genessia | Play foolish games, win foolish prizes [Action

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Play foolish games, win foolish prizes [Action | Fayren, Open]

[The tricky thing about having such explosive powers was having no safe way to test them. The especially tricky thing about having Ted's personality was wanting to anyway. Explosions are just energy, right? Which meant propulsion. Which could mean flight.

That's why he's in some natural clearing in Fayren, hopefully free from any innocent bystanders or other threats of collateral damage. He scanned the area, keeping an ear out for signs of life. The coast looked clear, but then, his observation isn't the best.]

All right, now if I can just center it properly...

[Conceptually it's simple: using the mysterious walls and manipulation of his void and the interplay it had with the life fibers, he'd create an antimatter explosion, then funnel it for lift-off like a rocket ship. That shouldn't be too hard; a gram--no, half a gram, should be safe.

An ear-splitting boom and blinding flash of light followed, scorching the ground and sending him skyward like a Roman candle on steroids.]

AAAAAHHHHHH!

[Turns out antimatter is far more potent than he thought. His shouting's cut short when he collides with Genessia's barrier with a thunderous thud. He lost consciousness, and with it his control over the direction of the explosive charge. It fanned out in a final flare of light, and then he fell from the heavens like Lucifer.

The impact was the last attention-getting noise he'd make for that day, nestled in the crater of his own make. There he lied: an inky unconscious sprawl of black threads. One might hear him muttering something, in his fits of consciousness.]

Eh heh heh...darkness, or light? Which deserves more fear?

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[Namur had been on his way back to Genessia City when the explosions lit off. There's no way he could miss a light show like that! A part of him figures it's just some idiot wizard trying something too intense to handle and he's tempted for a moment to leave him be, but with a sigh, changes course and heads into the forest.

Of course the whole damn place would be full of smoke, making it hard to track down the source by smell. But animals are fleeing the forest in a near stampede, so Namur very simply goes where they came from. It's enough to get him in the right ballpark to then pick up the scent of a charred Ted.

And that's when he panics, crashing frantically through the trees, knocking them aside and nearly over in some cases. He bursts into the clearing-crater and slides down the edge without hesitation.]

TED! The hell y' been doin' this time, y' schoolie git? Oi! TED!

[There's not much movement on his part; the threads hardly stir. The only thing that peeps out is his delirious sense of humor.]

Hee hee...oh, playing with fireworks, as you do. Couldn't...wait for July, aheheh.

[Lord of the Sea. At least there's a response. Namur toes a few of the more obvious threads aside. At this point he's not sure if those are Life Fibers or Ted himself since it all just looks like a black pile of something, but there's a tangle that's more dense so that's where he's heading. He might wind up stepping on several as he goes though.]

Dumbass. All this shit better not be yer guts hangin' out. Looks like somethin' a squid coughed up. Y' okay?

[When he's out like this, they do revert into their standard, humanoid form, however spread out like a cape.]

Ahehe, to ask is to answer. Never better; don't I...nngh, appear the picture of health?

[It's as close to drunk as he's been in some time.]

Oh yeah, sure, look flippin' fantastic.

[Namur rolls his eyes, still picking his way toward the jumble in the middle. Namur's pretty sure he can see cloth there, even if stepping through all of these inky black threads is raising his hackles.

It's different this time. He has to keep reminding himself of that. He chose to trust and not be afraid. So he swallows thickly and presses on until he comes to an infinitely dark mass and kneels, pushing more threads aside.]

Bein' serious though, do I need t' getcha t' a healer stat or y' good t' shake it off?

[Ted's opposing fears, now that he's mindful enough to mind them, are nudging at his heart. Namur appears many times when he's hurt, doesn't he? He worries so much too, meaning Ted's own hurts would be amplified whenever they were known. Hence why he's so secretive. He couldn't explain why, but a deep assurance told him it was wrong--more wrong for him to create suffering for others than anyone else. Maybe if he makes fun, Namur will stop. If nothing else it will be funny, and in the end, isn't that what really matters?]

Oh mother, your feminine sensitivity cannot condone roughhousing, can it? Just kiss away the boo-boo like you always do.

There's easier ways t' get me t' kiss y', if that's what yer really after. Dumbass.

