genessia | 002 | ACTION. OTA.

[... Well that's not a good way to start his night.

Reinhardt had just taken to the streets himself, having had a full day doing odd jobs around town. No he hadn't really bothered to move out of the commonspace, he never really saw much of a reason to. The man was perfectly comfortable where he was.

He'd just gone out to buy some more food when the sensation of prickly, icy fingers start to pick through his head, and he stops, puzzled and concerned but... Not too frightened.

Hell it's not like Kimmuriel's gonna find anything in there other than a shopping list, a few brief complaints about the local beers and a reminder to pick up stuff to make his own bread.

WHAT A FASCINATING MIND.]

[THE MOST FASCINATING MIND.]

[And also the most useless. NO OFFENSE REINHARDT.]

[Honestly, were Kimmuriel more of a social drinker - or...really more of a drinker at all - such thoughts would probably be helpful. But as it is, after a few moments of finding nothing worthwhile he pulls back with a frustrated sigh, staring up at the giant of a man as if he somehow personally offended him.]

[Lolth be damned though how can anyone be so big.]

I hope not everyone in this realm holds such pressing concerns.

[He quickly pinpoints Kimmuriel, which is amazing, because the drow is honestly so tiny, no one would have blamed Reinhardt for missing him a few times.

Still, the massive man stares back down at the drow with considerably less offense, despite what had just happened you tiny dick.]

Hm?

... Ah, so that was what it was then...?

[WELL IT'S A GOOD THING HE WASN'T THINKING ANYTHING IMPORTANT]

Nein, what else would I have to worry about? Things are very good for me here!

... You look new, however. I am sure I would remember someone so striking.

[IF KIM IS AT ALL NERVOUS TO HAVE THIS HULKING MOUNTAIN OF A HUMAN TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO HIM...he's. Doing a fairly good job of not showing it. Arms crossed over his robes, blood colored eyes staring almost haughtily up at the man.]

[...so does he look dangerous yet?]

You're correct, unfortunately. I was only just brought here this morning, and my attempts to find more information of the nature of this place have been...trying.

[Look, just because Jarlaxle is comfortable being stuck here doesn't mean he has to be.]

[Honestly, Reinhardt probably wouldn't have noticed if he was concerned! It kind of all flies over his head here.

And no. You don't, Kim. The massive man just... beams down at him]

I would be more than happy to explain things to you, if you would like. I can even show you around the city here!

[...can't decide if less or more worrying than if giant man was angry??????]

[But that's. Not really a response he was expecting. Kim tilts his head back thoughtfully at that, skepticism on his otherwise emotionless face, but.]

[Yeah. No. There's the mental fingers in his mind again, but less intrusively this time. Looking for intent and little else, and strangely enough? The offer is sincere. That is...also unexpected.]

[It seems Jarlaxle was right about the people of this world after all, not knowing of their kind.]

I would...welcome that. I haven't had the time to see it myself, yet.

[If Reinhardt has any actual knowledge of what Kim is doing, he doesn't really show it. No, it's all entirely sincere. Not a bit of ill intent in there.

He's offering because he wants to be helpful.]

Ja! Then I'll show you. I will even take you somewhere good to eat here, yes? It will be good.

Come, come, lets explore, shall we?

[Since when do humans ever want to be helpful for the sake of being helpful? It's such a bizarre notion that for the longest moment, Kim just...continues to stare, as if daring the man to try anything, despite the generosity that he's already seen in his mind.]

[Unfortunately? The mention of food is all it takes to remind his stomach that he hasn't actually eaten anything since before he arrived here. Human food doesn't exactly sound appetizing, but. Does he have much choice?]

Very well. [Hopefully that doesn't sound as resigned as he feels, but he approaches like Reinhardt looming over his frail, not even five foot self isn't at all intimidating.] And who is it that I'm exploring with tonight?

[Once Kim gets close enough, Reinhardt moves, and offers a hand to shake.]

Reinhardt Wilhelm.

Who are you?

Ah... and where are you from? I have never seen anyone so unique before.

