Cough cough

Kaisel

Following Charlie's lead through the sweeping arches and sprawling hallways of the Temple, they make it to the shrine before he even fully notices. It's only when their chatter dies down a touch and the space seems to echo just with a breath, that his eyes lift from hers to the large obsidian monument in the room. It's unlike any of the other shrines he's accustomed to, where the god's likeness has been carved into a statue, or their favored elements and talents have been molded into something unquestionably theirs. This looks almost like it crashed down and the temple erected itself around it in worship, leaving broken shards unpolished, though they still shine in the firelight.

He glances back at Charlie for confirmation that this is it. Not that it's unimpressive, but it's just, very raw. He scarcely needs her reply though, the residue of spilt blood all around is indicator enough, both across the stone edges and through the air. He glances up as he approaches the dark corner, where one side shears off into something more sleek and the other remains rough and shaped by time and weather alone. He steadies himself, never having bled on purpose before, though plenty of times by accident.

"Hi, Dygra," he murmurs as his left hand reaches out to touch the rock, fingertips tracing the edges for sharpness. "Charlie suggested I try meeting you in place of the other gods for a change." A very capable priestess, he smiles. He presses the side of his palm in on a corner that feels sharp enough, fighting every part of him that cringes away from the predictable outcome of his choice. Every instinct in him demands he stop; the body designed to avoid hurt and pain at all costs. He has done more than this to himself though, for the sake of becoming stronger. His palm slides up in a quick, hard motion, the side splitting open in a red line. "So I was hoping you might help me improve my weapon even more," he says it through a touch of a wince as he presses the dripping blood against the smooth side of the stone, letting it scatter in a slow stream down the dark stone.

---

Kai is requesting to upgrade this item

Leviathan Chakram | An unbreakable chakram created from the scale of a leviathan by the Voice. With razor-sharp edges, this discus will always return to the hand of whoever throws it, and will always do so without injuring the hands of the thrower.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Upgraded | Cost: Action

Wanted me to fail out of spite, I didn't
All bark but they don't bite, they timid

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

charlie

Charlie meets Kai’s glance with a dazzling, heart-forward nod that seems to gather every flicker of firelight in the room and pour it into her expression. Her smile becomes something luminous and encouraging, soft at the edges but bright enough to burn away hesitation. The moment his skin breaks and the first line of red blooms across his palm, she inhales gently; an indulgent little hum slipping from her lips as if the scent itself were a ribbon she could wrap around her fingers.

She drifts toward the obsidian like she’s being pulled by gravity she has personally seduced. The glossy, pristine side reflects her in fragmented ribbons of red-slashed silk and molten curls, but she ignores that half entirely, lowering herself to her knees without hesitation in front of the jagged, ruinous side. The ground is rough beneath her skin, scraping lightly as her dress pools around her, already stained and ready for more.

Without ceremony, she plucks a ritual dagger from the offering tray—its blade obsidian-dark and wicked in the firelight—and draws it across her forearm in one swift, confident motion. The cut is deep, deeper than Kai’s, deliberate in a way that sends a shiver of heat rolling through the air around her. Blood wells instantly, dark and rich, sliding down to her wrist and collecting in her palm before dripping steadily to the floor.

With a delighted little breath, Charlie flicks her blood upward in chaotic arcs—; no pattern, no plan, each movement a celebratory offering to disorder itself. Droplets scatter across both the jagged stone and her already-stained thighs, blooming in irregular constellations. To anyone else it might look reckless or wild; to Charlie, it is reverence.

"Kaisel was at the Blood Moon Festival," she announces brightly to the shrine, voice carrying in a warm ribbon through the ruby-lit air. Her eyes sparkle as she glances back at Kai, mischief flaming like a spark caught in silk. "And I’ve been showing him all the things Ancients can do." She flashes him a fanged grin—sharp, approving, delighted—and her eyebrows lift in an expression that says look at you, being so brave and shiny. Then she tucks her blood-soaked hand into her lap, completely unbothered by the way the thick red streaks seep into the white satin of her dress and smudge across her knees.

Her posture is devotional, messy, and radiant all at once—an offering in her own right—while she waits silently for Dygra's arrival.

---

I don't think as a SC Charlie can add to Kai's roll, but if he doesn't roll high enough, I'll pay MP for a reply!

they say i did something bad
then why'd it feel so good?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Dygra

They are not left waiting for long.

The heat in the room becomes something near physical, pressing warmth against any patch of exposed skin on display, pulsing in tune with the thrum of their hearts until all are beating as one. Upon the obsidian alter, their blood streams across the dark gemstone in scarlet whirls that have no rhyme or reason, combining here, splitting and dripping away there, and when Dygra's voice purrs its greeting, the very flames in the sconces shiver with delight.

"Sweet, dark priestess. You have brought more than one offering to me today." Low and sensuous, whilst the goddess might appear in voice alone, her presence is as thunderous as any deity of Caido, wrapping about Charlie in a tight embrace.