[Namur tentatively pokes a finger against the black mass.]

The hell didja do? Mean, it looked pretty damn awesome from far 'way, but. Now yer inked all over.

Haha, rats, I thought for sure that'd work.

[Now that the life fibers and their quasi-sentience had a functioning consciousness to leech, Namur's impudent poking activated their instinctive defenses. Rather than against, the finger would go inside the strand that served as a living threshold to the void, where it would experience a deep, airless cold.]

Oh, just did some experimenting, and learned why like and unlike should seldom meet.

[Wait, did Namur say he saw it from far away? Uh oh. Ted rose up as though urgently roused from deep sleep. The threads responded to the stress, retracting like a tape measure until his form became compact. One single thread broke from the bundle to extend swiftly towards Fayren's exit.]

Thanks for the concern, but I'm more concerned about the concerns of other, less amiable parties. You won't be troubled if I make a break for it?

[Namur cants his head. That's creepy as all get out. Clearly it means he has to poke some more. But when Ted really wakes up, Namur snaps his whole arm back. He gets a surprised look on his face, like he hadn't even thought of anyone else coming into the woods and making certain inferences.]

Oh shit, we gotta get outta here!

[So basically, no, he won't be troubled. He's already reaching for Ted, assuming it'll be up to him to haul ass, dragging the smaller man along for the ride.]

[Like all times Namur would like to be charitable, Ted appreciates the sentiment and is only too happy to make it moot. He asked only because he wanted to know whether he'd be inconvenienced being left at the scene, for Ted could leave it in an instant. Now that the idea of escape is in Namur's brain, he'll do just that.

Before his fingers can touch any more creepy threads, Ted's sunk into a hole where he'll appear at the end of the elongated thread.]

Way ahead of you, in thought and deed!

[The last of the farewell emanates like a voice from a well. He doubts Namur will be setting sprint records anytime soon, but he's confident he'll manage. He didn't offer a ride through its black corridor because, as always, Ted's comfort with the void extends only to himself; it's too dark and terrible a thing to cover anyone else with but for bleak necessity. Especially to one still haunted by Teach's specter.]

[Damn schoolie smolt. How the hell did he..?

Namur spins toward where Ted last spoke, then spins back toward town, then turns one last time on his heels and ditches the scene, heading deeper into the thick of the forest where he's got better odds of laying low and not being somehow blamed for the destruction.]

[ It wasn’t the so much the sound that caught Nikola’s attention as much as the sudden lack of shadows from the light against his senses. Because of that sudden anomaly, he couldn’t help but investigate. Which apparently lead him to peering ata crator and some sort of... shadowy being he wasn’t familiar with.]

One should fear the light more than the dark I would think.

[ Peering down at Ted would be Nikola with pure black pupiless eyes and paler than normal skin. As it was, he was paying meticulous attention to the shadows around them.]

[Alas, "shadow" is far too generous to describe Ted as he is now. That would imply a solid body that blocks light, rather than an empty one that merely lets it in, not to be seen again. Small groans emit from inside as Ted tries to rise into lucidity.]

Aheh, I see. Well, ah...don't be coy.

[He grunted, making an effort to stand.]

Let's hear your reasoning for that view.

[He has a hazy glimpse of who he's speaking to, not being one to forget a voice. Even if his senses are a little fuzzy at the moment.]

[Not always. If he knew half of what Nikola could do with his abilities, he may change his view on what defines a shadow. As it was, Nikola was just watching him curiously as the shadows around them seemed.. darker and slightly more alive with the shadow user's presence and abilities fully active. Nikola honestly was being cautious, having an escape ready along with a means of defense if need be.]

Within the light, you are bare and unable to hide that which needs to be hidden. It scorches one into admitting even false claims simply to appease those which control the light.

However, within the shadows, one is safe to hide that which should never be seen and take comfort within the embrace of darkness. It allows observation and for one to take their time in coming to their own conclusions of others.

There is safety within the darkness as long as you know how to show it the respect it deserves.

A vampire would pick that side, naturally. Not that I can't appreciate the argument.

