[RE] Through the looking glass

random event Astra and Loren, Adam and Coffee, see the outstretched nothing-world that is the inside of a portal. The signposts pointing towards the Mathair and the Fangs. barring whatever other exploration they might have done for narrative purposes, as the pair step towards the direction of the Fangs, they are transported an indeterminate distance. Before them now is a portal into that icy land. Stepping through brings with it the icy and crisp smell of snow and a climate that they are woefully under-prepared for. But the climate isn't the only thing to greet them..

neron

Ready or not, here they came. Biting chill and bitter winds met those who would step through the portal into the patch of the world called Halo - and more fool them for imagining that they might stroll wherever they liked unimpeded. With luck they would not walk too far out of the portal, lest they meet the cold steel point of one of several dozen spears levelled at the group.

The soldiers holding the spears were dressed for the extreme weather - and oh, but it was extreme. The portal opened into a vast cave system, through which a blistering gale howled and moaned. Icicles  hung like fangs from the cavern ceilings, and all signs pointed to a blizzard raging beyond.

”State your place of origin and the purpose of your entry here.” A voice colder than the world around them rang out, and the soldiers parted to make way for him. Dressed from head to toe in solemn black, the Hailstorm stepped forward.

”Speak quickly, and do not mince your words. Halo does not tolerate dithering.”

Then, looking up, a crack appeared in the frozen facade - twin met twin, face to face, for the first time in years. ”My, my. But it’s only little lost Loren.”

lay your hand on me, one last time

Coding base by Sky!

ADAM

As soon as Adam stepped out of the portal, he gave out an exclamation of 'Oh, Jesus!' as the cold hit him and he rubbed his arms, not expecting the sudden cold. He'd always hated cold. It meant wrapping up and staying inside and being boring. At least he had a fire dragon. Coffee jumped up and wrapped himself around Adam's shoulders, keeping him a little warmer with puffs of hot air against his neck.

It was far from the first time he'd been in the middle of a bunch of soldiers (in both situations like this and in bedrooms) so he was not anxious. Glancing across at whatever weird family stuff was about to go down between Loren and the noble-looking fuckwit who'd arrived for them, he grinned and introduced himself.

"Hey. I'm Adam Pikely, this is Coffee." He pointed up at his dragon, who did not seem to want to introduce himself to the soldiers. "I guess my business is just adventuring and seeing what's out here. Being a sexy adventurer and all, it's kind of my thing. Hoping I might find somewhere a bit goddamn warmer next time though." He stomped his feet.

good evening, misadventure.
farewell morality.
it's time for another risky venture,
into the depths of depravity.

whatever comes, let it come

what stays, let it stay

Cold and barren was right: as soon as Loren stepped through the portal to Halo, the name familiar to him from his conversation with a certain demi-god, those were the first two things he noticed. He shivered in his totally inadequate clothes, but before he could do anything to warm himself up, a voice rang out. Only then did he notice the soldiers, and the unfamiliar man who was apparently their leader.

Teeth chattering, he did his best to muster up a response, hands seeking Astra’s fur for comfort and warmth. Unfortunately, before he could say anything, Adam was there, popping up from the portal behind, and speaking rapidly. And dithering, which they'd been expressly forbidden to do. It was all Loren could do not to roll his eyes or grit his teeth, though he wasn't surprised: the dark-haired man showed an incredible lack of common sense, insight, or self-preservation, and had been basically useless in getting them to the portal. Time for the old ducal manners then. It would be hard, but he'd manage; although his clothes were as black as the other man's, they were streaked with mud and dust, but still somehow he summoned up a regal bearing. ”Excuse my companion. We are from the Hollowed Grounds. We hope to establish trade and diplomatic relations between your land and ours. We mean you no harm.” His voice came firmly and calmly and his face was politely friendly.

They might have been face to face, but the other man’s face was unknown to the summoner. However, something in the stranger’s voice and words stirred now long dormant instincts. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the scared boy he’d been once upon a time, so at the kind of insult, all Loren did was narrow his eyes. ”I’m sorry, sir, you have the advantage of me. How do you know my name?” His voice came out politely as he could manage.

