abraxasooc | EVENT #12: INVOCATION - COORDINATION POST (PART 2)

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EVENT #12: INVOCATION - COORDINATION POST (PART 2)

Event #12 - COORDINATION ( 2 )

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[As much as she'd like to stay around the hot springs, given how close it is to the escape route, it's possible that the acolytes will find her before the rescue group. The very thought of it makes her heart drop and her stomach tie in knots.

Geralt told her to stay put, but it's hard to be patient. Instead, she paces, wandering a bit further, searching for that first sign of rescue.]

Can anyone hear me?

[Nero's not real interested in whatever the acolyte does now. What matters is they got someone out -- a quiet woman who hisses the first time the sunlight hits her, like she's preparing for it to burn. He gets it. He's never gone this long without it himself, and if he didn't have other people to worry about, he'd simply sit here and take it in. Bask. Find some slice of quiet.

But instead, he pulls a woman out of a hole in the earth and keeps her standing with his arm curled up with hers, the same shade of brown from mud, and dried blood, and everything else coming from the dead bodies and their own.

He unplugs his tail, backing them to give Steve room.] Come on up, man. It's like bein' born again.

[There's almost a lightness to the words. Almost. It just... it feels good, that's all.]

[Jaskier shifts himself, as if to get more comfortable, though even in the Horizon he is so wound tight that there is little hope of the smallest bit of comfort. His eyes watch Julie's face as she explains, his only expression change a twist to his brows as they lower, attempting to see what... whatever she saw.]

Yes, we have mercury.

[He may have elaborated once upon a time, but he only wants to hear more. And while it is an explanation of mercury -- used mostly for alchemical reasons on the Continent -- and his hands grip his leg tightly, he knows Julie will always get to the point quickly enough.

Anyway? Anyway? Jaskier's eyes grow larger, and he takes a break from staring her down to rub his face. What the fuck does any of that mean?]

It sounds like a shithole, honestly. [He doesn't even make himself exhale an extra note of humor. He breathes. Tries to put what all of those things together might mean.

He doesn't have a single idea.]

And the Singularity is showing you this? Would that not mean the gods are linked to it by the same bond as ourselves? [Though it is a point he once wandered himself, long ago, in Thorne's libraries.] I had something similar in mind. Geralt said there are using glamours, and there must be something quite large and powerful to keep all of them in. It makes sense to me that the power of a god would be required for such a thing. But... I can't claim I know much of gods besides stories from home. I don't know what it means to... to defy one. To bring one's illusions down.

I suppose she wanted to make me feel welcome, as a guest of sorts.

[ To answer the question that Nero didn't mean to actually ask. ]

That is quite understandable. I suppose I'll smell for myself soon enough, but I cannot imagine any of you have been able to bathe since you were taken.

[ They're bound to be ripe. ]

He might, but he wouldn't mean it.

[ Thor's been gone from this place for a while now, and Steve's had to spend that time accepting that they might not ever cross paths again. It's a strange thought, when he knows that Thor (and a whole host of different versions of Thor) is out there somewhere. Scattered among the stars.

Before he realizes it, he's staring up at the sky overhead, studying the clouds. ]

To be honest, he gets along with most people. He was always giving his brother the benefit of the doubt, even when he was stabbing him in the back.

𝘎𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢 𝘫𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦. 𝘐'𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴.

{ louis briefly regards the redheaded woman and wonders if he's seen her before? he pushes that thought away. he wouldn't be able to go with them even if he wanted. louis has studied those rays and the fog isn't enough to protect him just yet. it's partly for his own sake and now there's an opportunity to use it to their gain. disguising the footsteps is a stellar idea, one that has louis giving geralt a silent nod in agreement. they can't be sure of the ones after them, only take precautions.

louis' expression eases on purpose when he answers sylvain's question and turns to him. }

I'll be easier to disguise the footsteps if I go alone. I will catch up, I give you my word. { he then turns towards claude and follows in his direction, intending to also help others to prepare. his voice will overlap as he has stepped away. } I'll help you prepare. Easier with two hands. Have you considered giving them an uplifting speech?

{ a callback to steve rogers. he's only partly playing into it, knowing he'll have to adapt and be approachable if people intend to consider moving forward. it's been a long time since he's exercised his social muscles. claude might have the right reason. he'll have to trust the process as they make it their own. }

Do we have a way to actually ignite it?