[Not a hint of violent intent. Entirely friendly, entirely warm, and eager to show Kimmuriel around, just to ease the drow's nerves a little.]

[Yeeeeeeah, so. That hand. It...sort of gets looked at, for a moment, as if Kim is scrutinizing it, before red eyes look back up at the man way, way above him.]

[He's not much of a hand shaker. No offense. He's going to keep his arms crossed right where they are, but he doesn't hesitate to fall in line next to the man.]

The Underdark of Faerûn. It's not often that I've traveled the surface- [Well, I mean, at least not willingly. Thanks Jarlaxle.] -so much of this is still...somewhat new to me.

[It's. Not entirely a fib. He's curious to see how far this generosity goes, there's no denying that. And with a quiet side-long look he eventually gives in, and answers:]

You may call me Kimmuriel.

[Well... some people are shy. Or don't like germs. There's always a reason, he doesn't even look sheepish. He just shrugs with a chuckle and returns his hand to his side]

Underdark? Ah, I see. You live underground, usually? Is it the same for all of you then?

[Because there must be more that look like him, right?]

It is not so bad, here on the surface. Warm in summer, you were unlucky to come now, maybe. Summer would be the best time to start.

[That's right. He's gonna talk about the weather. DANGEROUS.]

It is a pleasure to meet you, Herr Kimmuriel.

[Telsen glanced at the elf as he passed, hoping they didn't notice him look. He didn't want any attention! Attention was pretty hard to avoid sometimes when you literally glow. If he stayed in the streetlights, it wasn't so obvious.

That wasn't the same guy he talked to a while ago was it? He wasn't going to look again to check, he just wanted to get home- That chill and stopped him in his tracks, horror twisting his stomach into knots. He knew that awful feeling far too well. No! No no no!

There was plenty about the cities in his mind, amid all the panic! If his thoughts were to believed, they were both painfully boring and incredably terrifying! Every dark spot held some kind of horror, in all kinds of shapes and sizes, and Everglade! Everglade especially seemed like a place that would devour him whole if he went near it.

Out out out OUT OUT!

The sylvari banged the heels of his hands on his forehead, like that would somehow expel the intruder.]

Stop! Stop!

[There's actually something satisfying in watching the other creature work himself into a fuss, thinking that hurting himself would be any way to push the drow from his mind. And though it couldn't be seen, the briefest hint of a smirk touched his face before is vanished again.]

[The panic is an easy thing to read around - after all, he's had centuries of practice in this, catching each fleeting thought as it whirls through the other man's mind. Every horror still provided a glimpse of the cities proper, valuable information he could further study later, and among the worst of them...]

[Everglade.]

[The name stuck out in neon, as did the views of a chilling looking city. Whether because of the reality of it or distorted in the man's panic, he couldn't be sure. But his interest was caught. Kimmuriel took a step from the shadows, head tilted curiously, and his power seemed to amplify within the man's mind, icy tendrils feeling deeper-]

This would be easier if you let me finish.

[Telsen whimpered and clutched his head, fingernails digging into dark petal-skin hard enough draw sap. He's not happy and that panic is only growing.

There's plenty to see of Everglade, or what might be Everglade, and there's no mental roadblocks or protection in the way. His mind is an open book. That particular city he'd only seen a small portion of personally. It was dark and terrifying and led to thoughts of a man he was basically a servant for. Beyond that little bit of personal experience, his mind supplied memories of a horrible, rotten land crawling with undead horrors. The sky was always grey and what few dwellings remained were little but ruins. It couldn't possibly be the true state of the city, but it might as well be to him.

He wasn't thinking much about that right now in his panic, it was one of the constant worries that plagued him. Right now he was drowning in the fear that he was seconds from his mind not being his own! The face of a woman with black, leafy skin and bright, violet eyes flashed in his mind, someone that brought feelings of revulsion, hatred, and longing up to mix with the panic.

It was a bad night for Telsen. And, potentially, anyone standing within five feet of him.

Electricity crackled around the elementalist, stray threads of air magic hitting the pavement around him with a sharp zzztt!]

