kenomas be able to try to stop them?
Yes! The second log will be set up to contain some PVP, though given the Pleromas do need to escape, we ask that you play nice. There will be a battle, but it will be structured in the context of the Pleromas having to hold off the Kenomas long enough to escape, so it will be relatively brief.

Can we speak to "the Aion"?
Yes, she will be around for the full length of the event. All characters will have the chance to find her watching over the group whether they are Kenomas or soon to be Pleromas. She will not be that talkative, though, so anyone tagging her will have to lead the conversation. She will not make small talk. Martyrs will recognize her as one of them.

Comments

[epiprocta]

[ His expression had tinged with displeasure the moment he heard that low huff, only growing more irate as Amos speaks, and Gen barely lets the man finish that sincere final statement before snapping, ]

The hell're you acting all optimistic and cheery for. I saw you down there, sobbing and screaming. Pathetic.

[ Because, obviously, his own coping mechanism of picking fights with the guards and getting the shit kicked out of him had been far more reasonable and dignified.

And while he does feel a bit better out of that cave and sitting by the fire, it hasn't magically undone all the beatings he'd taken while trying to escape. Gen glares resentfully at Amos for a moment longer before looking down to gingerly rub at his bruised arm, wincing at the dull ache. ]

... being here's better than down there. [ That much, he'll acknowledge without question. It does feel right to have accepted the effects of the ritual. ] But what kind of idiot says this is 'fine.' Did you hit your head during that whole mess?

[ It's mostly typical teenage petulance that has him venting his lingering frustrations on Amos; despite his prickly word choice, his tone of voice is really more tired and ornery than actively antagonistic. ]

[baltimores]

Huh.

[ Amos glances back down at his bowl for a moment, his brow furrowing. So he had been that noticeable after all. Others had seen the way things had gotten to him down there, and not just those who had approached him, tried to drag him out of it before failing. That's... probably not great.

But. He looks up at Gen; doesn't think he remembers seeing how he had dealt with it. Maybe he had handled it better. Either way, they reached the same endpoint, didn't they?

... Though he doesn't like the look of that bruise. The way Gen has been through a different sort of wringer than he had. It's partly that, partly his age, that has Amos sitting there, letting him get it out of his system. Not like Amos was ever one for lashing out like this — he'd adopted more of a cheery and totally false disposition for a coping mechanism — but he'd known people to react like Gen.

He shrugs, ultimately unperturbed. ] Sure, but it's over now. I'm not really one for dwelling. Compared to everything we've been through since we got here — [ all the way back to waking up, breaking his way out of a crystal — ] I feel pretty good now. Like it's gonna get better. A lot better.

[ The Kenoma's doing its work. The more it settles in him, the better he feels. He fixes Gen with as open and honest an expression as he's capable of. ]

You feel that too. Right?

[epiprocta]

[ Somehow he hadn't expected such a burly-looking guy to hear his irate response and just ... take it. Gen gives a cautious blink when there's no admonishment or comeback or annoyance in return, just a milquetoast sort of acceptance.

He'd never actually admit it, but it helps him calm down somewhat.

Not that it makes him any more pleasant to deal with. Gen still huffs at Amos' words, scrunching up to sit smaller as he shifts his grip on his bowl of broth to warm his hands; it eases the chill lingering in his fingertips and alleviates some of the ache in his arms. ]

'Not really one for dwelling.' Must be nice to be able to be like that. [ It's absolutely not meant as a compliment, given the derisive way he says it. ] Don't they say people like that just end up making the same mistakes over and over.

[ He's saying this stuff just to say it, though. And when he pauses to take a long sip of his food and then lowers the bowl once more, most of his ire seems to have drained away for the moment. ... something about Amos reminds him of some of the construction workers back home. Maybe this guy's just as dumb. Maybe that's why he's so casual about all this. Fine, he can work with that. So -- no harm in agreeing a little, he supposes. ]

S'not like I trust any of these people. But yeah, I guess it feels like things ... might be alright. Maybe. It'd be hard to get much worse than how things were down there, anyway.

[baltimores]

[ That's Amos — plenty easygoing by default, unless something really sets him off. But they're past that now. Things are looking up. So amiable is what Gen's gonna get, because Amos knows there's no real fight to be had there.