[ Castiel seems to think so, with how he orders Ciri to move on. Steve has no protest there. If she wants to try and get the hell out of here, she should, and he gives her a firm nod and a brief thanks before turning his attention to the task at hand: not losing his grip on webbing that wants very badly to close in on itself again. ]

If we do this, we need to all get as far back as we can after we light that up that powder.

[ He doubts the fuse is going to be particularly long, and while he's willing to stay back to let others find an escape, he doesn't want the three of them to get blown up in the process. ]

[ The sudden burst of light hitting eyes that haven't been exposed to it in weeks — yeah, it's gonna hurt. Steve's prepared for that, and even the beam that manages to reach all the way down into the tunnel has him squinting. That's not about to deter him, though, and when Nero calls down to him, he clears his throat and nods. ]

Right.

[ Like being born again. There's something almost poetic in that, and in the way Nero says it. Like he's finally had a heavy weight removed from his chest.

Steve climbs up, eyes half-closed as he feels his way with the last few makeshift handholds. The warmth of the sun has him carefully opening one eye, then the other, as he makes it to flat solid ground, on his knees for a few seconds as he adjusts.

They actually made it. He takes a look around before letting his gaze settle on the acolyte woman. She's eyeing them carefully. ]

Thank you. For keeping your word.

[ If she was thinking of betraying them, maybe she'll think twice now, after hearing that. ]

[ Look, Julie has spent enough time telling stories only to find out the other person had no fucking clue what she was talking about from the start. She explains out of habit now.

Her brow knits. She wouldn't call it a shithole. It had been very shiny and pretty. Just... weird. Extremely weird and abstract. Most of the strange things she's seen in these other places haven't really been good or bad, exactly. Just odd. Like they mean something to someone, but that she can't understand herself.

She nods, the stitch between her eyes deepening. ] Either they're linked like we are, or else they're pullin' so much magic that the Singularity can see 'em too. But I don't know where all of these places are. They ain't here in the Horizon. Maybe like, some other dimension? I mean, other than... this other dimension.

[ Julie sighs heavily. This is all such a mindfuck. ]

Back home, most of the big religions only believed in one God. Some of 'em had more than one, but here, it feels like every little thing has its own god. So, if Nikodaemus is the god of reflections, and they're usin' that to hide, then we would need to find... the opposite of a reflection. Right? What's the opposite of a reflection? A black hole?

There's no saying how long she's been there.

[ it's truly horrific, and he watches jayden for panic. clearly he's not used to sights so grotesque or monstrous as this. he lifts a hand free, squeezes his shoulder, and finds jayden's eyes to check that he's with them, gives a reassuring nod. it's alright, if he needs to step away, he can. The three of them should be able to hold her in the meanwhile.

cas listens for any words or sounds out of the woman. nothing comes, and he shakes his head, glancing up to the others. ]

Istredd. Can you touch her mind?

I'll try. Keep a hold of her if you can.

[ It would usually be incredibly easy for him to do this, but using his abilities has required a great deal more focus and precision, and in short bursts. Still, if ever there is a time to make it work, now might be it. He reaches out to very gently touch her forehead with his hand and pushes through. ]

Steady. He speaks to her. We are friends.

[ The link works but not only for him, for everyone who is currently touching her at that moment, they are all connected at once. They see through her memories of god-like figures and Josselyn Creed. Her vision is more of a hallucination than what they experienced, although Istredd cannot see the difference himself, having not been in the ritual. He holds the link. ]

Is this what you saw? [ He has to ask the others. ]

[ Geralt has even less time for questions of diplomacy. He's already beginning to move towards the cave's exit, unwilling to linger too long. Large groups make noise, attract attention. They have only so many hours before they make the rest of the trek in the dark.

And he does not know this area well enough to understand its dangers. Which means he's treating it as though there are a dozen things ready to eat them at a moment's notice. ]

Tell them they can come with us or chance the frozen nights on their own with the wolves. They have a minute to decide. Then we leave.

[ That's their uplifting speech. He's not interested in burning daylight over some stubbornness, and he doesn't care to cajole anyone out of the cave. ]

[Jayden is definitely not used to this. He can handle dead bodies, even when the cases are quite gruesome, but so many of the things that have been happening in the last few weeks aren't even possible in his world, let alone anything he could've grown accustomed to. It's all a shock, and a half-transformed, likely dying mushroom lady linked to an altar used in a horrific ritual is just... A lot.

