Lost in the shuffle [OPEN]
Elyna Ariez
Soldier

Age: 42 | Height: 5' 9'' | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship:
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#15
ely

Well, this was downright embarrassing: it took a lot to get Elyna to feel foolish, but a show of strength followed immediately by such a obvious demonstration of how weak she really was would do it. In fact, she couldn’t think of a single person who wouldn’t be mortified in her shoes. While there’d been no way to predict that the ground would shake just after her limbs would basically revolt and declare they no longer wished to work, she really should’ve remembered that daylight and her kind did not mix. Even if she could venture out in it and not cease to exist didn’t make that an advisable course of action. In the future, she would remember that she was a creature of the night now.

While Elyna wanted to declare that ‘of course she could walk, she wasn’t an invalid,’ the truth of the matter was, she wasn’t so sure. Whatever strange ability allowed her to walk under the sun without dying—and without a ring, which she still was getting used to—apparently didn’t extend to actually allowing her full use of her abilities and facilities. Great. Just great. This whole experience of being in this new world was turning into a nightmare (which, was funny, cause daylight and creature of the night and all that shit). Still, instead of asking either man for helping getting up, Elyna tried on her own first; picking up the glaive from where it had fallen even as she did, she used it to lever herself upright. After that, it turned into a crutch to help her stay on her feet. She was proud, not stupid, and if she needed the support so be it.

Listening to the two men talking about this world, her eyes narrowed: while she was still half-convinced that Rory had something to do with their appearance here, Remi seemed unwilling to confront the stranger and she certainly wasn’t in a position to. This sucked. More than anything she wanted to drag the random man back to their rudimentary encampment and get the answers they so badly needed. Instead, they'd have to try the gentle approach. Elyna hated that one.

Listening carefully to everything that came out of Rory’s mouth, Elyna allowed the alchemist to respond before interjecting. When both men, in their own way, tried to see if she could walk, she glared at them. ”I’ll manage.” It came out in a growl; if Rory and Remi wanted more from her, that was just too bad. ”Alright, couple questions, so-called Rory. First, where the fuck is Caido and how close is it to Northaven? Next, what kind of barrier? Who or what erected it? How can we get through it or take it down? Finally, what the fuck happened three centuries ago?” Clearly, she wasn’t even a little bit satisfied with his responses to their inquiries.

Of course at the mention of something worse maybe coming for them, Elyna immediately started scanning their surroundings; she might be useless in a fight, but nothing was wrong with her senses. Indeed, they were probably better than those of the men. Perks of being one of her kind and all. ”What do you mean, you don’t know? If it’s maybe a precursor to something worse presumably you’ve got some idea of what that something worse is. So spill. You're the expert, aren't you?” Her voice on that last comment was mocking and maybe a little cruel: so far, Rory hadn't impressed her and even in her weakened state he certainly didn't scare her. Glancing around at their surroundings again, she rolled her eyes. ”And what’s so bad about these outskirts anyway? Seem just as terrible as every other inch of this blighted place.” Sure, the ground was fucked up and ashy, but that was true everywhere and at least it was far away from that creepy as spire.


Leatherworker

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#16
Rory
He hadn't meant to answer their every question in-depth: just offer enough to get them going. He was trading seconds for incentive, but something he'd said must've done the trick. Remi seemed confused and the woman unimpressed, but at least she'd hauled herself to her feet. That was good enough for him, so he turned in the direction of the Woodlands and set off. Bakshi, still a little on edge, followed before the reins had a chance to pull on his bit.

Thing was: Rory was, by nature, a helpful and friendly guy. They could've learned this without pointing a glaive in his face. All it did was make him keep his distance, wariness in his blue eyes.

But this was not a helpful and friendly place.

And Rory was, perhaps, not always as good as he wished he was.

As he stepped over the cracked and flat dry earth he sorted through the questions Elyna had asked. It seemed more important to answer them, simply because she had a glaive and an attitude, and no matter how much she struggled now, Rory could not forget the precision with which she'd wielded the polearm before.

