[God Quest] Delivery

Samuel Tell me little dear if you've only lived here, have you ever really lived at all? Sam had been rather surprised to find the old man at his door, never having known him, but had welcomed him in anyway. With his recent social advancements he had become much more receptive to strangers, even very insistent ones who barged in, drank all of his tea and demanded-- Oh. Sam thought he would have had to pressure someone into making the choice that had ruined his life, but this old man seemed to want it passionately. He knocked aside all of Sam's warnings of loss of sensation, of the requirement to drink; he just wanted the process to happen as soon as possible. It felt like The Voice must have given this chance to him because he was lagging on his quest, but he didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth too much. Once he had made sure this man had entirely consented, that he wanted it...Sam made plans to head to the shrine to present him.

Bastien had made his decision immediately after his audience with Frey. There was a God here who actually wanted him. Even better, she advertised something called Ascension. There were few words that made his heart leap in his chest, but that was one of them. It sounded perfect, rising to the level of a God through a simple promise? Why had he not gone there first? He hoped a part of this Ascension could be lifting Safrin's curse; he knew the Ascended did not appear to age, so hopefully she could fix him back to his appropriate look (even shave a few years off, that would be nice). He was warned from the nervous little book keeper, whom he'd seen in the streets and always looked down on, that he would lose sensation. Yet he saw the way Sam flinched when he touch a too-hot cup, how he breathed in the scent. An upgrade, he was told. Well, he would just get one of those then. Following Sam closely to the shrine, he hoped that this would be the last time he would have to make do with his wobbly aged feet. He dropped to his knees when the Ascended did and looked up towards the shrine. "Signora Voice. You recognise me, yes? You know this is not how I am...as you said, Safrin has been most cruel. Samuel has brought me here to change..." Samuel had said he had to mention this. Bastien wasn't quite sure why. "...But I would like to ask some questions first. Can you lift the curse? And will I lose feeling?" Bastien Start by admitting from cradle to tomb Isn't that long a stay Life is a cabaret, old chum It's only a cabaret, old chum

the Voice "I know, Bastien. I know the soul that burns bright inside you, and it does not wear the face of a haggard old man." The words crackled out of seemingly nothing, and in a shower of sparks the Voice appeared. She stood among the offerings upon the shrine, her hands clasped gently before her, electric eyes on the pair at the foot of the shrine. "Did he now?" she said of Sam, gaze lingering on him with an intensity that suggested she did not know how to feel about such a development. After all, had Sam really done any of the convincing? Had she not been aiming for this herself, on her own merit? After a painful moment of consideration, she seemed to decide that it didn't matter all that much. Perhaps bolstering the redhead's confidence would do much to improve him. "If that is the case, and your questions do not cause you to change your mind, gifted one, then there is cause for both of you to celebrate tonight." Stepping forward, the Voice moved to perch upon the edge of the platform, smiling beatifically to Bastien. "Yes, I can lift the curse. You will be as strong and youthful and bright as any Ascended at their time of transformation." She nodded. "And yes, you will lose unnecessary sensations. Pleasure, apart from when you are interfacing with others through use of your fangs - though the intensity of such pleasure makes up for the lack of it elsewhere. You will also be free of physical pain." 01110111 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100010 01100101 00101100 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100010 01100101 00101110

Samuel Tell me little dear if you've only lived here, have you ever really lived at all? Sam did not see the way The Voice's gaze considered him, too busy focusing on the floor. Given their last meeting and now that he was asking for something, even though he had fulfilled his quest, he did not feel welcome enough to look up and meet his God's eyes. He listened intently though, interested to know if The Voice would grant Bastien sensation right away. He was almost pleased to know that she wouldn't. If she had it would have felt unfair, that he had had to wait for an upgrade but others could get it immediately. Samuel looked over to Bastien with interest, wanting to know if the revelation would change his mind.

