IC Remnants of the Elements

[S_swimmer]

After a short pause, Rowan makes a grumbling noise in his throat and kneels down next to Leo. Taking a bread roll and a few slices of fish, he stands up and shoves the handful out to Katsu. "This should do," he says, averting his eyes from him slightly. "Here."

(( Catcocomics ))

 

[Enderfive]

((Getting quite tired of waiting tbh))

Carsen

Oh boy, was he in trouble.

Carsen bolted from the wizard as soon as he gave him the silver. An hour later, he felt it was safe enough to come out of hiding. The bushes were scratching his back and Seane was probably wondering where in the bloody Void he was. As he predicted, when he stalked back into the docks, the big man wasn't happy with him.

"CARSEN," he boomed over the screams of seagulls, "YOU BETTER NOT HAVE BEEN MESSING ABOUT WITH THE MAYOR'S LASS AGAIN!" Master Seane was closing in on Carsen, all two-hundred and eighty pounds of him fuming in a red fury. He grabbed the boy by his arm and dragged him over to a more quiet corner behind a few barrels of fish. "If I find that you have been chasing girls again during working hours, I'll freeze your pay for a month, you understand me? What have you been doing for the better part of the last hour, huh? Pray to Ross that I like the answer, or you won't like mine."

Carsen barely managed to find the words. ". . . that wizard, he, uh . . . I think he's . . . he's going to the ball, I think, and, uh . . . he was going to kill me, I had to hide so that he couldn't slit my throat-"

"Bloody nonsense. You better control that imagination of yours, I won't have fools like you mess things up with such clients as Erien. Go on, run off to find a client to make up for the time that you spent 'hiding' from assassin wizards." Carsen was certain he heard the dockmaster mutter "damn idiot" as he ran off.

The wizard's ship was floating in the better part of the harbour. The name on the hull read Lady Sky. She was a fine ship, about the same size as the typical merchant's cogs that visited the town so often. Something about the ship seemed to draw him to her. If they really plan to do something at the ball tonight, there will be evidence on the ship. Evidence could be presented to Seane and then Seane could alert the proper authorities and have the wizard and his companions arrested before they can go through with it. He decided to sneak on board.

The chests and shelves in the cabins and the messroom were filled with charts and maps and documents and books. Carsen was slightly curious about all the knowledge that must've been in them, but that wasn't why he had come on the ship. After trashing through every corner of the ship, he hadn't found anything. Maybe he had been wrong about the wizard after all. He had been kind enough to give him two silver, after all. Deciding not to think about it any more, Carsen climbed back on deck.

The ship wasn't in the docks any more. The town was beginning to fade away into the distance as Lady Sky sailed the good, strong wind away towards the open sea.

He was in so, so much trouble.

((Someone not in Ciasta and near the coast (any coast) want to meet with Carsen?))

 

[Catcocomics]

Katsu​

"Ok, thanks for the light meal."
It's not much, but I suppose it will have to do for now...
Katsu turned and started walking away. Not far from where he obtained the food, he found a place by some shrubs to sit and began eating the fish...​

 

[CaffeinatedKitty]

Marisa nods, but doesn't speak. 'It is strange that he'd come straight here...' As he replies, though, she mentally shrugs. 'I suppose it makes sense. This isn't exactly the least conspicuous place in the city.'
Half-smiling, she sighs through her nose as Rowan gives Katsu some of the food she'd just brought out. As he walks away after thanking Rowan, she quirks an eyebrow, making sure to keep her voice down. "He's strange, isn't he?"
...
((S_swimmer))

 

[Toiletprincess]

Zwn bites the inside of her cheek, thinking, "Ok, well, we're not going to find any of the others by being up here. Come on!" She takes hold of both their arms and pulls them along with her out of the room and down the grand staircase, a dimpled grin on her face. "Might as well have fun whilst we're here, right? I mean, it's a ball -- and the first one I've been allowed to," she spoke quickly, her shyness still creeping on the edges of her voice and making her words sound slightly jittery. She kneaded her knuckles, a habit she still hadn't gotten rid of, looking around the room restlessly. I wonder if Takot would be here.

((Should we skip to the last night, since everyone seems to insist on arriving at the last moment? *cough cough* Enderfive *cough cough* Naoh ))
Also Mia CaffeinatedKitty

 

[CaffeinatedKitty]

Quietly, Avis gives her assent. As they descend the stairs, she looks around the room; she sees no familiar faces, welcome or unwelcome. Including her human escort.
'Marisa...' She sighs internally. Marisa wouldn't have abandoned her... So where could she be?
She takes a moment to recall the happenings of the evening, and quickly realizes she must be outside. Ah well. Avis decides she may as well leave her be for now- there are many more people here, after all.
...
((Toiletprincess Mia))

 

[Fiestaguy]

Faces. So many faces. The room was full of them.

A boy stood against the eastern wall, looking into the crowd of people. Some dressed fancily, some normally. Awkwardly stepping aside for the couples, nobles and other party-goers, he stood and watched the ballroom in all its grandeur.

Eli didn't know why he was still here. He was just walking through the streets, and before he knew it, there were a bunch of other people talking to him. He wasn't too sure if he knew them, but at least they acted like it. They ended up dragging him to the party, laughing happily at each other.

"Might as well just leave..." he thought to himself, glancing at the door...

((Done on a whim. Still not sure if we're timeskipping or not, so I made the post as timeless as possible.))

 

[Naoh]

The Adventures of Takot the Drunk! (and Brom)

Takot groaned, and opened his eyes slightly. He couldn't remember where he was, but he had one hell of a headache. He was resting on something hard and cold. "A... table.." It hurt just to speak, but after a few minutes Takot was able to sit up. He was surrounded by other gruff looking men, in a dim, smokey room. "Oh... I remember." Takot stumbled over to the bartender and asked for some water.