Then, because he wasn’t going to just stand there and freeze to death, he decided to see how far he could push this. ”Might I summon something to warm me and my companions?” It had been a while since he’d called upon his phoenix, but maybe it would come, even after his summoning had gone wonky. If not, he’d try to warm the water and ice all around him, but that seemed like it might create more problems than it was worth. Worst case, though, if he felt himself slipping under, he’d heal the damage from the cold. Plus, he could use it to attack the soldiers.

what goes, let go

LOREN

neron

Steel blue eyes shot first to the dark haired man who had come swaggering forward, then lingered on the reptile around him. The soldiers did not lower their spears, and nor did they flinch at the sight of such strange companions. “If you’d like warmer, I suggest you turn around and go back where you came from. Be sexy on your own time, instead of wasting mine.”

And back to Loren. It was jarring, that he was not immediately recognised, but then Neron had been given months and months to get used to the newness of a face he had come to know better than his old one. “The Hollowed Grounds? You took your time in arriving, Loren.” A sneer curled across his lips - sir? He might be able to get used to that, he thought.

”I know your name because we share a name day, and grew up side by side,” he said simply. “You wish to establish trade and diplomatic relations, and yet you arrive perilously empty handed.” That in itself was part insult, part amusing, and with a flick of his hand, the soldiers lowered their spears. “What is it you would trade? Where are your ambassadors, your leaders? Surely it isn’t you who leads the Hollowed Grounds now?”

lay your hand on me, one last time

Coding base by Sky!

ADAM

Oh jeez, this guy really wasn't any fun. "I can't help being sexy on everyone's time, sorry." As if to illustrate this he tried to run a hand down his chest, but he was so cold his fingers scrunched up as he did so, somewhat ruining the effect.

Still for the most part he stayed quiet, watching with raised eyebrows the strange drama occurring before him. Loren didn't remember his...twin? Adam liked to think if he had a twin, he'd remember them (of course, there could not be another Adam Pikely in the world. He was so cool his mother could only handle it once).

At least the last question he could contribute an answer to. "Neither of us are the leader. Our Queen was back there..." He pointed to the portal. "But she couldn't make it. Er...look, man, we just went through the portal to see what was here. I'm not trying to make any kind of diplomatic statement with you or whatever, I just wanna see what's going on."

good evening, misadventure.
farewell morality.
it's time for another risky venture,
into the depths of depravity.

whatever comes, let it come

what stays, let it stay

Oh for fucks sake. Once again, Adam showed a shocking lack of understanding of the situation at hand. Perhaps the man had a death wish. If Loren had thought the dark-haired man would listen, the summoner would’ve ordered his companion to head back through the portal to check on Wessex and Jigano and let them know the portal worked and that Loren was handling things. However, Adam hadn’t listened when the summoner said stay put before, so he doubted the dark-haired man would listen now.

Summoning was out, which was annoying. Loren wasn’t prepared to disobey yet, and he figured using his water magic was out as well. So instead he went with healing: just because it normally glowed a sky-blue didn’t mean it had to. An invisible wave passed through him, chasing away the worst effects of the cold, and he sent an invisible bolt at Adam to do the same. Hopefully.

Then the leader of the troops spoke to him with some familiarity again and Loren’s brow furrowed. Again, his subconscious was jumping up and down at him, but his conscious thoughts believed his eyes and not his ears and his instincts. For now. ”You seem to have foreknowledge of my arrival. I apologize that it took longer than you expected. There were complications.” That was an understatement.

Name day? Grew up side by side? No. It couldn’t be. Neron hadn’t made it to Caido. Hadn’t come with the rest of the family when they arrived in this strange, terrible, and beautiful world. Didn't have this face. Had Loren's face. ”I don’t know who told you of my twin. Or of me.” After all, they’d been identical twins, and the man before the summoner was a stranger.

