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

sayaka maizono | dangan ronpa | lover

[destage]

[Sayaka's never been more scared in her life.

It's an obvious fact as the ceremony begins in full; for all of the positive front that Sayaka has tried to put on, even in the midst of this terrible, awful mess, there's no mistaking the way she's simply gone pale and practically shaking in response to the situation at hand. She's been on a stage in front of hundreds of thousands of people, and yet the uncertainty, the dread in all of it has made Sayaka go quiet, close in on herself, and her steps are shaky as she cooperates. Surely, it can't go that badly if she does that much. Compliance is easy, after all; she's used to it.

Unfortunately, she's not exactly used to what comes after.]

ration-ality (and lack thereof)

[Sayaka has been utterly sick to her stomach ever since they took those nasty vials. It's not enough that she's been eating pretty limitedly in general; whatever appetite she's had is long gone after all of that, after trying to find a place to hide and just collect herself. Try not to cry, really; crying has been quite tempting since she arrived here, but she has an image to present. Or at least try to; nobody's having a good time over here, but Sayaka still wants to retain some level of pride here.

It's why she seeks out supplies; she might not be able to get much, but what little she does get is at least in part due to her being observant. Quick, really, when the situation calls for it. But it's with that same quickness, that same sort of carefulness that Sayaka seeks out others who may not have been so lucky.

So, you may have a visitor, if you haven't been so. She's holding out something you likely need, out of what little the guards are offering.]

Here--you weren't able to get anything, right? Take mine. [Sayaka's smile is almost warm in this desolate place.] You'll likely need it more than me.

[She says this despite her own rather tattered robes (from tearing pieces off to patch others up) and her own poor state; she's hoping, deep down, that it helps someone.

Of course, she is also pathetically easy to bully out of her supplies too--she may be dealing with the aftermath of that, just kind of at a loss and trying to lick her metaphorical wounds a bit. It's fine; compliance will surely win out in the end, right...?]

acceptance (?)

[Of course, that tends to leave Sayaka particularly susceptible to all of what's happening to them. Particularly so; as time wears on she seems to become more and more sickly, weaker even. Weak enough that she has to take what little she can, despite wanting to make a good impression on others to survive. To be good. To be safe, and most importantly, alive.

You might hear it in stray thoughts, if you happen to wander near her; a seeming mantra in her mind. Keep calm, smile, be polite seems to be something she's making a conscious effort to keep on her mind, but those aren't the only thoughts that afflict her.

Stop being so useless. Get up. What are you good for if you can't do anything?

(to lovers in particular, they might be able to see the image of many different men--distant figures, faces barely recognizable, and while the disparaging words seem gentler, they're no less strict and implying that sayaka cannot stay idle)

The thoughts are perhaps even more wretched than usual towards herself, though they do seem to spur her into action. Into seeking people out again and again, if only to provide what little she can grab for herself.

You might also find her just generally sick; coughing and trying to huddle in on herself to try and keep warm. She's durable enough, but all she feels right now is weak. Weak and sickly, and as you get closer, you might honestly just find her curling in on herself and crying as she gets closer and closer to a breaking point.

Perhaps she could use a bit of convincing, all things considered.]

wildcard

(writing at 3am is such a bad idea, but i wanted to get this out...anyway, if you wanna hit me with a wildcard prompt feel free to hmu!! my plurk is cityescape if you wanna add/contact me there!)

acceptance;

[inutilis]

[ though Abel didn't intend on sneaking up on her, Sayaka might not have heard him coming considering how small and insular she's become, huddled up and releasing pent-up misery in the way of tears.

...the sound breaks his heart, tugs at every chord in his chest in a very painful manner; he hopes not to startle her as he gently, lightly, rests a hand at her arm to try and get her attention. ]

Miss...?

[ his voice is soft; Abel is a tall but not particularly intimidating creature, especially considering all of them are unwell and going on weeks of manhandling. hopefully she isn't frightened; his eyes are bleeding his concern, an empathy to see her so low. but he cannot -- does not -- blame her for letting it out, nor feeling it keenly. this... is horrible, and he hates it. he hates to see this wearing them all down, one after the other.

she doesn't deserve this. no one does. ]

sorry for the delay!

[destage]

[Ah.

Sayaka startles a bit when Abel speaks up, even though it is softly--many anxious thoughts run through her head when she realizes that someone's seen her like this, that someone's seen her at less than her best, when she's supposed to be strong and not just some weak little girl who's going to be forgotten, she's stupid, she's so damn stupid--

Sayaka furiously rubs at her eyes a bit, trying to get herself...well, about as put together as she can, all things considered.]

Ah...y-yes? Is there something I can help you with, sir?