He's not really a fan of the way Gen makes himself smaller, feels the need to warm himself, but that can't exactly be helped, can it? The whole point of coming up here is to rest, get their strength back. That's what they're doing now. Though Amos scrunches his nose, sets his bowl down when Gen starts talking shit, and fixes him with a look, completely serious. ]

It's not nice. You don't want to be like me. [ He turns to stare into the fire for a moment. ] I dunno about making the same mistakes. Probably. But you're better off feeling the way you do now than ever feeling the way I do. Probably doesn't seem that way to you right now, but it's the truth.

[ And, he picks his bowl back up, like nothing's even happened. Is there even a person in there? Kinda hard to say sometimes.

He hums in agreement. ] Kinda got no choice but to follow their leads right now, but yeah. Give it a few days, gotta wonder how much better we'll be feeling. A few weeks, a month? [ And Amos glances upward, away from Gen, at — or maybe past — the sky. ] See what it's like then.

[ Back at Gen. No, there's nobody to really trust here right now. Except maybe those with shared experiences. They're probably the best bet. So. ]

Name's Amos.

[epiprocta]

[ ... there's something wrong with this guy.

It's not just that he seems a little thick. There's something eerie and discomforting in just how casual he seems about accepting this turn of events, something that seems a little lacking in his processing of everything that's happened. Gen is quiet for a moment, his gaze leering sharp and scrutinizing over the rim of his bowl, studying Amos with mixed caution and disdain.

But he drops it after a second or two. He's too tired to overthinking it at the moment, and it's not his problem if this guy's fucked in the head for whatever reason. If Amos will cheerfully let the people here lead him around like a dog on a leash, that's his prerogative. ]

Not interested in thinking about a month down the line. Don't even know how long we've been here, and they've already put us through all this. I'll deal with things as they come.

[ He caps off that rude deadpan with a sigh before adding, ]

Minegishi. [ It feels a little strange exchanging names, like they're just two people shooting the shit over a cigarette or something. -- ugh, he'd kill for a smoke right about now. Gen frowns at the thought before trying to distract himself from it. ] -- so what're you. Already met a supposed demon and a so-called wizard. Is it time for an alien or something?

[baltimores]

[ Amos is plenty used to the sort of look like the one Gen's giving him. He's not the first to look at him like that; won't be the last. He knows he's broken, messed up, weird. Just not the kind of thing he feels the need to acknowledge, because really, what's the point of that? Won't fix anything.

So he casually finishes off his bowl while Gen looks at him, gets it out of his system. Inclines his chin at the idea of dealing with things as they come; that's the spirit. ]

Hey.

[ Minegishi. Arright. Amos nods in greeting; sets his bowl down, done with it now — and almost laughs at the idea of aliens. ]

Me? I'm just some asshole. Only aliens I know of died a longass time ago. Only knew about them because they left their tech lying around. Wasn't great finding it; that shit would kill you if you touched it. This planet's kind of an improvement in that way.

[ He isn't exactly in a good mood, but he isn't not in a good mood, either. Just shooting the shit helps. If it helps him, maybe it's helping Gen, too, surliness aside. Either way, Amos is plenty content with the current situation, not inclined to leave even though he's done eating and willing to stick around however long Gen'll have him. ]

[epiprocta]

[ Of fucking course.

Gen stares dead-eyed at Amos in silence for a moment before deadpanning wearily: ]

I was kidding.

[ He'd only thrown out that flippant suggestion of aliens because it was the most ridiculous thing he could think of, but given how things have been going in this stupid place, figures that this guy would say aliens are too pedestrian and outdated for him. And as much as Gen feels he should be indignant about this ludicrous turn of events, he's frankly too tired to muster the energy to be annoyed.

At least this surprise is an easy one to digest compared to everything they've had to endure so far -- enough that it's almost a little refreshing, in a way. Sure, why the hell not. Demons, wizards, and now a guy who talks about alien technology like it's nothing. Gen sighs as he gives a small shake of the head, but his tone of voice has mellowed out a touch as he mumbles into his bowl, ]

Everyone here sounds like they fell out of a movie or a videogame or something. I was just a student, back where I'm from. No idea why I got mixed up in all this alongside everyone else.

[baltimores]

[ Oh.

