[OPEN SE] the way we were
open SE - watching carnival attraction
Samuel Wordsworth
Book maker/seller

Age: 34 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1
MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac Offline
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Posts: 3,135 | Total: 8,707
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#1
Oh all I ever wanted was
a life in your shape
Sam had never been graceful. Nimble, perhaps; quick at getting away when he needed to and good at dodging, but not graceful. His movements had always been sudden, jerky, nervous; he moved like someone always on edge, who believed he was being watched not for the beauty of his movements but for some unknowable crime he would be caught for.

He'd always admired those who could move their bodies in a way that looked smooth and natural, confidence running off their limbs and into the air around them, utterly unafraid to take up space. The carnival, wherever it had come from, had brought with it a dance troupe. They wore bright and skin-hugging costumes, spun and lifted themselves among each other and tossed about ribbons and cloths of different lengths and colours, the fluid waves of the fabric mirroring and extending the dancers.

A song finished, the band winding down their jaunty tune; Sam clapped enthusiastically along with the crowd around the dancers. Before the notes of the next song began, the lead dancer stepped to the front of the staging area and spoke: "For our next dance, we would love it if you could dance with us! Find a partner in the audience and move with the music!"

Immediately, Sam's face changed to panic as he glanced about, hoping to meet someone's eye and see that they wouldn't mind his two left feet. "Um..." Maybe, if he couldn't find someone in time, he could quickly nip out of the crowd.
Keep my eyes on the road
As I ache
SAMUEL
Base Code by Sky!
Ophelia Athanasia
Emissary

Age: 29 | Height: 5'3 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 8 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 5 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
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#2
Ophelia

Ophelia is not graceful either, at least not in the dancing sense. While they move like a ghost and seem otherwise unimpeded by gravity, they’d never had reason to dance as a child. Energy was best spent targeted at the farm tasks that had no end in sight. Watching something like this was just as novel to Phi, and they stand in the crowd clapping along to the beat, joyous expression on their childlike face.

They certainly aren’t expecting the event to turn into a bystander-inclusive one, but Ophelia has embraced the opportunities and changes Ascension has brought them with open arms. This is no different.

Partners rush to join or find one another, and Ophelia spots Samuel wavering near the sidelines. Flouncing over in a rush of skirts that Wessex had gifted them, they boldly reach for Sam’s hands, pleasure at seeing him again written all over their face. They owe him just as fully as they owe the Voice for their Ascension after all. “Sam! Dance with me!” Pulling at his hands they twirl him out and away from the sidelines like an oversized game of Ring Around the Rosie.
For Justice knows the balance and your case cannot be won
By pressing down the scales with your own thumb
Samuel Wordsworth
Book maker/seller

Age: 34 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1
MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,135 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#3
Oh all I ever wanted was
a life in your shape
Sam's awkward standing and looking around was very abruptly ended as his hands were taken; he looked up in surprise at who had chosen to give him mercy and partner with him, and he smiled when he saw Ophelia. He remembered helping them in the Grounds to find the Voice, to begin their journey. From the fangs in their mouth, he could see they'd been successful.

"Oh-- Um- Alright!" He laughed as he was spun away, trying his best to keep up with the motion with his feet, which stumbled in the general direction they were going in (in no relation to the beat of the music). In the midst of the crowd though it mattered less, everyone around them serving as a buffer for too many eyes being on his awful performance. Sam even began to enjoy himself, getting more into the flow of spinning and moving with Ophelia.

Once he'd found his groove, he leaned in a little to ask, by their ear so they could ear over the music: "How are you finding Ascension?"
Keep my eyes on the road
As I ache
SAMUEL
Base Code by Sky!
Ophelia Athanasia
Emissary

Age: 29 | Height: 5'3 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 8 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 5 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
Change author:
Posts: 188 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#4
Ophelia

He is awkward and left-footed, but it hardly registers to Phi at all. He is their brother, as easily accepted and loved as all the other Ascended, and his presence alone has them beaming as they twirl him into the press of bodies surrounding. Bumping elbows and hips are free of the pain a human body may have felt, and there is no fear of squashed toes or bruised soles. Only the joy of twirling about with Sam, both of them uncoordinated but eager.

"It is everything I wanted and more," they sigh, a wisp of a thing that carries a euphoric peace unmistakable to any who hear it. Free of human shackles at last. They squeeze Sam's hands enough for him to feel it, and the tactile creature lays their cheek upon his shoulder as they sway around. "You gave me freedom and family as equally as our Goddess. Thank you, Sam." It is a weighted sentiment, and yet it feels fitting to say it now, surrounded by celebration and good tidings.
For Justice knows the balance and your case cannot be won
By pressing down the scales with your own thumb
Samuel Wordsworth
Book maker/seller

Age: 34 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1
MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,135 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#5
Oh all I ever wanted was
a life in your shape
There was something freeing about dancing badly but being allowed to do so, and over time Sam relaxed into it, laughing as he spun Ophelia and let his own awkward feet carry him around the field. As it happened, so many of his fears had been unfounded - everyone was too busy focusing on their own dancing to pay much attention to his.