[Sayaka tries her best to plaster on a fake smile--one she's so, so used to putting on for others. It's fine? It's clearly fine and hey, maybe it'll get him to ignore the horrible state she was in, ahahaha--]

you're totally fine!!; 1/2

[inutilis]

[ that smile is, perhaps, even more heartbreaking than the muffled sound of her tears had been; Abel is taken slightly aback for a moment, surprised by her efforts to 'save face,' it seems. though it probably doesn't do her much good, his expression grows only more concerned to see it. ]

...Ah, n-no... I--

[ her desperation seems almost palpable, somehow; whatever he had been about to say--

he thinks better of it. his mouth clicks shut, his shoulders hunching some in quiet trepidation. instead... ]

2/2

[inutilis]

[ a heavy beat, before he offers her a tentative, somewhat sheepish smile. ]

Actually, this-- this might seem like a strange request, but... is it alright if we sit together for a while?

[ his shoulders hunch a bit further, making the great lanky tower of a man shrink like some kind of child hoping to avoid embarrassment, ] --If you swear on God's green earth you won't make fun of me for saying so, I might be willing to admit I've had a horrible dream and was looking for some company... Y-you look like the sort that won't share this kind of mortifying fact, s-so, you know-- --I mean, you won't, will you? ...Is it alright?

[destage]

[Oh.

Sayaka pauses for a moment, and the request--it actually gets her to lighten just a touch. It's something she can do--something simple, something she can feel useful doing that isn't just crying in the dark, and all be told, it gets a bit of a softer smile out of her.]

Of--of course! It's absolutely fine. I'd be glad to--and I promise I won't judge you for such a thing at all.

[Sayaka scoots over a bit and pats the spot next to her--come sit if you want to, man.]

Trust me, I'm hardly in a position to do so, sir. I'd be happy to be of some company--and be an ear, if you wanted to talk about what happened. If it's not too personal, of course.

Ration-ality

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya had failed to acquire anything dropped between them this time, but it couldn't be said that he'd tried very hard. He didn't really want to fight. Over resources, or the feelings seeping out of them, or... anything.

He was about to resign himself to hunger when Sayaka surprises him with an offering. He blinks rapidly, but despite the confusion reaches to take the food anyway.] Um--but have you eaten anything? We can split it.

[destage]

[She feels so bad seeing people who don't even want to fight for resources, all be told--it's saddening, and deeply so. But at the very least, she can try to make things better for others by being sneaky...

Well, that's what she thinks, anyway. Yuya's question and statement gets Sayaka to pause a bit, trying to wave it off a little.]

It's okay. I'm, um, not exactly hungry... [...] And after everything that's happened, I'm not entirely sure I want to eat again for a little bit. So it's--

[Unfortunately, her traitorous stomach growls mid sentence, and Sayaka can only bring herself to sigh a bit.]

...I wouldn't mind that, actually. Mind if I join you for a bit, then...?

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya purses his lips into a thin smile. He immediately starts to tear the rations in half and holds it out in offering. He doesn't mind at all.]

Thanks. I didn't think I was going to get anything. [And a cycle of hunger and sickness isn't going to make him any stronger. He knows that. He just doesn't want to forcibly deprive someone else when they all need it.]

[destage]

It's no problem. I'm glad that I can be of some help.

[Sayaka will gladly take the offered half of the rations, then, smiling gently as she does her best to not just...completely devour them. She's at least a little polite.]

It's definitely concerning, though. It feels like they're trying to do this on purpose.

acceptance!

[lifespanned]

[ Freed from her own ailment on the account of letting in this dark power, Misa hears Sayaka's thoughts more clearly than she might have if she was still suffering from the disease. And her heart bleeds a bit (what little that it still can); this girl looks young, and her in mind, faces of many unrecognizable men, berating her. Misa hates to see someone like herself suffer - and more to the point, she'd hate to prolong it if she can prevent it.

Misa approaches her, a container of water in hand - much more full than what they'd all been given before. Her face is clean, as are her clothes - all signs that she's already been let outside. But she kneels down to where Sayaka is curled up, offering the water without hesitation. ]

Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you— I just feel bad you're crying like that... [ How can she convince her to open up? People around don't seem to take well to those that left the cave, or so Misa has picked up on. It doesn't bother her, but it does make her want to think strategically about how she comes across to the remaining people inside. ] I can hear that stuff going on in your head a little. So we're the same one, right?

[ She pulls back the fabric on her shirt, revealing the sigil for the lover on the back of her right hand. ]

sorry for the delay! retail and laptop troubles wombo combo'd me a bit orz

[destage]

[There's a bit of a brief moment where Sayaka hears Misa's voice and everything in her body startles--she tries so hard to make herself look presentable at all times, and Misa might even get the brief images of like...preparing for interviews and the like as Sayaka messes with her hair a bit, wipes her face, prepares to have a smile at the ready--

But then she actually sees Misa, and...there's a pause. Something a little surprised, really--she's come back up from the surface, clearly, and yet she's offering...comfort. Similarities, even in these times, and yet as she looks at the symbol on Misa's hand...