"I've never heard of Northaven," he said truthfully, never quite letting his eyes stop and linger on anything: horizon, strangers, horizon, strangers... "We don't know what created the barrier, or what happened back when it was erected. If you stray close enough it'll reach out and give you a bite, which is usually enough to keep anyone from it. Push on and you'll die, end of story. There's no way out."

He could understand finding himself in a new place all of a sudden. He could understand wanting to protect his own from unknown dangers. He could see the value in finding someone to question.

He'd seen enough evil to know there was no understanding her need to pick on him.

"If you'd like to find out, you can always stay, and I'll come back in a few days to pick up whatever is left of you," he said pleasantly. It wasn't even a threat, really. He wasn't in a position to threaten her. He didn't want to threaten her, either. "There's more monsters out here, and just.. plain strange happenings. The only worse place is the Spire. And no, as far as I know, no one's ever just showed up here, like you've done." The last—finally—directed to Remi, with the hint of an apologetic smile as he trudged on across the wastelands.
Remi Taliesin
the Bastion


Age: 31 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
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#17

Remi's fingers and lips twitched as Elyna stubbornly fought to stand on her own. Clearly she was not looking to accept any sort of assistance, and whether this was meant to be a show of her own fortitude in the face of sudden weakness, or if it was more of a political stance against male assistance Remi couldn't be sure. Either way it pained him to see her struggle so needlessly, and when eventually she did manage to stand against her glaive, Remi let out a small sigh of relief.

Wincing, Remi nibble the inside of his lip and tried to offer Rory an apologetic smile as the former guard continued to address him as if he were some sort of spy or otherwise nefarious being. So-called Rory? It was so unnecessary, and not only because hostility was so foreign to the alchemist.

Clasping his hands to try and dampen his need to fidget amidst the tension, Remi listened with an eager and humbled expression as Rory spoke. It was both interesting and terrifying how little the man seemed to know, and the alchemist had to still his mind from drawing too many naive conclusions.

As Rory began to move, Remi glanced with a hesitant smile towards Elyna, the hand closest to her moving slightly from his side. He wanted nothing more than for her to lean against him and to save her strength for something necessary, but the idea that he might embarrass or otherwise insult her by verbally offering his assistance made him hesitate slightly. With open and sad eyes, the alchemist merely waited to see if she'd accept his silent gesture, or if she would make the walk on her own.

Chuckling under his breath as Rory pointed out that Ely was free to stay, Remi found the corners of his lips twitching with amusement. He would never laugh at the woman, but something about seeing this strange man still so undeterred by Ely's many prickles actually set him at ease.

"Is there anything more you can tell us?" The alchemist asked smoothly.

remi
How do you steal what you really want
When what you really want is free?



   
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Elyna Ariez
Soldier

Age: 42 | Height: 5' 9'' | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship:
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#18
ely

Elyna snorted at Rory's assertion that there was nothing that could get through the barrier. The Northaveners had thought their own wall was impenetrable and that had certainly been disproven; this was just another challenge they’d have to overcome. She had no doubt they would once they’d properly gotten their bearings. ”Ain’t met a wall yet that I couldn’t knock down, scale, or tunnel under given enough time and effort, so forgive me if I don’t believe you.” Based off this one inhabitant of the world, they didn’t seem to be the hardiest lot; then again, neither was she at the moment. Still, she wasn’t surprised they had given up trying. Nor was she surprised they’d never heard of Northaven. Wherever this was, it didn’t feel like the world she’d come to know.

Still, there was one point she felt it was important to make. ”I’m already dead, technically, so this barrier of yours doesn’t scare me.” She bared her fangs to demonstrate exactly what she meant by that. Right now the sun was weakening her—which was moving from annoyance to hinderance—but at her best she’d throw herself at this obstacle until either it broke or she did. Given how stubborn she was, she was betting on the former.

At the mention of monsters, her eyes narrowed: she knew this land had many dangers, and this seemed like a topic that Rory might actually know something about. On the heels of Remi’s question she threw in her own, the challenging tone subsiding a bit along with her energy. Goddess she was tired. ”Like what type of monsters there are around these parts?” Maybe this outing wouldn’t be a total waste if she could collect at least some information about the dangers seemingly all around them, if the fear that Rory was displaying was any indication. Strange occurrences and impenetrable barriers weren't something she could deal with right now, but monsters were a familiar category.