No!

[Kimmuriel was likely going to very greatly regret his decision.

Bracken didn't like to go out to the other cities often, but he did to visit friends or go shopping sometimes. It was late at night and he was looking forward to going back home. Probably the first thing to notice about his mind was that it wasn't as flooded with language as others. Words existed, but his thoughts were much more powerfully visual, with pretty clear images of people and places that he was thinking of.

And that was exactly why Kimmuriel was going to regret it. Right now he was thinking of going back to a warm, cozy tree home with his boyfriend. And the thoughts of his boyfriend weren't so innocent, with plenty of imagery of just how pretty he thought said boyfriend was with and without his clothes. Adding onto that that his boyfriend was an unusual looking hermaphrodite alien with both body parts present and it made for a rather different visual than most might expect. And boy, did Kimmuriel ever know what those parts looked like now, whether he wanted to or not. There was a lot of concentration on just how soft he was and was a pretty shade of pink some of his skin was that edged on body worship.

When the chill hit him he stopped in place. He had no knowledge of mind reading powers or what they were like, so he only interpreted it as a chill in the air. A vision of a flame appeared in his head and, just like that, he seemed to draw out the exact same blaze in reality with a ball of fire appearing above his hand. There didn't seem to be any stress behind it, like he's simply taking a deep breath or stretching out his limbs - it just comes naturally.

Then, with the warmth of the fire making him comfortable again, he was ready to go back to his thoughts of what a pretty vagina his boyfriend had. Honestly, what did Kimm expect from reading the mind of a hormonal young man?]

[This is a drow that has lived for centuries. This is a drow who, along with having lived with and been victim to much of their societies most common atrocities, also watched the fall of his own house and family. There's very little that actually gets to him these days.]

[Unfortunately, that's...about to be put to the test.]

[Really, it's bad enough that of all the humans to pass him by tonight, it has to be the stuttering young fool he remembers from this morning. But it's even worse that he's, Lolth help him, a hormonal child on top of it all. And the images that flood into Kimmuriel's mind as he peers into the boys-]

[This. This is more than he ever wanted to know about human intimacy and alien anatomy. All at once. Completely inseparable from each other. It's disgusting.]

[Kim reels a bit, eyes narrowing only slightly in frustration and horror, but for a moment, he's too startled to pull himself away. Just to make a noise of disapproval as he gives the young man a look.]

Have none of you in this world any sense of decency?

[He was ready to go on his merry way with his very merry thoughts when he heard a voice. It stalled his thoughts from blessed vaginas for a moment as he glanced around. He was fully and conservatively dressed in simple mage robes, so he doubted that the question was addressed to him. Still, he was curious what was happening.

Spotting Kim, his mind immediately turned to thoughts of Jarlaxle. They seemed to have some traits in common! And Jarlaxle was a very nice man with a very tight ass and a nice smile.

This man had really long, pretty hair. And he was short. Why did he know so many short guys...? Cassian was short, too. And Jarlaxle. Oh, and back home, Thistle had been short. Images of each man flashed through his mind as he thought of them, and ending with a pretty blond boy with long blond hair.

But, that thought just made him happy. Pretty and petite was nice to look at, wasn't it? Of course, Katze was good too, even though he was so tall!

He wasn't sure this guy was as pretty as Thistle or Katze. He was a bit more masculine than them. But he was pretty nice to look at still. He wondered if maybe he was more slender and soft under the clothes. He mentally tried to figure out the outline of the shape he would have.

Of course, he still didn't think Kimmuriel was addressing him, because he hadn't been doing anything.]

[Regis was returning home after attending some business here in the city proper until a terrible chill claims him. The old gentleman must be something of an oddity out here in the middle of night dressed in his ceremonial black raiment. His meeting with the Ravensguard had proven be fruitless despite their alleged willingness to share the White Catacombs with that of the Arcane Knights. Disheartened and honestly frustrated beyond belief, Regis was no match for the invader who peeked into his mind.