Amos blinks; shrugs it off. Aliens had unfortunately become a big enough part of his life in recent years that it just made sense to take the comment at face value. Demons and wizards he doesn't know shit about, but then again, he doesn't know shit about most of the things here. Like those whips. And whatever it was that happened to them in the caverns.

It's just better to go with the flow than stress over it. That's been the general rule for him, and nothing about it has changed.

He does exhale, though, about Gen just being a student. Frowns. There are some people closer in age to him here, and that part has been disconcerting. ]

Yeah. I'm just a ship mechanic. Or, was. Don't know if that sort of thing exists here. [ He takes a second to blink up at the sky. ] I got a theory about that. Did you feel everything you ever knew die before you woke up? Universe is big enough, it stands to reason small parts of where we're from could survive. Guess we just got lucky to live through it.

[ It's not necessarily good luck. But they're here; might as well do something with it. ]

[epiprocta]

[ Mechanic, huh. Gen idly mulls over the thought as he nurses the broth, his stomach finally starting to settle as the nausea slowly fades. There hadn't been any mechanics associated directly with his father's business, but he'd seen some come and go depending on the jobs being done. The work had seemed fiddlier than most of the stuff involved with construction. -- presumably this guy's not a total idiot, then. ]

This place seems old. Doubt there's anything like the sorts of ships you're thinking of. Can't imagine it'd be hard for you to fix carriages or whatever though, if you're used to working on spaceships.

[ Now that the immediate threat of the guards and that cavern are no longer on the table, it's sinking in for him that they're really stuck in a completely foreign world. For him, at least, it almost feels like some sort of karmic punishment for having dared to dream of leaving his hometown. ]

... yeah, I felt it.

[ Amos had brought up the subject casually enough, but Gen stares into the fire for a quiet moment, brow furrowed. His words are a little lower when he adds, ]

D'you think everything's really gone?

[baltimores]

[ Amos runs a hand through his hair, sighs. ]

Yeah, could probably fix a carriage in my sleep. That's gonna get real boring real fast. I mean, I'll do it, but you gotta think there's gonna be better stuff for us to do.

[ Us, because for as much as Gen has wanted to be difficult, Amos figures they're practically kin now. Whatever's in store for them, they'll probably end up doing it together. All of them.

He watches the way Gen is processing his theory, and. Yeah, he might've fucked up there. Amos has never really been all that great at tact, but he can try now. ]

Got no reason not to.

[ ... Nobody said he'd be any good at trying, though. He shrugs. ]

I mean, everything around me was going to shit before I woke up here, so I figure my universe is gone. Doesn't mean it's the case for everyone. Someone I talked to earlier — I don't think they're here, I think they're still down there — [ in the caverns — ] thought maybe it was a warning. And someone else had some weird theories about how time works. Like, even if it's too late for my universe, maybe it isn't for other people's.

[ He leaves it at that, though, unsure if he should proceed further. Because they're kind of. Supposed to help tear down everything else, right? Like if it isn't too late for other universes... kind of part of what they're here to do is to end them all anyway. And Amos knows he's fine with it, but Gen might not be. ]

[epiprocta]

[ It doesn't even occur to him that Amos might be trying to answer tactfully. And honestly, it's probably for the best that he neither expected nor would have wanted it in the first place. That matter-of-fact response works just fine for helping his organize his thoughts a little, and Gen stares into the fire for a moment longer before muttering, ]

Not like I care if it's all gone.

[ But 'the lady doth protest too much,' as they say. The fact that he volunteers that opinion at all probably says something, doesn't it.

No matter how hard he tries to play it tough, it's hard for Gen to fully internalize the possibility of his hometown and everyone in it being gone. It had been a shitty place, certainly, but it was also the only place he'd ever known.

He sighs as he sits back, propping his weight up on his arm -- and then wincing and recoiling at the pain that works all through his bruises. Embarrassing. He distractedly rubs at the worst of the bruises and at a deep scab on his elbow while looking back up at Amos. ]

-- what was happening where you're from?

[ Not like he really cares, but he might as well get a better idea of what kinds of places people here are from, he figures. Maybe it'll help him acclimate a bit better. ]

Must've been pretty catastrophic if you're not that surprised by the thought of your whole universe ending.

[baltimores]

[ Amos figures Gen is posturing when he says that. If you don't care, then it isn't something that even occurs to you. You don't bring it up outside of an academic sense. He knows what it's like to not really care, and this isn't that.