Then, of course, Adam had to jump in before Loren could respond to the stranger’s claims. ”I, however, am here to make a diplomatic statement.” He shot the dark-haired man a look that hopefully communicated ‘please let me handle this.’ Probably wouldn’t register in Adam’s thick skull. If they got through this, the summoner was going to have a chat with the dark-haired man (and maybe Peter) about Adam's decision-making capabilities, or rather, lack thereof.

For now, Loren called upon every ounce of command he could muster, which was a lot. He had a lot of role models to draw from: Zariah, Cyton, Wessex, all strong people. Of course, the summoner was strong as well, stronger than he’d ever been. Time for Loren to show that. He could do this. Had the right to do this. Should do this.

That certainty practically rang from his voice and his posture. ”I am the Captain of the Hollowed Grounds, so yes, I speak with authority on behalf of our people.” Flimsy at best—and unconfirmed by Wessex and officially by Deimos, though the summoner was pretty sure he could convince the General to make it permanent—but attitude was everything, and Loren spoke as if he actually had that title. Which he did. And he slipped into that role. As he'd slipped into many roles before, it came to him easily.

Luckily, he had the knowledge of what Halo needed to bolster him. And thankfully the soliders lowered their weapons. ”I arrive empty-handed, yes. But right behind me, through this portal, is a bounty we can share. Food, for you, should you wish to take it. Grains from our fields, fruits from our orchards, game from our forests. And wood from those forests for your fires. Along with the insights and knowledge from people from worlds other than this one.” He gestured at the strange contraptions on Adam’s hips; the summoner had no idea what they did, but they sure looked impressive. ”Items you can only dream of.” Staring the other man directly in the eye, the summoner didn’t back down. Instead, he drew himself up to his full height. ”All we ask is that you open our borders to us, and sit down to talk with us about an equitable exchange of goods.”

what goes, let go

LOREN

neron

Neron watched Adam with what might have been amusement, or a close cousin of it, but that was mainly due to the spectacular failure of what the stranger apparently thought was attractive. Interest flashed through his eyes, however, at mention of the Queen - Neron also new a Queen of the Hollowed Grounds. Funny, that. “She couldn’t make it,” he echoed, a sharpness to the words that very much suggested that he was making a judgement on said Queen for sending these two idiots in her place.

“Look around you, Adam Pikely, and you will see ‘what’s going on’,” he invited. “You are standing in a cave in the middle of a howling blizzard, at spear point, miles from civilisation. You’re about fifteen minutes away from frostbite. Does that sate your curiosity?”

And then the big guns spoke, and Neron very nearly let a laugh bubble up in his throat at the absurdity of the situation. “Complications. Oh, I can only imagine.” Loren the confident. Loren the diplomat. Loren the Captain. This was all getting more and more absurd, and Neron thoroughly enjoyed it; a handsome grin spread across his face as he listened to his twin’s offerings and treaties. And really, his business head told him that this was, indeed, a valuable opportunity. One he would not pass up. At all.

“And what would you have of Halo in return? Do tell me, little brother, all that you know of the land in which you find yourself. I’m dying to hear it.” Another flick of the wrist and all but two of the soldiers were dismissed to their duties, to tend their fires and scout the caves. “The walls of the citadel are high and sturdy. They are as close to a border as we have, and they open for hunting parties and scouts, nothing more.”

lay your hand on me, one last time

Coding base by Sky!

ADAM

Neron was clearly trying to intimidate him, but unfortunately for him, Adam was not easily intimidated. He snorted a laugh, thinking 'man, this guys a right knob', then looked about him and nodded. "Well yeah, I can see alla that. But I think it's pretty fucking obvious I wasn't asking about just around us. I want to know what kinda drinks you're serving, what kinda people live in the city. The kind of thing someone like you probly can't tell me."

It was obvious he was cramping Loren's style to an extreme degree, but he couldn't really bring himself to care, not when there was an escape route right behind them and a noble-seeming dickhead before them. Besides, it seemed Loren's approach wasn't working.