While Regis honestly doesn't know a way out of Genessia, his thoughts give away the truth that he's not only a mage but also a king as well. Hailing from the oldest royal line the world has ever seen, Regis' thoughts stray to that of Eos. Various images of ancient tomes and prophecy race through the king's thoughts as he recants mentally the fables and myths of his realm. One such story deals with the deity who ruled over flame. The mighty Ifrit abandoned the Astrals once the Goddess herself was plunged into darkness. The Dawn was doomed to rise no more as Eos toiled away within the pits of Hell. Such a travesty continued untested for the time until the Infernian had enough. It's then that Regis' thoughts spiral out of lore and into the present.

There's images of his son, Noctis, memories of his Kingdom of Lucis and more memories of the towering glass Citadel that once stood at the heart of the Crown City. Of course these innocent memories darken as the memory of his death at the blade of another haunts his memories. Regis flinches physically once he feels the ghostly stab of Glauca's sword one more time. He grabs his chest in agony briefly.

The pain...the pain of it all lingers still.]

Edited 2017-02-19 06:34 (UTC)

[ Mayu is on his way home from Sand Gym. He mostly thinks about sleep and judo.
Kimmuriel can see some mental demonstrations of throws and grapples. Maximum efficiency with minimum effort.

His mind is incredibly easy to get into. He actually doesn't mind having his thoughts read. It means less talking. It saves energy.]

[It's pretty late for Liora as well. Tired of flying, she crawls along the ground, looking for a tree to spend the night in. It isn't long before she feels the chill pass through her. It's not a pleasant chill. Right away she knows it's not from the air. It feels more like that familiar feeling of fear. That feeling that someone or something is out to get her.]

[But why? Her mind trails off to her own world, where the dark dragon Erebus and various beasts are after her. But why were they so interested in her? She's nothing special. She can't even control light magic. She's a failure as a Light dragon. They should have no reason to pursue her. As for the present, Liora freezes in place. She even begins to tremble a little.]

((OOC: Since it was optional I'm going off the assumption of no mind-reading in my opener, cuz Tannu would not... react well to that.))

[Tannusen is at his bar and club on most nights, and tonight hasn't been an exception to that rule. Even so, it's not uncommon for him to leave for a while in the middle of the festivities, to find quiet in the hopes of recharging his bullshit tolerance. Tigers are not, after all, very social creatures. Velvet Lust has become an integral part of his life, but it can't change who he is.]

[So... sometimes an exit is required.]

[That's what's going on at the moment, the Faerie striding down the sidewalk with his gloved hands stuffed into his coat pockets. Someone lurking in the shadows is almost always going to catch his eye, however, unless they're being a great deal more careful about it. Not surprising with all the trouble he's gotten into -- and out of.]

[Thus, the tiger pauses near Kimmuriel's lurking spot of choice.]

You lost?

Ted strolled through the streets as he often did, humming or reciting sing-song verse.

"A cloud was on the mind of men, and wailing went the weather,
Yea, a sick cloud upon the soul when we were boys together.
Science announced nonentity and art admired decay;
The world was old and ended: but you and I were gay..."

So absorbed, he had no hope of discovering any sinister, hidden drow in the area. The strange thing--besides his poem or his dress--was that there seemed to be nothing there, mentally. Perhaps he didn't have a mind to read...

That was certainly what it seemed like to the small drow currently dipping into his mind.

It was hard to believe that there could be anyone else on any plane that dressed as garishly as Jarlaxle did, but lo and behold. It was hard to mistake him as anyone other than the man he had spoken to that morning. It was enough to catch Kimmuriel's interest - at least, for a moment. Because beyond the dress? There was nothing of interest.

Just a peek into the man's mind brought nothing. And with a huffed noise of annoyance Kimmuriel retreated from Ted's mind, shaking his head as he watched the man continue on. Humans.

So you were being entirely truthful about these people being dull witted.

And he so hated it when the older drow was actually right.

That smug ass fuckin' voice oozes over the link like molasses.