"You don't remember?" Brom let out a loud, hearty laugh, turning toward the curious boy sitting next to him. "Well, I guess that's not so rare in these places. You're in Kelna, of course! Nice to meet you, mate. My name's Brom." He extended his hand toward him.

Takot tried to narrow the spinning hands being offered to him down to one and attempted to grasp it. He missed, and fell over. "uh... nice to meet you... Bo- Brom."

Brom laughed again. Boy, the world has become a bright place. "A good effort! May I ask you for your name, young lad?"
"...uh" In his drunken stupor, Takot couldn't remember the name he had been going by. "There are some who call me... Tim."

"Nice to meet you, Tim." Brom leaned down from his chair and grabbed Tim's hand, helping him back up onto his seat. As he surveyed his face, he realized that the boy had a striking resemblance to another strange person he had met. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know of a man named Lyari, by any chance, would you? Lives around Dialorea, yea?"

"uhhh no, can't say that I do..." Takot scratched his head. "then again, I can't seem to remember much right now... why?"

"Huh. Well, then." Brom scratched his head and looked around. "Sure are a lot of folks here today, eh? Seems like everyone's flowing in for that ball. Say, is that where you're headed, Tim?"

"Ball... ball... ball..." Takot remembered. “Zwn!" Takot slammed his fist on the table. "I'm... I'm looking for a girl..."

"Looking for Zwn? I don't think you're gonna find the Guardian of Life in this day and age, boy!" Brom smiled and gave Tim a friendly slap on the back. "I'm just messing with you, friend. So this girl's named after Zwn, eh? Must be a looker. You know, it's kinda funny. Boy I met a week ago, a little older than you but looks the same, he was looking for someone too. Not a girl, but an old friend of his. Maybe I could help you. I helped him, after all – or maybe it was him who helped me."

"uh, you could... help me?" Takot coughed. "Uh, how did he help you?"

"Interested, eh? Well, about a week ago I was at a bar all the way in Dialorea. Back then, I was hung up over the death of a good friend of mine. Drinking away my problems. Then a young boy – like I said, not as young as you, mind you – sat down next to me and offered me a drink. We talked and he told me about how he was trying to find a friend of his, so I helped him out to where he was going. In exchange, he told me one sentence, and that was all it took, one sentence. You know what he said? He said, 'I don't think your friend would want to find you here grieving him.' Yep, that's what he said. Funny, isn't it? How one little exchange with a stranger could turn my whole life around. But here I am now! I'm on my way to my old friend's son. I'm going to help him live a straight life, that's what I'm going to do." Brom's eyes sparkled. "So, tell me, what is your lost person like?"

"Woah, that guy sounds like a pretty good guy." Takot tried to remember what Zwn looked like exactly. "Well... she's got beautiful long brown hair. Her eyes are ama- two colors. Blue and green. And she's really short. She's also the cutest thing you could ever imagine..."

Two colors, eh? Well, I heard there's the daughter of the nobles that are hosting that ball next town over, their daughter's eyes have two colors... Well, she's not short, but I think she has brown hair too." Brom paused, then his eyes widened. "Wait, you know a noble's daughter? I meet such crazy people at these places..."

"...uh, noble's daughter?" Takot's eyes widened with surprise. "I- uh maybe, I'd have to see for myself." Takot didn't dare let his hopes rise. After a year of searching, it wasn't like his luck was suddenly going to bounce back.

"Huh. Close enough, I guess." Brom leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. "Bars are funny places, you know? Most people think that the only people who go to bars are the scum of the planet, but when you look a bit deeper, everyone comes here for a reason. Life broken down, dumped by a woman, trying to find someone... these people all have a reason to be here and drink, letting their inhibitions free." Brom looked back down and turned to Tim. "I've been going from bar to bar for the past 10 years, Tim. I've heard many people's stories, and I've drank with them, laughed with them, and cried with them. I can probably guess that you're in love with this girl. You are, aren't you?"

Takot blushed. "Yeah... but it's been a while since we saw each other. I'm beginning to wonder if she'll even remember me..."

Brom placed a hand on his shoulder. "She remembered." He let those words hang in the air for a few seconds before continuing. "You may not want to hear this from someone who just got over his friend's death, but trust my intuition, lad. Whoever this girl is, I'm sure she didn't forget about you. At the very least, she certainly didn't mean for you to end up drinking about her and collapsing in a bar. Get out of this place, Tim. It doesn't suit you well. You should be out there in the world, enjoying your youth with the one you love." Brom gave Tim a push off his seat and walked him towards the door. "I won't take no for an answer, lad! Go out there and look for her!"

Takot felt a steady hand on his shoulder, and was reassured by the kind stranger's words. He walked to the door, his body rushing with excitement. "Alright! I'll find her!" Takot stopped and slammed his fist against the doorway, grinning. "Uh, I should probably go pay for the drinks..."

Brom furrowed his brow, then laughed. "Don't worry about it, don't worry about it! My treat–"
"No, it's on the house!" the bartender's voice calls over. "Go run to her, kid!"
"–You heard the man. Now go!"

Takot gave a laugh. "Alright! I'm off! Thank you Brom! I'll never forget you!" Takot took off running, before the bartender could change his mind.

(( Toiletprincess S_swimmer @everyone ))

 

[S_swimmer]

Rowan turns to Marisa. "A little. I've seen much stranger things, trust me." He bends down to pick up some more fish.

-- • --
​

On the last day of the ball, a stranger stands on the steps of the building, looking up at the entrance. He looks slightly young and has messy black hair that looks oddly familiar. His shadow leaves a deep mark in the steps, framed by the golden, setting sun.

"Name?" Rowan asks. The stranger shifts his feet.

"Uhh, Tim."

"Tim's a common name. Tim Who?"

"Tim... uhh... Guy."