He leaned in to hear what they had to say and came away with a warm smile. It was unusual for something he did to be so appreciated. "You...you're welcome. I didn't know it had meant so much." The head on his shoulder was a surprise, but Sam tried to be natural about it, gently patting Ophelia's hair a couple of times as they slowly spun. Really, he thought it was an awful time to Ascend, as the war loomed on the horizon, but...he wouldn't try to convince Ophelia otherwise. For once, it seemed he'd done something right.

"Have you met many of the others?" He asked, taking advantage of a quieter, slower song to have more conversation.
Keep my eyes on the road
As I ache
SAMUEL
Base Code by Sky!
Ophelia Athanasia
Emissary

Age: 29 | Height: 5'3 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 8 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 5 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
Change author:
Posts: 188 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#6
Ophelia

His laughter rings in their ears pleasantly, and Ophelia smiles incandescently, their own childlike giggles petering free as the song ends and the crowd encourages the entertainers into another, slower cadence. Dancers and those who had hung back for the first song alike pairing up in new formations. Ophelia did not spy anyone seeking to take Sam's hand from theirs, so they contently continued twirling about, possessive and oblivious to all others around them beyond the most surface level of ensuring they did not bump into other dancers.

His hand pats against their head, and Ophelia smiles into the fabric of his shirt. "And yet you helped me all the same, unaware of how long I had awaited it. Your soul is good, and our Goddess must value it greatly." For She holds all their souls in Her palm, cradled close and eternal, so that they might bask in Her light even after death.

Unwilling to part from the physicality of their embrace, Ophelia gives a little skip to their next step in excitement instead of pulling away to let him see it plainly on their face. "Yes! Mabel, Wessex, Cal, Nikolai, Aamu...our siblings have all been wonderful to me." Joy shines through their voice plainly. "I have yet to venture beyond the Grounds before today however. So I've yet to meet anyone else." Not that Phi is bothered by that. They are content with their newfound family, and likely would only find trouble if they encountered someone more vocally disapproving of the Ascended.
For Justice knows the balance and your case cannot be won
By pressing down the scales with your own thumb
Samuel Wordsworth
Book maker/seller

Age: 34 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1
MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,135 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#7
Oh all I ever wanted was
a life in your shape
It had been a long time since Sam had been quite so appreciated; Ophelia showed it with their actions and words, staying close and assuring him his soul was good. Immediately, Sam's internal react was to deny this, to think of all the bad things he'd done and use them as evidence against the value they saw in him...but they had said it so sweetly he couldn't bring himself to. "Oh, thank you. Though I assure you I'm no better than anyone else."

As for the Voice, after his betrayals and failures, he was unsure how she felt.

"I see. I...haven't seen some of those people in a long time. Everything gets so busy." And he wished it was just work obligations and regular every day problems, but it was usually world-shaking issues and Divine Interventions. "I would recommend you don't stray too far, not yet." It was strange to give a solemn warning while dancing, but Sam knew he had to say something. "There are many who will want to hurt you beyond the Grounds. You need to be strong."
Keep my eyes on the road
As I ache
SAMUEL
Base Code by Sky!
Ophelia Athanasia
Emissary

Age: 29 | Height: 5'3 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 8 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 5 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
Change author:
Posts: 188 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#8
Ophelia

He is humble, and it causes a fond look to caress Phi’s face, blatantly endeared and almost amused by his need to diminish himself. “Perhaps not, but I am allowed my favorites,” they reply dreamily, the undercurrent of playfulness apparent. Wessex and Sam are high upon that list to be sure, and it’s why they’d been so excited to see him alone upon the fringes of the crowd. Eager for a chance to spend more time with him.

“Yes, there is much to do. But even a belated visit or missive is better than nothing. We are eternal - what is a few seasons gone by to those like us?” Already the days blend for the phantom, marked by the length the sun travels in the sky instead of hours that never seemed plentiful enough before with all the work that was to be done.

His warning is one they abide sincerely. “It is a burden, to be weak. I do not want to tempt the hands of the narrow-minded, but freedom is still so new to me.” And all the more enticing for it. Phi’s world had scarcely been wider than the farm’s boundaries - now it is dizzyingly wide, and they long to explore it.
For Justice knows the balance and your case cannot be won
By pressing down the scales with your own thumb
Samuel Wordsworth
Book maker/seller

Age: 34 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1
MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,135 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#9
Oh all I ever wanted was
a life in your shape
"Favourites? Oh, my." He laughed, embarrassed and shy, unsure he could be anyone's favourite. It did seem easier to accept the little compliments and pleasantries like this though, twirling and stepping roughly in time with the music. Sam almost felt graceful, almost like he could be the person they were insisting he was.