[That's Ted's network scouring at work. It lined up with how his own abilities functioned; the dark was something he was all too used to. It held fear for humanity on a primal level; yet the void held his things, and dispensed them at will. It provided a place to rest. In a pinch it could send all adversarial, flaming darts into a harmless hole. The worst it could do was...well, nothing. Send one to an airless, cold place.

The light, on the other hand, was loud and bright and destructive beyond imagining. He hates to say it, but Nikola may have a point.

He laughed, for this seemed a natural conversation amidst unusual circumstances, as if they were fiddlers while Rome burned. Nevermind the crater he'd just made; naught must obstruct conversation.]

Did your line of work involve much hiding, back when?

[Nikola was quiet when Ted mentioned vampires. True, he has mentioned vampires being called Kindred with some of his conversations and recently, he may have.. admitted to potentially being that of his world's ruling class and the Heir to one of the Noble Houses. Not to mention, right now he hardly looked as human as he so claimed.

He sighed softly and decided to take a seat at the edge of the crater.]

I am merely a wine maker, Ted. Nothing more. But, my family's abilities have every bit to do with the shadows. They are as much apart of my blood as they are the light.

As for you, I should ask the same in return. In your view, which is to be more feared? The light or the dark?

Mm, is that vocation, or avocation? And what occupies the other?

[He doesn't really believe anything as prestigious as Nikola's noble houses would let him get away with so little. Unless he was being cute and talking only of his present in Genessia, rather than the past.]

Oh, light, certainly. Though I suppose that's a very different thing than whose side one's on.

["Fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell", the scripture goes. God and light go together so readily that he wonders whether any delineation isn't so much vanity.]

One of Earth's greatest and most prolific writers said two things before he died. One was, "The issue is quite clear now. It is between light and darkness and every one must choose his side." As if the man who wrote so much on every facet of existence were forced, by death's denuding doorstep, to sum it all up.

[Would he knew definitively which one would ultimately accept him.]

A bit of both, I suppose. I choose to work as a wine maker within my time here. However, it was my father's passion that he passed on to me.

[As for his actual occupation however..]

My actual vocation is that of my father's Heir, representing our family within the political system of my world. I'm a diplomat to put it simply.

[A simple answer for something more complicated than most might realize.]

Perception is key when it comes to such things. What one may fear, the other may embrace. However, who is to truly say which is right or wrong? The world is never defined as starkly as such.

[Where his world was nothing like what he's read about Earth, he could see similarities. Except when it came to religion. What belief systems exist in other places, his world lacks to such a degree. Kindred knew exactly where they came from and who they were descended from. Each family kept records of their bloodline from the very first to the youngest among them.

Genetics and the power of the blood were what mattered to them. What defined one house from the next and one individual to another. ]

Light or Darkness, does it truly matter? It is the duty of the more powerful to protect and to assist those less powerful than they are. At least, that is the belief of my father and the creed of my House.

[Ted's a little more put together as the threads coil back together into something more human in shape. Thankfully Ted's still oblivious as ever, and doesn't yet have the presence of mind to be embarrassed about it.]

Vampires have eyes, don't they? I imagine they owe quite a bit to light, unless they'd prefer to spend their days blind as bats. "Never defined?" Pray tell what that means.

[Some slight grunting and he's just about back on his feet. That barrier, he'll tell you what. If his eyes were more defined, they'd be bulging in astonishment at Nikolai's nonchalance.]

Does it--yes it matters! Good Lord, man, have you seen them? Have you imbibed your own wine too much? They're practically night and day!

A decent duty, nonethe-heh-less.

[See, it's funny because Nikolai said "dooty"].

[Nikola remains seated at the edge of the crater as Ted starts pulling himself together. The threads and coils of darkness hardly bother him considering his own abilities could produce a similar affect if he so desired. To him, this was as if he were having a philosophical debate with one of his older sisters.]

When one can see through the darkness, one is never blind. What I meant was simply that. The world cannot be defined in simple black and white, good or evil. There will always be shades of grey and degrees one way or another. What matters is the perception of the person viewing the world and the beliefs that they carry.

What I might view as 'unjust' or 'evil', you may find to be 'just' and 'good'. In matters of this, the differences of our own worlds and upbringing may come into play.

[He tilts his head slightly as he just watches Ted.]