"Oh, dea dorata. I am glad you can see me." Bastien could have cried. Finally someone could see that he was not an old man, that his energy screamed for a young body and a healthy appetite for all things that came with it. He noticed the way The Voice looked to Sam with what looked like something close to disdain in her eyes, but then it changed to simple intensity. Clearly there was history there, but...this was his moment. "Yes, he did." Was all he said of the man, not even looking in Sam's direction. "I...would not call pleasure unnecessary. But you say I shall have it intensely on a bite? I...suppose I can live with that." And get Remi to make me an upgrade. Clearly he had made one for Samuel, and well, Bastien was sure he was closer to the Alchemist than this little wimp was. "Then I consent. Please, let me Ascend." Bastien held his hands up to The Voice, imagining a slow float up to the ceiling shrouded in holy light. Bastien Start by admitting from cradle to tomb Isn't that long a stay Life is a cabaret, old chum It's only a cabaret, old chum

the Voice "Such tricks are not difficult to see through, with the right eyes," she murmured gently to Bastien - and with Ludo's mask in her possession, seeing was hardly a problem at all. Her lips parted as he spoke - and thought - with such abandon, the Voice about to remind him of that small fact when he accepted the offer to ascend as though it were that simple. Wisely, she refrained from comment. "Wonderful," she said, the air around her sparking with her excitement. "First, there is another reward to give." Slipping down from the platform, the Voice moved to stand between the two men. Her hand reached out for Sam, fingers dancing along his jaw and down to his lips, pressing softly. "Your tongue will trouble you no longer, bright one," she murmured. And from within, it would appear to Sam that something crackled up the length of his spine and through his teeth, soothing and calming and lending beauty and song to his words where he had stumbled so often before. "Well done, Samuel. You are excused," she murmured to him, turning now to take Bastien's hands, gently lowering them to his sides. "This will hurt, but only for a moment. And it will be the last time pain will bother you." Carefully, she placed her fingertips against his temples. "Are you ready?" 01110111 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100010 01100101 00101100 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100010 01100101 00101110

Samuel Tell me little dear if you've only lived here, have you ever really lived at all? The Voice mentioned there was another gift to give and Sam looked up, hoping that she may be speaking of him - and she was. He let his head be lifted easily, swallowed down the nerves that wanted to rise of the touch on his jaw; then gasped as electricity flooded up his throat and mouth, burnt out the anxiety manifest in his voice. "Thank you." He replied, then smiled at the simple beauty and eloquence of his own voice. It felt so smooth, so confident...he touched his throat as he stood up, tears of fluid in his eyes. Sam nodded at The Voice and then glanced to Bastien one more time before stepping back to leave. "Really. Thank you." Sam repeated, then turned to walk out of the temple, eager to show his new voice to anybody who would listen (Remi. He wanted to show Remi).

Bastien watched carefully as Sam was rewarded then departed; this was clearly something that benefited the small Ascended. He wondered if this would come back to bite him in the ass, suspicions rising, but...perhaps it was good that this could help more than just him. Maybe it was one of those good deeds Rexanna had spoken of. When Sam was gone he relaxed his hands by his sides and took a deep breath, looking up to The Voice with shockingly vulnerable eyes. This was a gamble, one he was not confident in, but it was all he had left. "Yes. I am ready." He told her, then closed his eyes and waited for the hit. Bastien Start by admitting from cradle to tomb Isn't that long a stay Life is a cabaret, old chum It's only a cabaret, old chum

the Voice The Voice inclined her head and watched Sam away, before turning her full attention to Bastien. He was the one this was all really about, anyway. "You ought to be confident," she assured him, responding to his nerves, apparently. "Where the likes of Safrin and Frey are fickle, you will find me far more mature." He closed his eyes and she did as well, though he would already feel the air begin to fizz and lift around them. She executed the first step quickly and efficiently, severing the connections which caused pain and pleasure both - Bastien would feel it as a sharp burst of agony, pure and hot, that would fade by degrees. The Accepted was not Isla, and she doubted he would appreciate the brutal process of ascension in the same way. So she gave him what he would appreciate instead. Bastien would get his holy light, his body feeling weightless, painless as the sensation of soaring upwards surrounded him. He would feel cradled, protected and ready to become new. The Voice entertained him with bursts of light and colour which would react to his thoughts as if it were paint on a canvas, creating wondrous and abstract images whilst she carried out her work. "Tell me, Bastien." Her voice echoed in his mind. "If you could have one thing, what would it be?" 01110111 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100010 01100101 00101100 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100010 01100101 00101110