Well, Sayaka lets her walls down. Just a tiny bit.]

Ah...I really should apologize, then. You shouldn't be seeing such miserable things. [Still, Sayaka pulls back one of the torn sleeves of her robe, revealing her own sigil on her left wrist.] But yeah, it looks like we are. I'm not sure how many of us there are, but...at least we have some similarities, right?

[Sayaka's hand reaches, tentatively--before pausing. A tiny bit hesitant, but...]

Are you...sure it's okay? You went upstairs, right? [Sayaka's eyes soften a bit--there's no judgement in her tone, at least, despite her own miserable state.] You won't get in trouble?

it's no worries at all omg i'm sorry for my own delay 😭

[lifespanned]

Nnnope, it's fine. They won't do anything. And if they do, Misa will just yell at them.

[ Ka-wink, said with the heaviest dose of charismatic bravado she can muster. After getting out of the headspace of just suffering, Misa feels her confident, belligerent self again. She just does not care if these people have authority over her anymore; she has the knowledge that they're all somehow important to some big cause. They won't lift a finger against her, probably.

Misa nudges the water closer to her again, even setting it down on the ground in case the other girl is too scared to take it directly from her hand. ]

I'm a bit tougher than I look, so I can handle seeing all kinds of things. You don't need to worry about me! I just wanted to help.

acceptance

[baltimores]

[ It had taken him a day, maybe two, to accept it. Give in. Make it stop.

And it had. Hell, it has Amos feeling so much better that — he can help. Normally it isn't something he'd try to do, but he's so fresh and raw coming from this, from not only feeling his feelings but catching fragments of what others had been going through, and... He can try, at least. He thinks that's the right thing to do. Try to help others get out on the other side of this.

Something in his gut twists at the sight of Sayaka curled in on herself. He pushes through the image of all of those men — definitely getting a bad feeling from them, but he's got enough clarity now that he can look right past them to the girl who's actually here — and goes to sit next to her. He's cleaned up now, looking substantially better than he has at any point during all of this, and it's just. She doesn't deserve to be suffering like this. Not when someone like himself isn't anymore.

Amos waits a moment before speaking softly. He doesn't move to touch her, just hopes he can be a steadying presence beside her. Whatever she chooses, they can go from there. ]

Hey. [ He pauses, trying to think of how to put this. ] It's okay, you know. You don't have to fight it. It'll be okay.

sorry for the delay! retail and laptop troubles wombo combo'd me a bit orz

[destage]

[Sayaka starts a bit, hearing Amos come over and...well, tensing a bit--there's a moment where she looks up, tries to decide how much more she can take--of how much she can put on a smile and continue to try and pretend that she's okay, that she's everything she's not, but...

His soft voices gets her to not do that. She looks up to Amos, and all she feels at the moment is just...drained. Sick, tired.]

...How can you be sure of that? It's... [Sayaka shudders a bit.] It's awful, isn't it? It feels like...something's trying to burrow it's way in, and fighting it...it's so hard. It's awful. How can that be okay?

no worries!!

[baltimores]

[ Part of him is thankful she's responded; part of him aches at how he can feel her exhaustion. Empathy isn't a normal one for him. Being back down here is a little brutal, but she's on the worse end of it now, so he'll try.

Amos shifts a little closer to her. He's there, if she needs a sturdy presence beside her. That's all. ]

Yeah. That part's not a great feeling. [ He looks out across the cavern — out at nothing, really — remembering it. Back at Sayaka, as open as he possibly can be. ] When you accept it, though... It's kinda hard to describe. It's not so much an intruder as it's a part of you. For me, I've always felt like I've been missing something. Like what other people have, I just never got. But letting it in? I don't know if it gave me what I've been missing. I don't know if I'll ever get that. But it gave me something I've never had before, and — [ he inhales, centring himself, finding something peaceful there before continuing — ] it's worth it.

acceptance

[youngprodigy]

[It's not like Cid is doing so great himself, alternating between appearing... relatively put together, and a trembling mess on the ground. But that doesn't stop him from noticing the girl shivering and just generally looking as miserable as he feels.]

It's not much, but I haven't eaten all of my rations. You look like you could do with a boost of aether.

[destage]

[Oh--Sayaka startles a bit at hearing Cid's voice, but the statement...well, it gets Sayaka to chuckle a touch. If bitterly, really.]