I haven't had a drop of wine in weeks, believe it or not. I tend to not sample my own stock before it's ready.

And no, it really doesn't matter. Day or Night, they are simply reflections of each other. Light can't exist without the Darkness and neither can the Darkness exist without the Light.

[Few things tire Ted more than talk about the omnipotence of subjectivity. In a world as fake as Genessia, he'd much rather talk about things. Just what something means, not what it means "to you", that horrible appendage.]

Happily, Horatio, there's more in heaven and earth than's dreamt of in your philosophy.

[Though Ted might learn to be careful with his Shakespeare until he's sure the other is Earth-y enough to be familiar. He rights himself, then climbs out of the hole.]

A mutual dependency crying out for evidence; there's One in whom there's no dark whatever. Though I don't recommend looking at Him; that'll lead to a bright death indeed.

Edited 2018-10-19 16:20 (UTC)

[And yet Nikola is still striving to figure out the differences between this world and his own. Even in his short time here, he's noticed that there are some rather glaring differences that give him something to contemplate upon.

However, He has no idea who Shakespeare is or that Ted is even quoting something. It didn't exist in his world.]

Oh? And pray tell what kind of being may exist that with no darkness? It's in everyone.

[He's still watching Ted though, he has to ask...]

And for that matter, what exactly are you? There are things that look similar to your current appearance in my world but, I doubt you are anything what I'm used to.

What a sad thing to say.

[Ted's a little sensitive about the nigh-infinite darkness that's in him, but he'll cry about it later. Ted's raiment has the added disadvantage of bringing the inside out, making him a little more bashful when it draws comment.]

No, not everyone. The Omnipotence, to name the best example, has only its antipode.

[He's so jealous, and turns flustered at the probing of identity.]

Oh! I'm, haha, human, of course. Not looking the part at the moment, but it's just...a costume, you know.

[One he can't conveniently change out of without risking indecency.]

You, ah, might be surprised at what commonalities may appear. What do I remind you of? It may be instructive.

[Omnipotence. Something Nikola was rather sure was a fable within his own world. No one knew the span of everything going on. Nor did he think they should lest it drive them to madness, much like other being within his world.]

From the looks of you, human would not be my first guess. Not with your current appearance which begs the question of what you might truly be.

[As for his question though.. Nikola pauses and then quietly calls the shadows to himself. From his own shadow, he called forth tendrils similar to what Ted was displaying. However they were not what made up his body but more appendages made of solid darkness and shadows.]

The Abilities of my own House come to mind. We are shadow users foremost. The dominion we have over the darkness that surrounds us and the realm beyond is the gift we were given by the First of our kind. With this gift, we are to guard our world from the Nightmares and Monsters within.

Sadly, we are the only house that still holds true to our original task.

Don't I know it. Well! Looks can be deceiving, as I'm sure you know.

[Truisms like that are such good cover for explaining--or explaining away--the beyond creepy parasite that's intertwined with his form.]

What we truly are, eh? I suppose that's still a mystery too.

[They weren't quite like they supposed themselves to be; Genessia had done something to them upon arrival, that much was sure. Their genesis in this world--he didn't accept the glib answer of "kidnapped"--remains unanswered.

Nikola's own abilities mirroring his own gave him a strange feeling.]

Small world...if it's truly shadow manipulation, wouldn't that require a light source? Or is it simply darkness as such?

Ah, well, I doubt I need to say this to one so, ah, sophisticated, but as noble an intent as that is, try to curb your zeal. "Monster"'s not the pejorative it usually is; some are very decent.

[He'd like to say he was friends with one, once upon a time.]

Edited 2018-10-22 02:16 (UTC)

Of course. The outward appearance is hardly an indication of what may be lurking on the inside.

[Nikola was rather well aware of that Truism and just how much is pertained to his world in general. Nothing was as it appeared to be on the surface. That was a simple and very important truth.]

What one truly is tends to be a debate that gets one nowhere half the time.

[As to how or why they were within Genessia.. Nikola was merely grateful to be out of his world. ]

It does, to an extent. However, we can see in pure darkness and traverse through the realm of shadows with ease. As long as a shadow is cast within my vicinity, I can use it.