Did you assume I was joking? Why would I ever want to lie to you about that, Kimmuriel, I want you to go out and maybe do that thing where you move your lips and make polite words at someone until they can tolerate you being around them.

Some people call it 'making conversation'. I hear it's all the rage.

Jarlaxle.

Who on earth has caught your ire now and what have they done to deserve it?

[Soundwave saw the elf, sure, but he didn't give a single fuck. He had shit to do after all, he was a busy Cybertronian. Being unable to explore the city in his preferred shape, the spy had just taken to going for walks after work in holoform, projected from a distance.

The real Soundwave was comfortably holed up in a very nice bunker.

And at first, the young man didn't seem to show any sort of recognition as the first tendrils of ice started to swirl about him. Linked as the form was to Soundwave, Kimmuriel would get something.

Not that he'd be able to make much out of memorized strings of codes and numbers, assorted pictures of aerial views of the various cities here, snippets of recorded conversation-]

Intruder detected.

[That voice would rip through Kimmuriel's brain like the approaching rumble of thunder, cold as a nuclear winter, no feeling save for apathetic, detached and disgusted irritation.

The feeling one might get upon sighting a particularly gross bug on the bathroom floor.

The young man's unnaturally bright violet eyes locked on the elf, and the feeling of something far, far too big for the size of the man slithered across the forced link, trying to jam itself back into Kimmuriel's skull]

[Intruder detected.]

[It felt less a voice than it did a vast presence, and really, that should have been Kimmuriel's first warning to back out of the young man's head as quickly as possible. But then, what had he ever had to fear from humans? Even from humans as strange as this one, with a head confusingly full of images and data like nothing the drow has ever seen in-]

[The pressure comes all at once, like someone had slammed his head against a stone wall, and Kimmuriel staggers, the connection broken, his mind reeling, and from there the feeling only increases. It's too much, too quickly - his one attempt to erect a barrier against the intrusion and expel the force from his mind is swiftly overpowered, and he's barely able to get a word across his link with Jarlaxle before everything is violent, blinding pain.]

[The small drow actually stumbles back, clutches his head with a shout, disoriented and, for a moment, feeling the first sharp stings of panic as he struggles to force the man out.]

Edited 2017-02-22 06:48 (UTC)

[No, sorry, Soundwave wasn't going to let some upstart snooty hundred something year old organic try and poke his brain without a firm reprimand. Kimmuriel wanted information?

Flashes of an almost impossibly tall, faceless thing, limbs too long for the sleek, alien frame, fingers sharp and skeletal, flashed in and out of his brain as Soundwave dug through his thoughts carelessly.

He'd never tried this on an organic before. Never thought he could honestly, but then he'd never thought any organic would have this ability. He was almost interested enough to keep pressing it, and the young man moved closer, motions far too frighteningly fluid and graceful to be human.

What was this thing then? Some black skinned, white haired organic? More casual and painful shifting through thoughts, and in a matter of moments, Soundwave had the information he wanted.

A bit like picking through a filing cabinet that one had hurled to the floor.]

[He can feel that careless shifting through his mind, picking up information through the drow's weak attempts to protect himself - what information, he's not sure, not now while his brain is being painfully racked through to the point that Kimmuriel can do little more but bow under the powerful assault.]

[Nails dig sharp furrows into his scalp as his grip tightens, and he gives his head a quick, violent shake as if that'll throw off the power overwhelming him. As if he hasn't seen many creatures in this very same position once, trying to rid themselves of him, with just as much success. Helpless. Had he been in better control of his thoughts, that alone would infuriate him.]

[But he's not in control of his thoughts. Right now, he's barely in control of anything. And the pressure behind the assault feels like it's going to split his skull down the middle.]

Enough.

[Later, when he's collected himself again, he'll likely hate himself for how weak and frightened he sounds. He almost chokes on the word as it is, teeth grit against the pain, eyes screwed tightly shut. He stumbles back again, away from the man, hits a wall. It's probably the only thing that keeps him upright.]

Enough.