Given that he was still well inside the span of a normal lifetime, Sam had not yet considered how insignificant a small duration of a few seasons might be in the long term. There was, of course, given the danger in Caido, the unfortunate possibility that anyone could be entirely gone within the span of a season, but he tried not to let his mind surrender to those thoughts too much. "I hope you're right. We used to have meetings with all of us, but we seem to have stopped. Maybe we should...do that again. Though we are missing a lot of our old family..." The largest and most glaring loss in Sam's mind being Rexanna, who had been such a calming presence once.

Sam understood the burden of weakness well; it was one he still had to remind himself he no longer bore, his own strength alien to him when he had spent so many years unable to defend himself. "Just...be careful. I've done all sorts of dangerous things I shouldn't have and I'm still here, but...I think that has more to do with luck than anything else. And things weren't so...heated, a few years ago." He'd been on adventures with Accepted and Demi Gods then freely, their alignments to deities unimportant. How he yearned for those days. "Do you want to go somewhere in particular? Maybe I could take you."
Keep my eyes on the road
As I ache
SAMUEL
Base Code by Sky!
Ophelia Athanasia
Emissary

Age: 29 | Height: 5'3 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 8 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 5 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
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Posts: 188 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#10
Ophelia

Their grin is slightly more teasing, almost victorious, in a way that is transformed into cherubic impishness on their fair features. He is fun to fluster, like a baby sister tying shoelaces together and gleefully watching the aftermath. Still, for all his age and strength he seems delicate in other ways, and so Ophelia doesn't push the matter lest they verge into the realm of discomfort.

Small nose wrinkles in distaste at the notion of meetings, and they fervently hope Sam has merely chosen an ill-suited word. "That sounds...boring," they can't help but to complain. "Does our family not come together to simply celebrate?" If not, well, Ophelia now has a wonderful idea to become the new planning committee for such things.

It's easy enough for the phantom to brighten at the offer though, childlike wonder overtaking pale blue eyes and erasing any brief concern or interest Sam's previous, ominous words may have created. "Yes! I want to see the ocean," they breathe, recalling fantastical books - the only way they could obtain knowledge of the world beyond the farm - describing the giant body of water in so many variations that influenced their poetic style of speaking.
For Justice knows the balance and your case cannot be won
By pressing down the scales with your own thumb
Samuel Wordsworth
Book maker/seller

Age: 34 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1
MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,135 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#11
Oh all I ever wanted was
a life in your shape
Sam laughed and shrugged, quite willing to admit that a lot of the meetings had been boring. They had been necessary though and with a war coming, they would likely be necessary again. "Unfortunately, we have some planning to do. Maybe it would be nice to add in some celebrating too, though." It seemed ridiculous in the midst of all the tragedy, but maybe it would do to brighten their spirits. "That's much more Bastien's area of expertise than mine."

Growing tired of dancing (his body would never get weary, but even with Ophelia's help, Sam could only take too much being in the centre of attention), he began to slowly move out of the crowd, hoping Ophelia would follow. "Torchline? I can definitely take you there. At night, the moon shines on the ocean, and it's quite beautiful." He remembered the first time he had seen it, had run down to the coast and dived in...and shortly afterwards had found Remi. Like a lot of memories, it was bittersweet.

"...Why don't we go now?" He asked, as they reached the edge of the crowd, a smile on his lips as he uttered the spontaneous offer. "It's not like we grow tired...and I worry in the future we might not be able to. Do you want to see the ocean? It might well be night by the time we make it to Torchline."
Keep my eyes on the road
As I ache
SAMUEL
Base Code by Sky!
Ophelia Athanasia
Emissary

Age: 29 | Height: 5'3 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 8 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 5 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
Change author:
Posts: 188 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#12
Ophelia

Ophelia preens at his laughter. “You should laugh more, it’s a nice sound,” they say primly, smiling their dreamlike smile as their pale blue eyes crinkle. Compliments are easy for them, just as easy as their dismissive pout that emerges at the idea of planning. “Yes, there’s much to be done, but morale is as important as plans and training.” Here they gesture to the dancing mob at large. It’s easier once one hand is freed by Sam slowly slipping back into the outskirts, drawing Ophelia along in his wake as they magnetically follow behind.

Torchline. They’ve heard of it, it makes sense it is the easiest destination to see the ocean. Ophelia privately wonders how far the waters stretch, what other banks it may touch. But there’s no time for pondering when Sam is following up with an offer Ophelia can scarcely grapple with. Like the excited, sheltered child they are, Ophelia bounces in place and both hands reach for one of Sam’s to draw it close to where a human heart had once rested. “Yes! Yes, please!” Their bouncing whips pale strands against their cheeks, eyes bright with joy. “Let’s go!” As if fearing he would retract the offer given enough time, the phantom turns and pulls on his trapped hand, taking them through the crowd at a run to head for the portal and the ocean it promises beyond.

- FIN
For Justice knows the balance and your case cannot be won
By pressing down the scales with your own thumb


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