[For multiple things such as spying, traveling.. Nikola's powers had more diversity to them than most realized. And destructiveness which many of his world feared which.. was not something he tended to bring up.]

I admit, you have a point. Perhaps monster is not quite the word to use. To many, I may be the monster despite wishing no harm to anyone.

Aheh, well, the maxim can go too far. Some covers are very indicative of a books' contents.

[Just keep digging that grave Ted.]

Oh, doubtless. The eternal, navel-gazing question of "who one is" isn't likely to be answered without some shocking revelation.

[He'd really like to spend his wish to get a straight answer from the spirits, come to think of it. If only he didn't have more pressing matters to see to first.]

"See" in pure darkness? I was under the impression on needed light, however faint, to see at all! How does that function? Echolocation?

[Bat jokes!]

Heh, the wish is one thing. The effect is quite another.

[By now he was composed enough to gather his threads into as humanoid as the goku uniform would allow.]

Er, have you read Shakespeare, by chance?

Some yes, but, not all.

[Interesting point that has Nikola curious about just what the differences between Ted's 'cover' and 'contents' might just be.]

Not always. There comes a point for us where the darkness has its own light. To see in pure darkness is to be one with it in a sense. To feel the movement around you, to sense when others approach, things like that.

Even then, they have their limitations. But, no. It's not quite like Echolocation.

[All the bat jokes.]

As much as I am able, I hold to that wish. That is not to say I won't defend myself if need be. I may be peaceful, but, even I know sometimes harm is unavoidable.

[He just kept watching as Ted attempted to pull himself together.]

No, I haven't. I'm aware that he is some sort of Earth Writer, but, he doesn't exist in my world.

"May" be peaceful? You'd be the first to know for certain, haha.

[There's some nerves to his laughter because it's slowly dawning on him that if a knight or someone enthusiastic about nature investigates the commotion, he'll get in trouble.]

Goodness, we're all speaking English and you haven't read its best poet. Let's fix that and acquaint you two. I'll lead the way.

[Any excuse to get away from the hole he left in the ground. Vampires, decadent vampire houses, and no Shakespeare. A bolt of pity ran through Ted's heart. Nikola's world must be truly wretched.]

Edited 2018-10-24 18:47 (UTC)

True. I say 'may' because even a pacifist has limits in what they are willing to endure before they say 'no more' and react.

[Even Nikola could pick up the nervousness within Ted's laughter and found it strange..though not unwarranted given the situation.]

Ah...Then I suppose he shall be worth the read if he's is as you say.

[And Nikola might be curious. He's a bit of an avid reader in his free time. And yes, his world was rather wretched.]

[It's less the explosive that Uai cares about, so much as the instable feeling of antimatter in use. He would think it was his mother finally awakening to her magic, if not for the fact he's met Ted already.

With a few quick bursts, Uai teleports to Ted's location. He gently sets his feet on the ground and walks over, repairing the balance as best he can along the way.]

Human stupidity is really impressive. The hell did you think you were doing?

[He'd restrain the urge to ask how Uai got here; his head isn't together enough to wonder. Instead, he'll do the automatic, reflexive thing: make jokes.]

I'm...heh, glad there's less impression on you than the ground.

[Now to answer his question. His mind's still opaque; what was he trying?]

...aping Icarus.

Uh huh. And how did those wax wings work for you, Icarus?

[Uai surveys the area to make sure everything is order, then relaxes slightly. There doesn't seem to be anything that needs immediate fixing, as far as Uai's concerned.]

You gonna try that again, or have you learned your lesson?

Far too well.

[At least Uai's not making any comments about his current dress. Then again, he's seen Uai in a less presentable way. Fair's fair.]

Goodness, first music, now moral-mythological lessons. What don't you teach? Yes, I'll be careful, thank you very much.

[The lesson he's learned going: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Uai can expect a few more minor outbursts in the future."]

Uai are you all the way out in the middle of nowhere, anyway? I'll be flattered if you say merely to check on me.

The list is about to get longer: I can also teach people to stop screwing around with anti-matter.

[Which is his answer to that punny question.]

Do you need a lesson, or are we good here?