"Tim Guy?" Rowan raises his eyebrows.

"Yes." Without delay, in a gust of wind, a cool metal tip probes the stranger's neck. Rowan leans in close to his face and whispers into his ear.

"Listen, bastard, because I'm only going to say this once. I know you're lying, so if you value your life at all, run right now and never come back." Rowan gently presses the tip of his sword in, drawing blood. He watches as the stranger's eyes become lifeless and nonmoving. He stands there, nonmoving, as if frozen in time. A long pause ensues, and just as suspicion begins to creep onto Rowan, the boy screams wildly and scurries away.

Daniel calls out as Rowan walks slowly back up the steps, "Finally got some action, did you?" Rowan throws a sideways glance and smirks. Daniel rests his head on the wall, lifts his chin up, and sighs. "Last day, huh? Time really does fly." He extends a hand to Rowan. "I'm glad I got to know you, Rowan. You seemed scary at first, but I know you're nice, deep, deep, deep, deep, dee–" His face is met with a hard slap.

"Gee, thanks," Rowan says sarcastically. Daniel cracks a smile.

"Well, for my parting gift on our final day as partners, I will keep my mouth shut until the end of the day. I know it'll make you happy."

"Thank the Guardians," Rowan sighs under his breath, grinning. Stepping back, his back slams against the wall and he closes his eyes, feeling the wind rustling his orange hair. I wonder if Marisa'll be here on the last day, he thought. After the first day, they've had a few short exchanges as she entered the ball, and he was growing accustomed to greeting her. However, realizing what he was doing, he shoots straight up, eyes wide. He couldn't allow himself to slack off.

-

Brom stood behind a building, staring at the distant image of Rowan. His legs were stone and did not move, no matter how much he tried. "He looks like his father," he says to himself. Slamming his fist on the wall, Brom thinks angrily, Dammit, I thought I could do this!

He sinks to his knees, head downcast, and begins to feel warm tears trickling down his cheeks. "Henry, why did you have to die?"

(( is that ok ))​

 

[Toiletprincess]

(( holy shit this is long ))
Shyael & Lyari
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"Here it is," I whisper under my breath. Night spreads its dark sheet over the land, and a myriad of stars spin above us. The village is far behind us, and we kneel outside the mouth of a cave. I run my fingers along the moist stone, breathing deeply. "I think I can see light inside."

She raises her eyebrows and her hand hovers in a ready position by her bow. "What are you looking for anyway?" She asks, looking intently into the cave as if searching for the answer there.

"My friend," I respond quickly. "Um... He was someone I knew from before you found me in the forest. We got separated, and he was taken by cultists. I really have no idea how to find him, but this is my best guess." I look at her, silently begging in my eyes not to ask any more questions.

She listens to his response, doubtful that his answer is the truth. She looks to him only to see his begging look and sighs, inclining her head. "Alright, so you think they're inside? Do you think they'll be dangerous? I'm not sure I trust cultists."

"I... have a plan. It might not work, but I can still try it. Here, let's go inside." He starts heading into the cave.
The light becomes brighter, and soon enough I can see torches lining the walls of the cave. A deep sense of nervousness grips me that I can't quite describe. Lots of large rocks and rubble are scattered on the floor of the cave, as if it had collapsed before. There's an intense electricity in the air, and I can't help but shake the feeling that I've been here before. My heart pounds in my chest. Soon, I peer around a corner and see something that looks like a doorway. I purposely blur my eyes from what lies beyond it and quickly turn back to Shyael, grabbing her hand to comfort me. "I think this is it. Should we go in?"

She furrows her brow as he turns, visibly shaken, and grabs her hand. "I think this is is it. Should we go in?" He asks. "Lyari, are you okay?" She questions, looking down at their entwined hands and worriedly back up at him.

"I-I'm fine," I stutter, and shake my head. "I just feel a bit wierd. I'll be fine." I give a shaky smile to try to reassure her.

Not reassured in the slightest, she frowns at him but nods, knowing that trying to pry is going to do no good. "Alright, if you're sure," she begins, trailing off as she gestures towards the doorway.

I take a long, deep breath. Alright, it's time. I stand up, turn the corner, and step through the doorway. What greets me is a large room. A complex series of circles and symbols glows on the ground. *A Ruin circle,* I think instinctively, wondering where I got that information. Twelve robed figures stand on the circle, nonmoving, staring at us. Their faces are masked by an endless black abyss. But then, when I take a look around the room, I freeze.

Bones. Skulls. Remnants of blood. And, hanging from the ceiling... chains. I know where we are.

We're in the room where I woke up.

The spell dissipates from my eyes and the striking white lights up the room. They begin burning fiercely, and I try to claw at them. I sink to my knees, mouth wide open but unable to scream, body shaking violently. The room tilts and fades away, and I am surrounded in nothing but darkness.

Shyael looks on in horror as Lyari sinks to his knees, clawing at his own face. "Lyari?" she calls, fear and confusion constricting her. "Lyari are you okay?" she asks, positioning herself in front of him and joining him on her knees as he silently screams. Grabbing onto his wrists, she notices the spell on his irises has disappeared and been replaced by gold. Gold. He's never had gold eyes before. Horror settles like lead in her gut as she looks helplessly at him in this state, unsure how to help.

There is silence aside from the feeble cries uttered from the elven girl as she finds herself and Lyari surrounded by the twelve cultists who proceed to form a ring around them. Startled, she draws her bow and shoots to her feet, arrow knocked and arms poised. How did I not hear them?! I'm an elf, th-they have advanced hearing and.. She rolls her shoulders back and lifts her chin, looking defiantly at the eeriely quiet cultists. "What's happening to him?!"
A plethora of whispering begins between the cultists - which unknown to them, Shyael can hear. "Who are they?" "Is he a prophet?" "A guardian?" "Look! His eyes are gold." "What does that mean?" They mutter feverishly to each other, their excitement evident. Shyael draws the bowstring back, readying it. "I asked a question, yet all you're doing is muttering to yourselves. What is happening to him, and why are you wondering whether he's a prophet?"