... Which is probably a good thing for Gen. Caring means there's still something in you, and he'd meant it when he'd said Gen shouldn't want to be like him.

He's not gonna comment on it, though. Just knowing the potential for Gen to not be completely broken inside is good enough for him.

Amos looks down at the wound Gen is focusing on, but other than a twitch of his lips, a deepening of a frown, he doesn't react. It's not great, but it's ultimately superficial. He'll be fine. (He might be thinking about keeping a subtle eye on him while they're in camp, but it's not like the kid's got any reason to start fighting anyone else here now, yeah?)

At the question, he just grunts in acknowledgment. Shifts his position a little to get a little more comfortable; to really settle in. And meets Gen's gaze first before glancing up at a sky that's not his own. ]

I was on Earth when rocks crashed into the planet. Probably something like when the dinosaurs all got killed, except we had defence systems. Or we were supposed to. I dunno what happened there. Comms all went out. [ He shrugs a shoulder, nonchalant; voice drawling like he's explaining ancient history and not the past few months he lived through. Back to Gen. ] Things got kinda apocalyptic. I was finally making my way off the planet when I woke up in space, 'cept without a vac suit or anything. You know. That whole thing with the paths. Thought I was dead, but then I just kept... going... so I guess not.

[ A small tilt of his head, like he's got a question he knows doesn't have an answer, but feels the need to bring it up anyway. ]

I figure if things got that bad on Earth, they probably did in space, too. Maybe it was some end times shit. Fuck if I know. Sounds ridiculous, but so's everything here, so can't exactly rule it out.

[epiprocta]

[ That ... earns a moment of incredulous staring over the rim of his bowl before Gen mutters, ]

Fuck, you really did just fall out of a sci-fi movie.

[ His tone of voice is more disbelieving than derisive, though, and even then, not too disbelieving. After all, it's hard to give Amos too much shit when just days ago they saw a man get melted in a ritual, and they've spent the last few days in a cave bleeding and puking up black sludge. Maybe Amos really does come from a version of Earth that was getting blown up by meteors or whatever. Not to mention, the guy kinda seems a bit too thick (and weird) to be lying about this.

It takes another moment of thought for Gen to digest all that information before he sighs, finishes off his broth, then sets the bowl aside. ]

I'm from Earth, too. No rocks, though, not as far as I know. I guess it's that thing -- parallel universes, or whatever.

[ He's not that into sci-fi stuff though, so his knowledge about that nerdy shit is pretty sparse. In a way, maybe it's better that he only has a vague understanding of how he's talking to a guy who supposedly comes from a reality where Earth is getting blown up, while they're both sitting in a completely foreign location. He's tired enough just trying to get by, no point in wasting any more energy trying to fully understand their circumstances. Probably. ]

Guess if any space shit crops up here, you better take care of it.

[ Yeah, just ... casually assigning work to Amos like he's in any position to be doing so. At least it's a sign that he's starting to bounce back from the horrible effects of the ritual if he's starting to get some of his insufferable, blustery attitude back. ]

[baltimores]

[ He raises his eyebrows at the whole sci-fi thing, but doesn't say anything to dispute it. Kinda sounds that way, doesn't it? Also... Gen is kinda right. Making shit up isn't exactly in Amos' forte. Both because he doesn't see the point, and because, well, yeah. He is weird.

He huffs a soft laugh at Gen so casually giving him orders already. Joke's on you, kid. He's all good with that. (He's even better with the signs that Gen might be feeling better. That's what Amos cares about the most here; anything that could so much as resemble a verbal jab means nothing in comparison.) ]

Probably will be up to me, huh? Yeah. Think I'll have that covered. [ He leans back on his hands, one more glance up at the dimming sky. ] It'd be nice if space shit did crop up here. There isn't a lot I miss, but I think part of me's always gonna miss that.

[ And he stays leaned back, casual, as he looks back over at Gen. ]

I dunno if it's parallel universes so much as a timeline thing. It was the 2350s for me. I know it took Earth a while to figure out how to actually go up the gravity well. [ His eyes brighten a little. ] Where're you from? I never really got to see much beyond Baltimore.