As for Kaisel and his chakram, he'll feel Dygra as more of a caress, liquid flame that doesn't burn, curiosity and expectation rolled into one. "This, boy, was crafted by the Voice," she says of his chakram. "But she is no more, and I am here. If you would change your weapon's history, I am all too glad to oblige. But is that all you came for, truly?"

---

Kaisel has received a quest! He must:

1. Complete a thread injuring someone with his chakram, ensuring the weapon is stained with their blood. 
2. Complete a thread using the chakram to injure himself, this time ensuring the weapon is stained with his blood.
3. Complete a thread spending a night in The Climb (in a board of his choice), bathing his weapon in the light of an open fire.
4. Complete a training thread with an Ancient - unarmed combat only.

Table coding by Sky <3

Kaisel

It's not unexpected to see Charlie pop off, although he can confidently say he's never seen blood be used like confetti before. It's only mildly unnerving, like maybe all his jokes about cults and demons isn't so far off after all, but he's realized it after descending into the stage where he's got a glass of kool-aid already in hand. Speaks to the magnitude of a nice personality and a dragon.

He embraces it the best he can, trying to give this an honest shot, and steps back from the sudden swell of heat that emanates...well, everywhere. Sconces flicker like sets of eyes all blinking at once as a presence emerges from the press of heat like an exhale given form. No, he realizes quickly after glancing all around for the disembodied voice that slides through the room with all the effect of Oz. Dygra is here but not here, or possibly, always here, as he glances down at the red line on his hand as if she's already made herself at home inside him.

The brush of heat seems to intensify, but not in a way that causes him to retreat, as the attention swings upon him. "More interested in its future than its past," he asserts confidently, raising his head to speak to the...stone, yeah he settles on the stone. The lingering question offered to him gives him pause, 'brows furrowing. "I mean, I came to meet you. I don't really feel a strong connection with any of the gods." Even Frey, who he's quested with the most so far, he goes to for Flora more than himself, however right or wrong that is. Safrin had been his favorite so far, but alas, he doesn't think it's wise to test how burnt bridges hold up.

Maybe all the more reason to attune with Flora. Would certainly keep Mel from yelling at him again.

"Charlie's suggested I become an Ancient, but that's not a decision I'm making today," he informs the voice (lowercase v) steadily. "I'm not sure I appreciate blood the way you do." Not said with judgement, but careful consideration of what has proven appealing and not about not only this experience, but every one with Ancients thus far. "But, I'm still thinking about things."

Wanted me to fail out of spite, I didn't
All bark but they don't bite, they timid

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Dygra

Kaisel will see nothing of the goddess of entropy, but he'll get the distinct feeling that she's smiling, all sharp teeth and dark delight. "Perhaps I was always inside you, boy, but you are only just realising it," she purrs, and if Kai is caring to watch, he'll see the cut on the side of his palm begin to seal itself up, leaving only a glimmer of scarlet in its wake. "There is so much potential to be unlocked inside you. Maybe you have not yet found a god with the right sort of key?"

Her laughter, low and sensuous, ripples along the walls like heat from a fire. "Do not think too hard," she advises, and the blood on the altar begins to drip upwards, as if to form a small, gravity-defying statuette in the shape of - you guessed it - Kaisel Ashborn. "You can appreciate all things with an open enough mind." Blood, chaos, indulgence, pleasure, death, sweetness; nothing is off limits.

Table coding by Sky <3

Kaisel

The idea that Dygra has always been with him isn’t something he’s really considered, and he’s not entirely sure how to feel about it in this moment. The notion of harboring an entity all along, unknowingly, is a jarring realization. The quick heal of his arm, something he watches with wide and impressed eyes, suggests it’s meant more as a comfort. The overall idea, he would later reflect upon, is that Dygra is larger than just some blood spilled on a stone, whispering through fire.

The promise of tapping into more of his potential is certainly an appealing one, and maybe he leans in a touch closer to the obsidian monument for the hidden promise there. The sound of the laughter seems to catch him though, and he settles back into his heels with his own faint laugh. ”Yeah, maybe,” he agrees, more muddled than ever before about everything. ”That’s funny, that’s the opposite of what Safrin told me to do.” Which is it’s own thing worth thinking about.

Letting his gaze trace the sudden defiance of their offerings as it refutes gravity and swirls into a familiar form, Kaisel’s breath slows with mild wonder. He had never doubted Dygra had the power to stand with the gods he’s more familiar with, but the chaotic displays of rebellion to the order of the world have an undeniable appeal, despite the humming undercurrent of warning that he feels vibrating along the surface of his skin. There’s a price for embracing this.

”Lot’s to consider…including doing exactly, not that.” His smile eases in, shouldering past the quiet awe that comes with sharing a room with something divine. ”Thank you, Dygra.”

[FIN]

Wanted me to fail out of spite, I didn't
All bark but they don't bite, they timid

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!