They pause. The whispering stops and all twelves heads are facing straight at her. She puffs herself up, breathing slowly and methodically - but they don't do anything. They move in, causing the circle to shrink and shove her unceremoniously out of the way. During the process, her bow and arrow is knocked out of her hand and skids sadly across the cold ground. Anger surges in her. She clenches her jaw and digs her nails into the palm of her hands. Putting her rage into the back of her mind, she watches curiously, hoping they could help him in some way - they seemed to know more than she did. They did nothing. Absolutely nothing. All they did was stroke and touch him as he continued to claw relentlessly at his face and contort in some sort of emotional pain. "Hey! Enough!" She shouts, shoving one of the cultists out of the way.

Bad move. They all turn, their movements creepily in sync and gravitate towards her. Panic sets in and she lets her anger bubble back to the surface, moving gracefully to retrieve her bow. One grabs her arm. Another attempts to wrench the weapon from her hands. Automatically, she twists her arm away and swings her bow, hitting them both across the faces - or, voidless depths, whatever was under those goddamned hoods. She hurries back over to Lyari, pushing her way through the rest of the cultists and swinging her bow again, causing them to inch back slightly. "Back up!" she hisses, arching her body into a protective stance over her friend. They look hesitantly at one another before closing in around her as she knocks an arrow, aiming it at one of the cultists. Unfased, they continue inwards. She lets go. An arrow lodges itself with a thunk inside one of the guys' shoulders, throwing him slightly off balance with the force of the impact. Using this brief distraction, she pries one of Lyari's arms away from his face and slings it over her shoulder, heaving him to his feet.
Handicapped by her friend's weight on her side, she shoves them roughly out of the way, their hands grasping at the cloth of the two's garments, trying to draw them back. "A prophet, a prophet," they whisper hauntingly, but they dare not come closer to the fierce lady-elf as she shot threatening glares at any that came within an arms length of the pair. She drags her friend to the outside of the cave and places him carefully in a resting position only to sit next to him worriedly.

Shyael props Lyari up against the cave wall as he stops clawing at his eyes and she instead watches as tears flow down his face. She gently wipes his cheeks, the concern imprinted on her face giving her a headache. Clutching her bow and arrows close, she gradually drifts off into an unsettled sleep, her head rested on Lyari's shoulder and weapon in her hands.

Blood. Death. Greed. Images swirl around my head and torture my mind, bringing me to my knees. I'm back.

"I heard you were looking for me," a voice calls out. The mirror appears again, but when I look into it, nothing is there. At that moment, a man walks out from behind it. He looks exactly like me, but his eyes are gold and he has a familiar black tunic and beautiful, black wings. The man in the mirror.

I want answers," I tell him, determined. "I want to know about the memories I've forgotten."
He cracks a crooked grin, eyes wild with delight. "It's about time." He leans in close and puts a hand on my cheek. "I'll have fun torturing you. But, for now, you're going to have to work harder. Go to the city of Ciasta in Ecremar. If you're lucky, he'll still be there."
I immediately know who he's talking about. "Takot," I whisper.
"Right. Now, leave. I look forward to our next meeting." The darkness dissipates and my vision blurs into the night sky.

I look around and try to orient myself when i feel hair brush up against me neck. It surprises me, and I jerk my body around. Shyael's head begins to fall and I instinctively grab her shoulders to stop her from slamming her head on the ground. I stay there for a while, looking at her while my cheeks get hot. "U-um..." I clear my throat, and whisper, "Shyael, wake up."

She flinches, bow immediately in one hand and an arrow in the other. She blinks rapidly, clearing the blurriness from her eyes and relaxing her shoulders. "Lyari! You're.. what's a word, conscious?"

"Y-yea... what happened?"

"You, you saw the cave a-and you just.." she pauses, looking at his irises, "The spell wore off and your eyes went gold and you started, I don't know, hallucinating, and the cultists thought you were some kind of prophet and then started trying to get rid of me and I shot one and I had to carry you out and you were clawing at your face and you started crying and..."

I let a short silence pass, taking in her words, then lower my head. "I'm sorry."

She cocks her head, rubbing her eyes. "What for?"

"For... I don't know, for freezing up and putting you in danger. It's my fault."

Well.." she begins, thinking, "well, it wasn't on purpose, it - it wasn't your fault."

"Yes it is, I'm just... sorry." I look at her and realize I'm still gripping her shoulders. I quickly withdraw my hands and look away. "I... think I know where to look next."

She sighs, looking at her hands, "Are you sure you want to go along with this, I- I mean, I'll go with you it's just... the way you reacted it.. It.. I wouldn't want to see you like that again."

Looking up at the sky and reaching my hand toward the stars, I tell her, "I have to do it, I have to find him. It's the only way I can learn about myself, and I need to know, no matter how painful it'll be. I feel so confused, and I know I'm forgetting something very important. I need to remember."

She nods solemnly, looking him straight in the eyes. "If it means that much to you, you know I'll go with you."

I grin widely. "Thank you so much..." Without thinking, I lean in quickly and wrap my arms around her and start to cry. "I'm scared, to be honest. I don't know what's going to happen."

She resists the urge to flinch in her surprise, and relaxes into the embrace, grinning, "Scaredy cat.."

((S_swimmer hon hon ))

 

[Naoh]

*15 minutes ago*
Takot rushed toward the palace at top speed. "I gotta know, I gotta know, I gotta-" Takot stumbled over a rock and faceplanted into a puddle. He wiped the mud off his face, and continued running. Takot reached the palace steps, out of breath. He noticed a guard standing by the door. Takot attempted to make himself look as inconspicuous as he could (which was difficult considering he smelt like a bar, and still had streaks of mud on him) and walked up to the door.