[epiprocta]

[ Amos' gaze might brighten with that question, but Gen doesn't seem thrilled to hear it. Though he meets that inquisitive look for a moment, he glances back into the fire and mulls over his thoughts for a moment before answering with his voice kept at a flat neutral. ]

Japan. This small town near Kobe, out in the boonies.

[ A cant of the head in thought before he adds at a lower mutter, almost more to himself than directed at Amos. ]

Didn't think I'd ever get to leave it.

[ And certainly not in this way -- by having everything he's ever known reduced to nothing. But that's quite the dour thought, and not something he's in the mood to dwell on just yet. ]

-- Baltimore. That's one of the big cities in the States, right? [ Not that he could pinpoint it on a map if his life depended on it. But he feels he's heard it mentioned in movies at least once or twice. ] And in 2350. Can't even imagine what it must've been like. Must've been nice.

[baltimores]

[ Ah. So it's not such a great subject. Amos can relate to that, actually; it's just he's so far removed from the idea of being stuck somewhere you don't really like. Has had a couple of decades' worth of being in space to remove himself from the concept, something Gen clearly hasn't.

Instinctually, Amos wants to help him adjust. (This is a hell of a way to leave everything behind, too, isn't it? At least when he'd left Baltimore for the first time, he knew it was still physically there.) Doesn't know how in the hell he's gonna do that, but he wants to.

He takes his turn to look into the fire when Gen mutters to himself. He still hears what he says, but. Not like he has to act like it. Turns back to him when he speaks up again, a slight shake of his head, small frown gracing his features. ]

Yeah, on the east coast. And it was a total shithole. I'm not exactly upset that it's gone.

[ Amos pauses. He could make a comment about how he never thought he'd get to leave it, either, but that almost feels like an intrusion. If Gen wanted sympathy, he'd have probably said it directly to him. Didn't. So. ]

Never really learned geography, but I think Japan might've been about as far away as you could get while still staying on the planet. It's an island though, right? Like you were out by the water?

[epiprocta]

[ Wow Amos, thanks for immediately trampling on his vague dreams of the glamour of the big city. That blase dismissal earns a frown and an annoyed look, and that irritation is at least partly why a note of surly attitude comes creeping back into his voice. ]

Yeah, it's an island, but it's not some tiny little patch of land, moron.

[ Teenagers these days just have no respect for adults, do they. At least, Gen seems perfectly accustomed to being casually derisive towards his elders. ]

My hometown was deeper inland, near a bunch of small mountains. Lots of farmland. Even the closest beach would've taken a while to get to by car. [ A brief pause before he adds dourly: ] I've never been.

[ He wasn't joking that he never thought he'd leave his hometown.

But if it's any consolation, Gen doesn't seem to treat abrasiveness as mutually exclusive with what passes for his version of being 'friendly'. That callous statement tossed out, his irritation seems to settle, and he sits back to start idly looking through the supplies the guards had handed him; he hadn't even taken stock of them properly before he spoke to Amos, far too jarred by everything that had happened in the cave. ]

Everything here's completely new to me. ... we didn't even get that many foreigners in town. Wasn't really a tourist-friendly place.

[baltimores]

[ Moron. That earns a raised eyebrow, but nothing more. If he thought Gen meant what he was saying, Amos might get up and walk away, just like that, but he's pretty sure it's a defence mechanism at this point, so he's not really gonna react beyond that.

Pretty sure he keeps being validated every time Gen settles back down, those little bursts of surliness fading into something else. But for the most part, Amos is fine with letting him walk all over him verbally. There's very, very little the kid could ever say to actually hurt him — possibly nothing, so the cutting words don't actually mean anything. ]

Kinda sounds like where my captain grew up. Mountains and farmland, at least. 'cept not Japan, he was also from the States area.

[ And, he's got nothing for someone never having been to a beach before. Not like the beaches he'd ever set foot on were nice, though that might've been implied from the whole my city was a total shithole thing.

He just watches as Gen sorts through his new stuff. Amos has been cleaned up for a bit now, but it'd taken him a bit to get there, too. At first he'd just been happy to not be down in the caverns anymore. Actually sorting himself out wasn't as much of a priority at first. ]

Huh. Us neither. Everyone in Baltimore was pretty much only there because that's where they were born, knew that's where they were gonna die. I only really knew a couple of blocks before I managed to get out. [ Ah, he's kinda broaching on the subject, after all. He glances around the camp; at the wilderness surrounding it. ] This is pretty different for me, too. Only other time I've been around this much nature was during nuclear winter. Gonna take me a bit to get used to it.