...I really look that bad, huh? I'm sorry, sir. [Still, perhaps surprisingly, she doesn't deny it for once.] I'll...I'll gladly take them, though--as long as you're not neglecting yourself. It's been hard to eat anything, after what they put us through...

[youngprodigy]

[He manages a small smile.]

I'm doing as well as I can, but I've noticed you not eating nearly as much as you should be. Even with rations as slim as they are, you need to eat something.

acceptance

[epiprocta]

[ It's exhausting enough having to deal with his own demons, the persistent echo of his own wretched memories playing through his head on loop. So when someone else's memories start also filtering through his mind, he feels like he's going to seriously lose it. It certainly doesn't help that, while he doesn't recognize any of the specific men in these stupid memories that don't belong to him, the sentiment behind them is vaguely familiar. The looming pressure of adults, always foisting their expectations onto people.

He's been huddled in a quiet corner for close to a full day at this point, not even bothering to try and fetch supplies for himself, bound to catch Sayaka's eye eventually with the way she's been seeking people to help. And when she approaches and he feels those foreign sensation only grow stronger -- he knows who to blame.

The moment she extends a hand his way, Gen's hand shoots forth to latch around her wrist; it's not strong enough to cause real damage, but it's certainly hard enough to bruise, especially when he suddenly yanks. And with Sayaka pulled close and down to his level, he leans in to growl right into her face, ]

-- sit the fuck down. Constantly wandering around like that ... you're annoying. You and your thoughts.

sorry for the delay! retail and laptop troubles wombo combo'd me a bit orz

[destage]

[...Well, that's not how she expected this to go at all.

Sayaka startles and even yelps a bit as Gen grabs her wrist and tugs her down--she does her best not to lose anything she's dragged forward, and for a moment, the anxiety alarm bells in her head go off like crazy. Is she going to die? Did she screw up, is he going to--

...Oh, he's just. Annoyed by her thoughts--that...gets Sayaka to pause a bit, still trying to internally recover from everything in the last ten seconds, but...]

...I'm...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to?

[What does one even say to that. It's not her fault her thoughts are broadcasting??? Still, just...let her take a seat, then, if he's going to insist so much. She is going to try and get her wrist out, though, good lord--]

I just wanted to help people some. I didn't realize that my thoughts were that obtrusive at all...

[...Even so, she does attempt to pass the supplies she's managed to get over--]

But, um. Here; I noticed you haven't been able to get anything, so...

no problem at all, hope things have settled down for you!

[epiprocta]

[ He maintains that iron grip on her wrist, more to make a point than anything else. It's only when she offers forth those meager supplies -- stale bread and a tiny flask of water, of course it's the same paltry shit as always from those guards -- that he narrows his eyes in seeming disgust before letting go of her. ]

Don't need anything from you.

[ He says, even if his voice is crackling at the edges from dehydration. But the last thing he wants is to have to feel indebted to some annoying girl who can't even stop apologizing; the endless nausea and persistent headache's tanked his appetite anyway. Gen huffs as he sits back against the cavern wall, looking Sayaka over as he deadpans: ]

Just pissed me off that you wouldn't stop running around like a headless chicken.

[ Like he hadn't been the one making a ruckus the first few days constantly, loudly fighting with the guards. ]

What's the point, anyway. If you're making such a fuss just 'cause people told you to. Not like anyone's watching you here.

acceptance

[dragon_rider]

[ There's no such thing as feeling yourself anymore. Not really. Even knowing something was wrong didn't stop you from feeling it — and feeling as such deeply. So that when others feelings and thoughts reverberated in your skull and heart, even separation could make it difficult to decipher as not your own (not when they were so close to being your own).

What are you good for? Nothing down here with these people and their control. Trying to force and shape them, to what-- why? No amount of exploration of the caves have given him any answers.

By now he's weaker yet, like the black sludge of illness has laid heavy in his bones. Call it Viking stubbornness that has him figuring out how to give his little rations away or even to stop by others. As he does now at the small huddled figured — a reaction that's become so familiar these days it almost makes him want to do it (or punch the nearest guard, or both). He does neither, however, as he instead wordlessly moves to drape the rest of his threadbare blanket at her feet. ]

[destage]

[Sayaka isn't sure where her own thoughts begin and where others end, anymore. It's been strange; a weird mix of things that aren't her own, ones that almost feel like her own and yet--

It's strange, and it's distracting--enough so that Sayaka startles when she sees Hiccup drape that blanket at her feet, looking up to him for a moment, and...]

Are...are you sure? They're being pretty stingy with supplies--I don't want to see someone go without, because of me...

[dragon_rider]

I'm sure.

[ His responds is immediate, a touch more cutting than he usually goes for. Maybe it's the stress. He exhales, soft and slow to steady himself, before shaking his head: ]

There's no 'because of me'. We're in this together.