"Name?" asked the guard. Takot shifted his weight between his feet. "Uh, Tim..." The guard looked annoyed. "Tim's a common name. Tim who?" Takot coughed. "Tim..." "GUY GUY GUY SAY GUY IT'S A COMMON LAST NAME" yelled Fear, inside Takot's head. "uhh.. Guy." The guard raised an eyebrow. "Tim Guy?" Takot looked at his feet. "Yes." The guard pressed his sword to Takot's neck, and let him know that if he wanted to live much longer, he better get the hell out, because he knew Takot was lying. "Dude dude, use your powers. Jeez, do I have to think of everything?" Takot stared at the guard, focusing all the scary thoughts he could think of at him. The guard just stared back. "Uh Fear? I don't think it's working." Thought Takot. "Okay, new plan. RUN LIKE HELL." Replied Fear. Takot did a 180 and ran as fast as he could, yelling at the top of his lungs. Takot retreated behind a bush to formulate a new plan.

*now*

Takot watched the guests as they walked past. He had a new plan. He would quietly relieve one of the guests of their formal wear, and then sneak in through an inconspicuous entrance.

Takot saw an elderly man walk past. He looks easy enough. "Uh sir?" The old man turned and glared at him. "Uh... my... uh foot hurts." Takot grinned as wide as he could in order to look less shady. The old man just stared, then turned and continued walking. Well that didn't work very well. "Of course not, you idiot." Grumbled Fear. "Dudes don't fall for other dudes. You gotta lure them in with women!" "Hey guy! Check it... uh out!" Takot yelled to a guy about his age walking by. "Um... girls girls... girls...?" The guy cocked his head, showing interest. "Yup, lots of girls inside this... house." The guy continued to stare. "Can... you hear anything I'm saying at all?" The guy stared some more. Takot stared back. The guy stumbled toward Takot and fell over. Drunk. Takot stared. "Uh, well that was easy." He pulled the mans body into the building and took the liberty of borrowing his clothes, then sneaked over to the palace. "What would be the least conspicuous way of entering...?" He noticed a ladder built into the side of the palace, leading to the roof. "Ahah!" Takot climbed up the ladder, and onto the roof. On the roof was a large glass dome. Takot peered over the side. He noticed lots of people, eating dancing and talking. Directly below, he saw a woman with brown hair, talking with someone. He couldn't see who it was, so he leaned in a bit more, to make out the face better. "It almost looks like... it almost looks like... AAAAAHHH" Takot fell through a lose pane in the glass, down through the dome, and onto his head next to the brown haired girl.

(( Toiletprincess RIP TAKOT

EDIT: Sorry if this seems a bit- rushed. I was a bit rushed when I was writing it, so please forgive me :c ))

 

[Enderfive]

Erien

They ate a pretty decent dinner and Erien felt like they were ready to go. Himinn, still without a false name, put on the best dress she could find among the clothes they had taken and Gilliam rummaged through Erien's clothes to find something acceptable as well. As for Erien, he was still a wizard of the Sitian University, even if he spent most of his time as a hedge wizard/adventurer, so to go to a formal event such as this, the festive wizard's robes with the University's crest on them were probably the best choice. It was most likely enough to grant him and his two companions access to mostly everywhere as well, so considering all things, the choice was easy and Erien pulled on the heavy robes.

The time was a little past seven when they reached the castle gates. They were greeted by a guard who at first glance looked to be pretty angry. "Your names," the guard grunted at them.

Erien answered. "I am Erien, Mage of the Third Order of the Sitian University, and these are my companions, Gilliam and . . . uh . . ."

((Faliara Fiestaguy S_swimmer))

((Fali, this is a fine time to come up with a name for yourself. Or keep using your real one, if you want.))

 

[Toiletprincess]

Thud. Something had fallen from the ceiling and landed right by Zwn, but soon a crowd had gathered and it was blocked from her sight. She looks up and frowns, baffled. Was it a chandelier or.. a bird maybe? Did a mammal fall through the glass panes? Lifting up the front of her dress, she gently pushes her way through the crowd to see..
A boy. A boy around her age with dark hair had fallen through the ceiling and is currently lying on his face on the ballroom floor. She shakes him gently, trying to prompt him awake but he's out cold. Something is oddly familiar about him..
"Please, may everyone step back?" she asks softly, proceeding to sling the boy's arm over her shoulders and lift him from the ground. Despite multiple offers to help and her slight difficulty in supporting his dead weight, she refuses and makes her way up the stairs with the strange boy herself.
Once to her room, she lifts the boy onto her bed and shakes her head in disbelief. Why in the world were you on the roof.. After patching him up a bit and putting a cool towel on a gash on his forehead, she lifts herself onto the edge of the bed and brushes some of his wild hair from his face. Why do you look so familiar..

((Naoh It only makes sense that he's unconscious))

 

[Enderfive]

Carsen

He had been 'sailing' for almost two days now.

The ship had taken off without anyone actually controlling it, so Carsen figured it was some sort of magic that made the ship sail. He knew next to nothing about magic, and he was kind of sceptical about all things involving magic, especially after the encounter with that wizard, so he had decided to see where the ship will take him. He didn't really know that much about sailing anyway, and the couple of attempts he made to change the course of the ship or affect it in any way at all had proven futile. He didn't want to waste his energy on useless actions, after all.