"If the walls of your city are that great and all, what's the harm in letting in two dudes and their pets? We only want somewhere warm to stay and check this place out. Hell, we could do trade negotiations, cities like those, right? I've got a bit of an organisation myself, could work something out that's beneficial for the both of us. C'mon mate, work with us a little here." He put on his best charming smile.

good evening, misadventure.
farewell morality.
it's time for another risky venture,
into the depths of depravity.

whatever comes, let it come

what stays, let it stay

Whatever else this man was, he was a leader, and he had soldiers, and the last thing that Loren wanted was for the people of Halo to think the people of the Hollowed Grounds were weak. ”She has us to represent her. I’d be happy to give you a demonstration of my abilities if you think I am a less than adequate substitute.” In fact, the summoner was practically itching to unload his magic on the annoying stranger. Leader or not, he was a dick. However, Loren had learned at least a little patience in the past couple of seasons, so he kept his calm facade up. Go Loren.

Although he probably should’ve defended Adam from the stranger’s words, the summoner honestly just wanted to applaud at the end. He couldn’t have said it better himself. And hopefully it would get the dark-haired man to shut up, at least long enough for Loren to establish a toehold here.

Nope. No such luck.

Still, the Launceleyn let the village idiot Adam dig his own grave. Unfortunately, for the dark-haired man, he didn’t really have the authority to negotiate on behalf of the people of the Hollowed Grounds, not like Loren did. However, the summoner was intrigued in this organziation that Adam spoke of. A problem for another day. Assuming they survived this one. Between the hosility before them and the unstable Spire behind them, Loren wasn’t sure they would.

After all, it would be difficult to get through this, given that the leader seemed to have quite a bit of information the summoner lacked and given that Adam seemed hell-bent on fucking things over for them. ”Again, excuse my companion. As he said, we are cold and tired after our ordeal, and would welcome some hospitality. I am sure you are well aware of everything pertinent within your lands." That seemed diplomatic enough. "Adam is right about one thing. We mean you and your people no harm. And we have goods and services to offer.” Now if only the dark-haired man would shut up.

However, just because the stranger was aware of everything in Halo (maybe) didn’t mean he knew everything. Especially about what the summoner had been through. ”Can you?” He raised his eyebrows, as if daring the stranger to try and understand Loren’s life. However, it wasn’t important what the leader did. It mattered what the summoner did.

And didn’t do. Which included put up with more shit. Fuck this. Loren wasn’t going to be jerked around by a smug asshole (though that pretty much defined his entire relationship with Neron, which was a point in the stranger’s favor). He didn’t like mind games when they were verbal any more than he did when they were mental or magical. ”My older brothers are dead or gone. None of them made it to this world” Then again Caido did resurrect people, and people did land outside the Spire. So there was a chance, however small, that Loren’s twin had come through. With a new face, somehow.

Therefore, the summoner would trust, but verify. ”Alright then. If you are who you say you are, prove it. Tell me something only my twin would know.” Names of all their siblings; the last thing the two of them did together; something from their childhood beyond vagaries that anyone could guess at. Maybe, just maybe, that would be enough to get Loren to listen to his instincts and his subconscious, both of which were screaming at him that somehow, beyond all belief, this was his twin. His long-lost, elder twin. The fucker who’d tortured the summoner basically his whole life, and pushed off work on Loren, and generally made his life a living hell.

Neron or not, though, the summoner’s goal and duty were clear. And the smug asshole might know a lot, but Loren had a shit ton of knowledge as well, particular in regards to Halo and what it could offer. ”Open borders and mage glass.” His voice came out confidently, as it had this whole time. As most of the soldiers left, his eyes flicked towards them and then back. ”Then let our scouts and hunting parties into your citadel. In return for that, and mage glass, we can open our own borders to your people, and trade you what goods you need.” That seemed a more than fair exchange to Loren.

Time to seem if maybe!Neron was going to be as much of an idiot as the real Neron was.

what goes, let go

LOREN

neron

It played out like some ridiculous pantomime - Adam oh no you didn’ting and Loren oh yes you diding in return. Steely eyes flicked from one man to the other as they presented, rebuked, argued and contradicted (and yet somehow agreed with) each other’s information. “If you are the best the Hollowed Grounds has to offer, I weep for your lands,” he said curtly, focusing very briefly on Loren at his remark about his understanding of the summoner - and the apparent keenness to demonstrate his abilities. “Believe me, I have no need to see what you are capable of doing. I’ve seen enough in my time,” he said simply.