[Now Ted's curious. What the devil does Uai know about what Ted had supposed to be a very, very rare substance indeed? Small world. His threads retract and gain back their rigidity as he clambers out of the crater.]

Heheh, only God is essentially good Uai, though it's a good aspiration. What do you know about antimatter, eh?

[Can't stop won't stop.]

Edited 2018-10-19 16:24 (UTC)

I know that it isn't a toy, for one. What do you know about it?

[He's not giving away lessons for free, in any case.]

It's my mother's specialty. She taught me enough to help her, and stop her.

No more than the layman; it's mysteriously rare, produces gamma particles when reacting with its ordinary brethren. I think its use was being researched in the Cold War, but that was a unique time.

[What is it with people and dysfunctional mothers? If it were possible, Ted would envy his own fortune.]

Huh. How's that?

[Okay, his turn!]

I'm not feeling particularly cooperative after that textbook answer, so I'll leave you wondering.

Just stop messing with things you know are dangerous. I know humans have a habit of destroying themselves, but leave Fayren [and more importantly, Azura's family estate,] out of it. Understood?

Pity; you're usually more charitable.

[If he's gonna be that way about it, he'll be blowing up in Fayren all day! Once he gets used to smaller doses, ofc.]

Oh, limpidly. If that's all, I'll avaunt.

[He understands that Uai's upset for some reason. But then, he's the moody sort Ted can't really take seriously.]

[First the loud noise, then a crack from a barrier, and now a thunk to the ground? Hana paused her finding this rare mushroom and flew to where the sound was.

Riiight...there! The Dragon immediately flew down to the man's side, wide eyes]

A-are you okay..? -And what are...

[The Shadow? It can't be-they did not have a voice in the first place but those dark threads...the darkness within her pulsed, wanting her to get close]

What h-happened..? [Hana reached down to sniff Ted]

[Ted's own darkness has no substance or any positive attribute whatever; it is there only because literally nothing else is.

Still dreamy, Ted couldn't understand the words much. He's familiar with being sniffed in such a state; it reminded him of the dog he used to have and how little it respected sleep.]

He, aheh, hey, stop, that tickles...

[He expects to be licked next.]

Edited 2018-10-19 16:25 (UTC)

[Ted was right. Hana licked Ted right up his face. In order to get a human up, it was logic for her and many other families to lick, especially in these times where there is potential danger]

Ah-I'm sorry, but please, you need to stay awake awwoo..

[She brought her ear to his chest to try to hear any heartbeat] Please answer..arroo..

Heehee, stop, ahah!

[His consciousness brightened a little bit as he gently nudged her snout away with his life-fiber hands. Gross! He opened his eyes to see something very unlike a dog. His senses outpaced his memory, and he muttered an astonished]

You are...?

[An evil dragon!? Boy did they pick the wrong ~~knave~~ knight to try and eat! He'll show you, spawn of Satan!]

[Hana giggled. That was the reaction to all of her humans, especially the children. The nice memory and feeling of it lightened her concern. Seems he was okay...?]

I am Hana~ What's your's, sir? You've had quite the accident.

[and she was curious about those fibers..! It attracted her inner dark core with curiosity]

Do you need some water? Are you wounded anywhere..?

Oh, of, mmn, of course...

[Right, he'd heard of Hana's draconic nature over the network. It's really something in person. Ted didn't want his identity in this ugly, black suit known very much, but being stupid he spoke and gave up the game anyway. He rubbed his eyes.]

Eheh, just underestimated physical laws and almost broke myself upon them, that's all. I'll be all right, thanks for your concern. Better fly on out of here before a knight or some other authority gets the wrong idea.

The wrong idea? I didn't do this though. Hmm..

[Hana hummed a bit] Besides, you're broken.. can I at least take you to a hospital? Or bring a doctor to you?

[Yeah, but he sure did, and the knights might have some rough interrogation ready for one who left a crater in their spacious fields.]

You can, but you shouldn't, for I'm well. See?

[A little awkwardly, he rose to his feet and the threads gathered and bunched up into him. Give it another minute and he'll almost look human!]

Right as rain, no fret necessary. Thank you for the offer anyway.

Edited 2018-11-02 02:54 (UTC)

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Play foolish games, win foolish prizes [Action | Fayren, Open]

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