There was no one else on the ship, the boy had made that much sure. At first he thought it must have been some wizard, possibly the one the ship belonged to, doing all the magic that was moving the ship. As he sailed farther and farther from the coast, though, the possibility became an impossibility, so the magic was probably in the ship itself and it was consciously moving away from the coast with Carsen on board for some reason. Why that was, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

The most abundant resource on the ship appeared to be knowledge, in the form of all kinds of books and maps and charts and notes, anything written you could think of, really. Carsen was curious by nature, and he could read fairly well, so he had filled his time with reading for the better part of the first day and a bit of the second. The topics in the books ranged from general history to applied thaumatology to an extensive study on the droppings of small wild animals, so there was plenty to learn.

But now, with the sunset waiting on the horizon, he was feeling too weak to keep reading. There was no land in sight and there was no food on the ship, so he was hungrier and especially thirstier than ever with no relief in sight. It was pretty clear to him that he was going to die on this ship and while that was somewhat sad, curiously enough, Carsen didn't really feel angry or desperate. He was going to die of thirst in the comfortable bed of a ship that he hadn't stolen, but everybody most likely thought he had. He accepted that, for some reason. He didn't even know why, most people probably would've panicked and desperately searched for another way to survive, but Carsen knew there was no way out and that made it somewhat better to manage. His mom, dad, everyone he knew, they would all think he had sailed off, when in reality he was going to be a corpse on a ghost ship with a mind of it's own. Strangely, there was nothing wrong with that. Maybe he was going mad because of the thirst.

He heard a faint thump from the messroom.

Was there someone there after all, someone who was moving the ship, that could perhaps help him? It seemed a small hope, but the thump restored woke the will to survive and Carsen tried to call for help. Only a whimper came out. Not wanting to give up, he somehow managed to get on his feet and stumble out of the spacious cabin and into the messroom.

The table was covered, a modest meal waiting for him. And water, precious water. He staggered to the table and drank every drop of water he managed. Only then did he think to pay any attention to the rest of the room. There had to be someone that had done this, where was he?

Don't think about that right now; eat, drink, recover your strength. We'll have time to talk later.

Carsen did as he was told.

 

[CaffeinatedKitty]

Report Two- Post-Hibernation
Alouette(Alias: Avis)
Guardian of Flight
It has been far too long since my last report. It was not my intention to sleep for so long. It seems that we all went into a sort of hibernation for a period of time; for how long, I haven't quite determined. Strangely enough, although I myself went to sleep in the air, I woke on the ground, on the coastline of a country called Ecremar. It must be because I slowly lost the ability to hold myself up; I've tested a few things, and I can tell I've weakened since I was last awake.
As of now, I know of two others that are awake: Zwn and Tora. I haven't seen or heard of any others, but I don't doubt that more are either awake or waking up. I remember just enough of past lives to know that this is relatively routine. Even one as strong as a Guardian can't live with thousands of years of being worshipped without disappearing for long enough for people to forget their exact appearance, their mannerisms, maybe even their species. It's not something most people would know, but being seen as a powerful, world-shaping being- even if you are- and being treated as someone to be feared takes a lot out of you. It's better if you can't be recognized by those that would have such a reaction.
But I digress.
I was taken in by a human- rather recklessly, I may add- not a moment after I woke. She is indeed kind, and I do believe we're in the midst of building a lasting friendship. I have stayed with her for the past week, and unless something arises that forces me to leave, I will continue to do so.
I have yet to figure out what caused us to wake all at once, but will continue to search for the reason.
That is all.
...
Avis stands idle in the hallway, already fully dressed, and waits for Marisa. She's figured out over the last week that her new friend is rather more finicky about her appearance than she, and in turn waits patiently until she is truly ready. She is being tremendously kind, after all; taking her in and even paying for several new dresses, though the one she has- has always had- suits her perfectly fine. She supposes that, considering Marisa had been tutored at home rather than going to public school, she hadn't had much of a chance to make friends and this was her way of making up for lost time.
She's managed to avoid making up a story explaining her presence, if only because Marisa has a tendency to ramble and go off on tangents during conversations, a habit picked up from amusing herself without an audience, no doubt. Contrary to her apparent solitude, however, she brings up an old friend of hers- a boy named Eli, with no memory for faces but the quiet bravery to carry on in the outside world- quite often, though she says she hasn't seen him for a while. She probably misses him very much, considering he seems to have been one of her first friends.
The sound of a door opening startles her from her thoughts, and she looks up to see that Marisa's ready at last.
"You're ready to go?" She asks needlessly, glancing over her newest- and by far, most magnificent- dress. It parallells her own, with long draping sleeves and a sweetheart neckline; embroidered flecks of blue draw attention to her eyes.
And indeed, hers shine, as brightly as the sapphires at her throat when they catch the light.
Even just looking over her appearance kindles...something in the back of Avis's mind, something vaguely familiar and not entirely welcome. She shoves it back as Marisa nods, and arm-in-arm, they descend the stairs and exit the mansion to begin the last night of the ball.
...
((I'll wait until the three of you have entered before arriving.))

 

[Catcocomics]

Catcocomics
273 years into hibernation.
Report 1 - 273​

It has been long since I last visited, though I am sure that the ice kingdom is well. On my last visit, they had requested I bring fragments of cultures not of this planet, and... well, I'll see how they like what I brought.
I do no know what they intend to use it for in the long run, though I would assume that they wish to assimilate it to their own culture.
I only hope that what I have brought will leave their hearts unchanged.

The buildings they create with the few powers they have inherited from my presence are still simplistic in design, but now functionality is becoming more evident to me; perhaps one day, they may master what little of my own abilities they have.
It has been little over four centuries since I last died, and now this story of mine is soon coming to a close to make way for another...
Perhaps I shall see these friends of mine long in the future, under a new name, less ancient... a little more... frail.