Then to Adam, or perhaps to them both, he spread his hands, which were gloved in black leather. “I am Neron Launceleyn, Warden of the Citadel, and I welcome you to Halo. Our wine is hot and sweet, and our people will eat you alive.” Perhaps literally, if they were lucky. “The Citadel is some distance from here - unless there is something specific you would offer, I suggest you turn back now. Come back with your Queen - or a coat, at the very least - and we will make arrangements to meet with you. You stand in the Fangs, a mountain range which flanks the tundra.”

As for mage glass, he glanced to Loren a second time. “A legend. If there is mage glass in Halo, I have yet to find any. Apologies for disappointing you. Is there anything more?”

lay your hand on me, one last time

Coding base by Sky!

ADAM

As the conversation between Loren and Neron went on and as Neron insisted yet again the citadel was far and they were not welcome, Adam suddenly felt his patience for the place snap. His nipples were freezing off, his dick was the size of a cocktail sausage and this dude had absolutely no taste in people.

"Okay, y'know what? I'm outta here anyway. This place seems kinda shit....I'll be back when we get a portal to a hot babe island." With those words he waved and walked backwards through the portal, Coffee following behind swiftly, swishing his tail sassily towards Neron.

---

Adam peaces out.

good evening, misadventure.
farewell morality.
it's time for another risky venture,
into the depths of depravity.

dont know where the lights are taking us
but something in the night is dangerous

“I’m here,” Wessex says simply, stepping through the portal as if she were stepping through any other threshold. A little dirty, perhaps, from her time in the crack, but composed and dare she say, radiating. One newly minted demi-god, coming right up!

“Had to take care of some things on our side, sorry for the delay.” Clothed in naught but her usual leather armor - wrist guards, bow, boots, and all the usual accoutrements, the pixie-cut blonde warrior strolls from the entrance of the portal to the group with an amiable expression on her face, skin bare to the elements - quite obviously taking no heed of them. Her gaze travels quickly to the cave system and the guards, but make no move to threaten or weave any sort of magic. Her usual cloak had been left back at Theskyra House, otherwise she might have offered it to either Adam or Loren. Taking a good look at the stranger, she extends her hand.

“Wessex Theskyra, Queen of the Hollowed Grounds” The Wraith, Demi-God, public enemy number one, head vamp - pick a title, she’ll probably answer to it. “Neron Launceleyn, you said?” she offers a questioning look to Loren. “Another one? Is there any place your family isn’t?”  It’s said in jest, but there is more than a grain of truth to her question. Rabbits, the lot of them.

whatever comes, let it come

what stays, let it stay

At least Adam was gone. That just left Loren and the man who claimed he was Neron. Certainly enough of an asshole, but again, despite the fact that large swaths of the summoner’s mind were convinced that this was, indeed, his twin, he couldn’t get past the face. Before he could respond, though, Wessex was there.

Loren didn’t want to begin to consider the implications of that, and the fact that she wasn’t here with Jigano.

There was something different about the queen. Again, though, not the time nor the place to discuss it. Instead, the summoner just nodded at Wessex and stepped back. He’d done his best to convince the leader of Halo to open the borders to them, so the queen should feel free to take a turn. Not that she needed his permission.

At her question, though, his eyes flicked towards the stranger who claimed he was Neron. He didn’t even bother lowering his voice to a whisper. ”I used to have an identical twin. This man claims to be him, but has offered no real proof, just claims to know me.” Looking at the other man, Loren raised his eyebrows. ”If you’re telling the truth, this is not exactly how I imagined the reunion going.” Not that he’d imagined it, not even in his wildest dreams. He hesitated then, searching for some sign of his brother. "But...if it is true...then I look forward to reuniting with my lost brother." Despite their difference, Loren meant that.

Then, though, the summoner stepped back through the portal. Let the queen figure out this mess.

---

Loren peaces out.

what goes, let go

LOREN