But he's dealing with it, and feeling Castiel's hand on his shoulder helps ground him a little. So when Castiel catches his gaze Jayden blinks hard a few times, then returns the nod with one of his own. He's okay, he's got this, and decides not to step away, although he somewhat regrets the choice when they see the woman's vision. At least the vision in itself isn't inherently disturbing.

He doesn't verbally answer Istredd's question, but shakes his head. No, that's definitely nothing that he saw.]

[He's ignoring that.]

Might surprise you to find out there's no Olympic-size swimming pools down there. Just rotten corn and lizards. And I don't even know where the fuck the corn came from.

You're the best, Thancred! But you knew that already.

The mages would be concerned that Thancred's suggestion may have some validity. They suggest keeping the small creature contained in the lab for now, and assure him it will be secure and that if it grows too dangerous, they will destroy it. Researchers in Thorne want to study its properties further as they have not encountered the species before.

I do recall seeing some mention of corn. It is rather mysterious, but that might be one question left unanswered in all of this.

[ He's got too many leads to follow already, he won't be adding corn to the list. ]

If you're truly desperate, I imagine a dip into the sea could be arranged.

[ Ah, if only they knew. ]

Yes, of course I am. As if there were ever any doubt.

In any case, I'll come find you at the Nocwich inn later.

[ Sylvain gives a quiet snort at that, peering back around the corner of the cave just long enough to call back to Geralt. ]

Steve's way better at that! I think you might need to work on that some more.

[ And then he ducks back out of sight to go scurrying down the tunnel to gather the other natives before Geralt can turn around and murder him or something. What? He can totally do that with a look, Sylvain is pretty sure. Besides. Apparently they only have a minute to get moving and he's not about to test the man's patience on that. ]

Yes, he would accept that outcome so long as he's kept in the loop and is allowed to come observe it from time to time. If anything comes of their research, he'd also like to know about it if possible!

[Maybe someone else would appreciate it. Hell, Nero probably would at a later time, but --]

Keep your day job for now (whatever that is), Thanny. Comedy's not your schtick.

Edited 2023-04-20 03:51 (UTC)

[Hey, if he doesn't get it, he doesn't get it. Luckily Nero's eyes adjust fast, even if there's that whining, piercing promise of a headache in the back of his skull. Though -- fuck, when in the last few weeks has he not had some pain he's never really meant to have?

He's not ever going to be a fan of these assholes. But he can, at least, respect someone who keeps their word.

Like Steve said.]

And I really recommend not changin' your mind on keeping it at the last moment. [He cracks his fingers, walking a bit away from them once he's made sure their friend can walk on her own (and she, too, is taking it all in -- the sky, the sun, and the dead plants littered around them), looking for a little space. He doesn't need much. Not like a plane taking off.

He turns back to Steve, ignoring the acolyte now. Now that they're outside, the first thing is figuring out where they fuck they are.] I'm gonna fly up and look around. [Steve's been upfront about his own weird shit, and Nero needed those wings when he was making sure he didn't get trapped in that tunnel with the Hedgehog.] Normally I'd never ask, but considering how well we've been feeling... look, just catch my ass if I look like I'm gonna die, all right?

[Even if Nero still feels like shit, he's still Nero, at the end of the day. So he doesn't wait for a response before the two glowing, blue wings appear from nowhere, folded over his back, then snapping open to pull him into the air --

And it doesn't last. He lifts up, and up, over the trees, getting in a good look at the island they're on -- and then the wings fizzle out, disappearing to nothing, and he falls.

With a yell.]

[Nero, curious, looks up with him. Just in case he's missed something.

Man. Now he thinks of it, Thor would've loved watching his ass fall outta the sky. But now he can just pretend it absolutely didn't happen, and live with the knowledge Wanda will never find out.

Hopefully.]

That's the brother that tried to kill him all the time, right? [He snorts.] Yeah, we had that in common.

[The letters become curlier in their cursive with humor.]

And why not be? You'll have plenty of time to earn such arrogance.

Please do. I will desperately need further sparks of joy, and I find joy in nothing less than encouraging the art of others.

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EVENT #12: INVOCATION - COORDINATION POST (PART 2)

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