The other peoples on this planet seem to be taking longer to learn the lessons the ice kingdom have been taught, but then... perhaps that is for the better. It interests me to know that the ice kingdom have learned to be resourceful with the limited water supply they have to use, and how they use it. Unlike me, the denizens of the ice kingdom do not consume the water that they use for magical purposes. I probably could do this too, if I so wished, but I've noticed that my people can focus on any single source of water, save for living beings, and move it to what form and place they wish as they freeze it. I feel like there is much for me to learn from these humans.
​

Katsu
Final Evening of the Ball
​

He had been hanging around the area where he had eaten some fish and bread a few nights before, occasionally going to a restaurant and at one point had managed to find a place he could get cleaned up at, after he had found a currency exchange not too far away.
Katsu was walking back to his temporary place to hang around, holding a plate with some chopped up raw fish (which smelled quite a bit, though he didn't notice the scent, having eaten it so many times before), when a random girl with slightly messy hair and a large green tunic bowled him over, taking his fish.
Yelling a few words in his home tongue out of surprise, Katsu fell on his face, having had too little time to react.
Thankful he had only fallen on the grass, Katsu sprang back on his feet before stopping to a familiar sound of chains being hastily dragged on the ground.
"Hey, wait up! That's my fish you just grabbed there!" Katsu shouted, though to little avail as the girl did not stop to heed even his presence.
A little annoyed, Katsu proceeded to give chase, but soon realized that he could hardly match her speed.
With few options left to regaining his fish, Katsu noted that the girl was headed towards the ocean, and was very well in range of it as well.
Waiting a little to make sure the sea and the girl were both close enough, Katsu focused his mind on the ocean before the two, and from it, he warped small concentrations of water around the girl's feet (which he noticed, had no form of foot wear), freezing them in place.
"Now then, I'd like my fish back, if you would be so kind as to not run off on me."
​

Kramia
First Night/Second Day of the Ball
​

Kramia awoke, confused to find herself on a hard wooden floor with a slight headache.
Beside her rested a shattered glass cup of some sort. She noticed that it was very dark, where ever she was, when she remembered the night before.
Surprised no one had noticed her all night, she got to her feet and checked the tables for any food; there was none, save for half empty bottles and serving dishes as well as other things, though she decided against trying anything else, in the event she might fall unconscious again.
Though she couldn't quite call it sleep, she could at least think clearly again, and doing all in her power to not make a sound, she snuck out of the mansion the way she remembered entering. Those who were still in the mansion were mostly asleep, probably so they could stand to continue partying the next night.​

Final Evening of the Ball
​

She didn't quite know what compelled her to do so, but Kramia had decided to stick around the general area for the past few days, finding food here and there, and though none showed signs of hunting her down, she made sure she was hidden whenever someone clad in armor came near.
Kramia was just hiding in a tree in the area when she noticed a strange smell... it smelled almost foul, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel like there the source of the scent might be edible.
Soon enough, she noticed a strange looking fellow, he couldn't be one of the locals, how he was dressed in that color of blue and his matching hair, but she couldn't help noticing that he held some sort of dish with chopped up bits of some kind of fish in it.
It had been a few hours since she had last eaten, so she quietly climbed out of the tree and rushed at him from behind, making sure to take the fish.
She heard him shout something at her, but she was too hungry to care at that moment and rushed off towards the beach, only to find that her feet suddenly felt cold and wouldn't move, almost throwing her off balance.
"Now then, I'd like my fish back, if you would be so kind as to not run off on me." The boy calmly stated as he walked towards her.
Deciding against staying around much longer, Kramia proceeded to melt the ice binding her feet to the ground, holding the fish in a dish with one hand, but as soon as she finished thawing one foot, she found the fish to no longer be in her possession, and that her arms were suddenly being held behind her back in such a manner that she could not move them, or if she tried to move them, they were held in place by some other, stronger force.
Kramia felt the ice around her still-frozen foot shatter harmlessy away as more ice soon bound her arms together.
Noticing that what ever stronger force was holding her arms was gone, now replaced by ice, Kramia turned to the boy and sighed, before speaking to him. "Alright, you can have your fish back, now could you please let me go?", then she realized that this was the first time in almost a decade that she had spoken to any other humans apart from herself.
"Perhaps if you had not tried to get away with taking my fish, or simply not take my fish in the first place, I would have been more inclined to let you go about your business, but I think I might want to hold on to you for just a bit longer." The boy replied, partially to her dismay, though she couldn't help but wonder how she had managed to get caught by a boy who could not be very much older than her at all, when so many grown men before had tried in vain to do the same.
"so... you're not going to turn me in to those scary people in armor... are you?" she asked, though she soon noticed the boy was no longer paying much attention to her and was now looking back down the street towards the mansion that played music all day and night, and soon noted that she was being half dragged towards the mansion by the boy.
​

Katsu (again)
(same time)​

He didn't quite know why, but Katsu found himself rushing back towards the mansion where he had gotten his first meal on the continent, the green-clad girl in tow.
It wasn't quite dark yet, night fall was very near, when he noticed some strange people near the door, approaching the guardsmen.
He couldn't quite understand why, but he felt that he might know them from somewhere, despite the fact that he had never left his home island until a few weeks ago.
The robed person, who was at the front of the part, had just done his best to introduce his friends to the guard, when Katsu came up, still half-dragging Kramia, and said "excuse me, but who are you guys? I don't know why, but something about you three seems... familiar."

(( Enderfive Fiestaguy S_swimmer Faliara ))​

 

[Enderfive]

Erien

A stranger looked towards them with curious eyes and Erien was grateful for the interruption since it gave him a few moments to find a way out of the awkward situation with the guard that he was currently in. He turned slowly towards the stranger and gave him a long, hard look. If he really felt that all three of them looked familiar, then either he was imagining it or he was someone that was around back when they were all awake the last time. In other words, another Guardian.

But Erien saw nothing familiar in the stranger's face. It must've been a coincidence or the guy was imagining it.