"I yearn for maturity." He told her quietly, though he still felt some nerves. It was natural, really, given what was about to happen. Her assurances were welcome, though. Bastien had grown weary of the fickle natures of the Gods he had met, how they seemed so easily offended by what were meant to be charming words. The pain was all consuming until it wasn't, and Bastien's harsh cry was quickly faded out into nothing as it left him. He tried to take some ragged breaths but found with a shock that he didn't have to as he changed, then suddenly he was lifting away from the floor and there was a golden light, just as he had fantasised. "...I...I want..." It was a difficult question, especially when there were swirling lights and beautiful colours before his eyes, pulling his attention. "I would have grace and beauty so captivating people trust me with all things aesthetic. All things hedonistic. I would be the God of the eyes." The words came without much consideration from his mouth, his body and mind finding the question distant and far away. Bastien Start by admitting from cradle to tomb Isn't that long a stay Life is a cabaret, old chum It's only a cabaret, old chum

the Voice "Hm..." The Voice considered Bastien's response, the sound soft and dreamlike, much like the visuals that swirled before him, bending and shaping to his will. While externally she worked on him, ripping out and removing all the unnecessaries and replacing them with so much better alternatives, within the newly Ascended would be safe, his mind protected from the horror without. "The god of the eyes," she repeated. "Lofty aspirations, Bastien. I love ambition in my bright ones. I have faith in you that you will be one of the brightest, indeed. Receive a gift from me, to help you attain your desires..." She fell silent, then, retreating from his consciousness to finish and perfect him. Finally - was it minutes or hours? - Bastien would feel himself descend once more, though he had never really gone anywhere. Gently, the Voice withdrew her fingertips from the system now pulsing beautifully within him, offering him a gentle smile. "It is done. How do you feel?" Bastien has Ascended! He has also gained an upgrade from the Voice: Type: Grey Rank: Basic Hypnotic Pulse | Bastien is able to emit a pulse of energy at a distance of around 5ft. Any mortal standing within range will feel soothed and at ease. Useful for feeding. (Can only be used once per thread). 01110111 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100010 01100101 00101100 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100010 01100101 00101110

Bastien had all but forgotten what was happening to his body, his mind so caught up in the kaleidoscope that The Voice presented him with. If this was just the beginning of his service to her, he was very excited for the rest of his time here indeed. She even seemed to like his ambitions; he knew Safrin would have dismissed them as cocky and stupid for a mortal. A gift...? Oh, this got better and better. As he descended from his risen place Bastien wore a wide smile and affectionate eyes for his new Goddess. "I feel..." He wasn't quite sure. Emotionally, wonderful. But physically...where the temple floor had once been a cool stone it was now a flat nothing; the air breezing past his face was there but not full, not the sensation it had been. But he found that when he had been so changed, so improved...it didn't matter. He could find a way around sensation for Godlihood. "I feel wonderful, signora d'oro. Thank you. Is there not anything I can do for you in return?" Bastien Start by admitting from cradle to tomb Isn't that long a stay Life is a cabaret, old chum It's only a cabaret, old chum

the Voice She watched him carefully, static sparking across her arms and body as she checked and tested and checked again that he was perfect, just as he ought to have been all along. No curse, no interference from the fickle gods of old, no reason for doubts or uncertainty. Bastien was ready, she felt, at last, for the world to experience him as he was truly meant to be. Smiling beatifically, she reached up to cup his cheeks. "Go out there and live, bright one. Share your gifts with the world. Learn about yourself, spread your wings so to speak. When the time is right, I will have a task for you. Fear not, it will not degrade you in any way." Not like his previous quests. "But for now, that is all." 01110111 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100010 01100101 00101100 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100010 01100101 00101110

Well, that was a quest he could do and do well. Bastien smiled wide and dipped his head, rising to his feet as his new self with a confident look in his eyes. "Thank you, Signora d'oro. When the time comes, I will be more than ready to repay this gift you have given me." He looked down at his body, once again young and toned, promised now to stay this way forever; it was all he had ever wanted and more. "You need only ask." With that said he waved a goodbye and blew a kiss, then turned to walk from the temple so he could show people his new gifts (and explain his 'death'). Bastien Start by admitting from cradle to tomb Isn't that long a stay Life is a cabaret, old chum It's only a cabaret, old chum