[epiprocta]

[ Yeah there's definitely something wrong with this guy. Barely any reaction to the insult, the casual way he talks about being in this completely foreign environment, and that mention of 'nuclear winter' like he's just talking about a bad snowstorm.

But he can't deny feeling a tiny prickle of sympathy at some of the things Amos says. ]

... sucks, doesn't it. When you know you're meant to die in the same shitty place you've been living the whole time.

[ It comes after a brief pause and Gen tries to play it cool, tries to act like he's just tossing out an observation that means to nothing to him. But there's a forced quality to his neutral tone of voice, transparent in the way that so much teenage affectation often is. The fact that he'd been expected to live and die in his hometown is clearly something that's weighed bitterly on his mind.

The small upside being that, as a fellow victim to the same shitty fate, Amos is extended the absolute minimum of amity. ]

Well, if it's dealing with nature, I guess I know enough. Not a lot, but more than you, probably. You deal with any space shit that comes up, and I can teach you how to catch dragonflies. [ His dry tone of voice should make it clear he's joking. As if a childish skill like that has any practical application. But the fact remains that it's a (very) tenuous offer of some sort of alliance. He'd never admit it out loud, but he sort of misses having dumb, easy-to-talk-to guys he can look to for cooperation, and Amos is close enough to the type. ] And if any more magic bullshit happens, then I guess we're both just fucked.

[baltimores]

[ He could brush off the part about knowing where you're going to die. Death doesn't bother him, not really. It's not the worst thing ever. But something about the way Gen says it — the meant to — has Amos pausing.

He catches the way Gen actively makes his voice neutral. And in return, Amos' voice goes small, as he remembers what Baltimore was like. The way he was almost certainly going to meet his end if he'd stayed; a violent pawn barely anyone would give a fuck about. How he knows Lydia had helped him get out, and how it had taken him years to figure out the deeper meaning of why: so he could have a chance.

So. ]

... Yeah.

[ Maybe there is a person in there, after all.

He sits with that for a moment, lets the air hang heavy before Gen moves on, and finds himself sitting up straighter, eyes brightening, a small smile breaking across his face. Shitty hometowns are behind them. Permanently. Might as well look to something better now. ]

Sounds like you're getting the harder end of this deal, but hey, you offered. [ How likely is it that space shit is going to come up? Meanwhile, they're literally surrounded by nature. Poor negotiating. ] We'll see who figures out the magic learning curve best.

[ He sticks out his hand for Gen to shake on it. Yeah. He'll take this, gladly. It'll make it a hell of a lot easier to tell if the kid needs looking out for, anyway. Which he kinda intends to do now. Sorry about that; he's easy that way. ]

[epiprocta]

[ The offered hand earns a small blink at first, and Gen looks ever so slightly taken aback. A handshake, huh. He's not used to it. Gen's only really accustomed to framing his relationships with people as 'those obliged to listen to him,' and 'everyone else.' A handshake would probably suggest they're allies, but put them on equal footing, wouldn't it.

... well, whatever. He'll take it. He gives a soft exhale, not quite a noise of approval, before sitting forward and taking Amos' hand for a brief, firm shake. He has a good grip.

Although -- ]

Already sick of anything to do with magic. If I never have to deal with it again in my life, it'll be too soon.

[ Of course he can't just let this nice(?) moment be without a snide comment. And with the moment successfully ruined, Gen gets to his feet, holding his bundle of supplies; he'd spotted a bar of soap amongst the tangle of clothes, and now that he's seen it he really wants to put it to good use. ]

Gonna go get myself cleaned up. Don't get yourself in too much trouble with all this scary nature, I guess.

[baltimores]

[ Yup. They're on equal footing alright.

Amos' smile grows that little much more at the grip as he matches it in turn. Deal's sealed. It's a good thing.

He huffs a soft laugh as Gen withdraws his hand. Whole place is weird; magic's probably gonna be unavoidable. Tough luck for them, huh.

But he looks up at Gen as he's off to get himself cleaned off, proper. Doing that really did feel good. He's definitely not gonna get in the way of that. Amos lifts a hand lackadaisically in some sort of wave, leans back. ]

I won't. Have at 'er.