"As I was just saying to the guard over here, I am Erien, Mage of the Third Order of the Sitian University, and these are my companions. Gilliam here to the right and ..." -c'mon, Erien, you can think of something, Himinn's not going to say anything, she's frozen, so you gotta say something yourself- "... on my left, the Lady Eiríni from Aetarine." Technically, that's her true name, or at least one of them. I'm not even lying.

((Faliara Fiestaguy S_swimmer Catcocomics))

 

[Fiestaguy]

Gilliam's eyes dart left to the mage. '"Lady Eiríni"? Seriously? Couldn't you've just called her "Eirika" or "Elesa" or something?' Trying to repress his light annoyance, he stands still and waits for a reply, retaining his fake smile.

((Enderfive Faliara S_swimmer Catcocomics Sorry, I had to.))

 

[S_swimmer]

Rowan raises his eyebrows. "Oh? I didn't know you two knew each other." Clearing his throat, he switches to his formal speak. "Greetings, Erien and Gilliam. A messenger was sent to us earlier saying you would come. And, Lady Eiríni, I'm glad you escaped safely from the bandits on the way here. I apologize deeply that you were forced to miss the other days of the ball." Rowan cocks his head. You look a lot younger than I expected, he thinks, comparing the woman in front of him to the 35-year-old description he received from the messenger.

"Anyway, you may enter. Have a good time. And you–" He trots over to the familiar blue-clothed boy behind them, lowering his voice– "are not a bird, and I will not feed you every time you come over here."

(( Enderfive Fiestaguy Faliara Catcocomics meh is this ok ))

 

[Catcocomics]

Katsu
​

Katsu turned to the guard, who evidently knew little of the honor and respect taught by Katsu's people.
"I am here not for food, as I have been able to obtain it on my own, incase you haven't noticed. And perhaps you should think twice before seeking to intimidate those who you or your superiors may not welcome, as I have noticed your hostility to many a traveler.
Had you such an attitude in my home land, I dare not think what may have become of you there, and I warn you against taking a threatening tone towards further travelers, however they may smell, sound, or appear, for not all are timid and run at first word; not all are untrained in the arts of the sword.
I wish not to fight, but threaten me or anyone with that tone again, and I shall take it as a challenge against my honor.
Now, I hope you can take it to enjoy the rest of the day."
Having finished, his tone remaining calm all the whilst he replied, Katsu turned away and walked back to the bench where he had first eaten in Ciasta, half forgetting that he was still holding on to the green-clad girl's left arm.​

 

[S_swimmer]

"Wait." In the blink of an eye, Rowan appeared behind Katsu and put his hand on his shoulder lightly to stop him. He lowered his head and glared at him, insides boiling. Speaking softly, he said, "Listen, I don't know who you are or where you came from, but you don't know shit about what I've been through, so don't you tell me how to act and shut the fuck up with your holier-than-thou attitude."

(( ow i cut my finger on rowan's edginess - also if u guys don't like his rough language tell me and ill tone it down

Catcocomics u can decide where to take this <3 ))

 

[Naoh]

Takot stirred at the feeling of the cool towel placed on his forehead, and suddenly jolted awake. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH- oh. I'm uh... not falling anymore." He looked around the room, taking in the foreign surroundings while rubbing his sore head. "...where am I?" he asked, to no one in particular.

(( Toiletprincess SORRY I FORGOT HOW TO POST ))

 

[Faliara]

Himinn finally shook herself of her frozen state, as Erien introduced her.

"-And, Lady Eiríni, I'm glad you escaped safely from the bandits on the way here. I apologize deeply that you were forced to miss the other days of the ball." Bandits? What bandits? She opened her mouth to say so, before she processed what he had called her. Eirini? Her name from the last world?

She didn't get the chance to ask. The man was talking to someone else.

((I'M SO SORRY ESCAPERESTART REFUSES TO LOAD ON THE IPAD FOR SOME REASON))

 

[Catcocomics]

Katsu
​

Sighing a little, Katsu responded without turning to face the guard. "Is it not the point of many a thing for us to know only as we our selves experience?
I can not possibly know what fates may have befallen you, and even if you told me, I would have to have seen and done that which you saw and did to fully understand from where you may come from, though I would still only see it through my point of view.
Now, since you have failed to heed my warning, I must challenge you on my honor to a duel, not to the death, but a few "minor scratches" and shattered blades should be not a problem.
Do you accept, knave?"

(( S_swimmer, might want to come up with a way for doing combat, and I don't know if/when I'll be able to be on tomorrow))​

 

[Enderfive]

Erien

The guard let them in, although Erien had no idea what bandits he had talked about. He must've confused Himinn with someone else that was expected. This could potentially evolve into an awkward misunderstanding at some point, but he didn't really care. They were in and once they found who they were looking for, or made sure that she wasn't here after all, then it wouldn't matter, since they would either leave or Zwn would take them in, which would effectively render any guard interruptions futile.

"Okay, guys, I'm going to search for Zwn, you two can wait here or do whatever you want, really. If you see her, then find me and tell me, okay? The more of us there is together, the better, that's why we're here right now." Erien took off in the direction of the ballroom without waiting for a response. He was too anxious to waste any time.

Right as he reached the ballroom's doorway, he heard glass breaking and then a thud on the floor. The crowd was too thick to see much, but when he looked up, one of the glass panes of a dome in the roof was missing. Had someone fallen through? If so, what had they been doing there in the first place? He pushed his way through the crowd, trying to get a better look at what was going on, but when he got close enough to see anything, the small clearing that was covered in bits of glass and some blood was empty of everything else. Whoever had falled through, had already either been carried away or gone away on his own. Considering the height of the roof, the first option seemed much more likely.

But he wasn't any closer to finding Zwn. Refocusing his efforts to examine each of the people there to find someone he knew, he looked around the ballroom again and tried to see familiar faces.

((@loleveryone))