Leatherworker

Age: 36 | Height: 175cm / 5'9 | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#19
Rory
Rory's fingers briefly tightened around Bakshi's reins: who was she to come here and spit on generations of effort to get out? Who was she to come here and declare that she could break down this barrier which had trapped them for centuries? Some of Rory's friends had died hunting for a better life, and so many more had lain down their lives to teach them what they knew of their deadly cage.

How long could she have been in Caido? Hours? A day, at most? And already she stepped, with no concern, on hundreds of years of desperation and hope and sacrifice.

He chose diplomacy, and to not respond. Merely gave one of his shoulders a small noncommittal shrug, though there was something sad about his eyes.

Already rolling over.

Then she said something more: ”I’m already dead, technically, so this barrier of yours doesn’t scare me.” Rory found himself faltering for a moment, his gaze ceasing its roving to fix on her: again, his mind replayed the exactness of her movements, the deadliness of her grace. And in her face, sharp teeth spelled out an uncomfortable truth.

He knew about the Ascended, of course, but they were rare—he'd heard stories, passed down like the stories of a paradise beyond the barrier, of how some had blamed the Ascended for the Cataclysm. Rory didn't know the ins and outs of it, but it boiled down to the new and enhanced Ascended being blamed for the Proper Gods's wrath. For a time they had apparently even been hunted and killed, as if destroying them all would appease the Gods and remove the barrier.

He'd seen some. Met some. Spoken to some. If they were unloved by the Proper Gods, he couldn't blame them. He was hardly one of their favorites either.

But how was she one?

The surprise on his face had turned to thoughtfulness, but he felt ill at ease with the idea of Northaven sharing Gods with the Caido of old.

"A little bit of everything," he began, trying to shake off the uncomfortable sensation the revelation about Elyna had left on his skin. "Things that are very .. improbable. Too tall, too thin, moving in ways they shouldn't, too fast, too sharp. The one guarding the Spire is like that—just wrong and there's nothing else quite like it. Some are more like animals, or perhaps once even were animals, but they, too, are wrong somehow. I.. obviously do not know your frame of reference, but if Bakshi-" and here, he waved his free hand towards the pony "-looks normal to you, then you'll probably be able to discern what isn't normal when it comes for you. And some are not quite real; real enough to hurt you, but not real enough for you to hurt."
Remi Taliesin
the Bastion


Age: 31 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
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#20

(tried to wrap this up since it's months old now? lol)

Growing more and more concerned by the tone of this conversation, Remi frowned. Looking down into his palm, he made a feather appear there and, after plucking it, spun it dextrously but nervously between his fingers. There seemed to be little he could do to dissuade Elyna's continued hostility. Like Rory, Remi too found the ascended's bold claims about being able to escape the bubble hard to swallow. She hadn't met a wall she couldn't scale or knock down? What about the once that had surrounded the land they'd literally just come from? They hadn't been allowed to leave until basically a week or so before they were all transported here.

Rory's description of the types of things they might encounter here properly chilled the alchemist to his core. Animals that were wrong? Ones which were real enough to hurt, but not real enough to be hurt? Nibbling his lip Remi glanced towards Elyna and then paused to listen for more ominous rumbling.

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation at a later time. Elyna you do not seem..." Not wanting to call further attention to her weakened state given how she seemed to hate it so, Remi merely twisted his lips and offered a kind smile. "...perhaps we should return. Let our people know what Rory has said and to be wary."

Glancing towards the man on the pony, Remi's brows knitted together in an apologetic but boyishly optimistic arc, mirrored by the curve of his lips. "Thank you for your information Rory. It was a pleasure to meet you." He said, bending at the waist slightly to bow. It was a habit that would probably never leave him; when you were a lowly commoner all your life, it was not so easy to simply be free of those metaphorical shackles even when they no longer existed.

"I hope we can meet again soon?" He concluded with a hopeful smile, before turning back to Elyna. Though he was fairly certain she'd not accept his help on the way back (at least not while Rory could see), the offer was there should she need it.

remi
How do you steal what you really want
When what you really want is free?



   
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.


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