[For one horrifying moment, it refuses to relent, the man following him right to that wall, a hand moving to try and grasp the smaller males face. Like he was studying some fascinating insect, his touch was clinical, and literally cold. The holoform didn't generate its own heat after all.

No real texture to the hands either, as smooth as the metal that the spy was actually made from, and only just barely soft enough to be considered flesh.

Soulless, unfeeling, uncaring eyes bore a hole in the drow for another moment... And the connection is terminated. All at once, the presence lifts itself from Kimmuriel's head, and the man releases him.

There was no flicker of any sort of feeling, no real reaction on his face. Apathetic, perhaps even bored.

And then... he turned, and walked away. Back to the path, heading back home.

Lesson over.]

[Kimmuriel doesn't want to look. The bizarre feeling to the human's hands fails to register through pain, even as they force his head up, dragging another sharp noise from the drow. He doesn't want to, but blood colored eyes snap open in alarm without his permission, staring wide eyed at the man, this human wrecking havoc on his mind with power he's not even seen from the illithids.]

[But his eyes. There's something eerily wrong in the man's eyes, that don't belong on any creature he's ever seen-]

[And just like that, he's released.]

[Kimmuriel collapses as if his strings were cut, dropping to his knees on the cold ground. The pain in his mind lingers, but the presence is finally gone, and all that's left now is a strange, uncomfortable feeling of being hollow.]

[He forgets how to breathe, for a moment. And then, he takes a sharp, stuttered breath, head still in his hands as he curls in on himself, thoughts scattered to the wind, his mind a painfully muddled mess. He can hear the man walking away as if the whole ordeal hadn't even happened, and for the first time in as long as he can remember, Kimmuriel lets him leave with no retaliation, while he struggles to pick up the remains of his thoughts and remember how to be.]

[Jarlaxle had gotten the call. It was painfully short, and the fact that it was indeed so void of information, and for that one moment, so full of panic, was enough to get him moving quickly.

Let it never be said that Jarlaxle didn't feel some form of responsibility for his men.

While the moment might have lasted forever to Kimmuriel, Soundwave's lesson had been no longer than a minute or two.

By the time Jarlaxle showed up, the man was gone. Either simply on foot, or the annoyed spy had terminated the holoform program.

Kimmuriel would feel far more familiar hands on him, resting on his shoulders and then gently touching his cheek]

It isn't like you to be that brisk.

[A joke that masked the concern, though it would no doubt be felt over the link as the brigand knelt by him]

[It felt like far longer than just a minute or two. As does the time between, before Jarlaxle arrives - it's hard for Kimmuriel to track it properly, in this stupor he's left in. The thought never even occurs to him that he should try to call out to the older male again, though if he'd been in his right mind, he may well have hesitated to regardless.]

[He very nearly doesn't notice Jarlaxle when he does arrive, until more hands - familiar, warm hands, this time - are on him, and combined with the concern through their link, it's enough to jolt him back into painful awareness.]

[He has to resist the urge to actually lean into the touch. A small, distant part of him is desperate for it, after what just happened, shaken to the core, but...]

I was...distracted.

[Lolth help him, he sounds like shit, too. Voice soft, thin, breath just a hair shaky. He winces, at that and at the throbbing pain still rolling around in his head. While he doesn't dare to meet Jarlaxle's eye, relief runs thick across the mental link, and after a moment he releases the death grip he has on his head to grab the other man's arm with an unsteady hand.]

...and I think I'd like to leave now.

[Don't ask him any questions right now.]

[Definitely not like Kimmuriel at all. He'd never known him to be... meek. It was as if for the moment, the psion had been replaced with some crude copy, and Jarlaxle peered at him carefully.

Whatever had happened seemed to have nicely trashed the other drow's mind, hadn't it?

He smoothed a thumb over his cheek bone, a gesture meant for two things. Comfort, for he knew that Kimmuriel was far too proud to lean into him, so he'd do that for him, and a reminder that he was, in fact, quite there and solid.

He moved to help him up, easily shouldering the smaller elfs weight where he had to.]

Then back we will go.

[No. No questions. He'd needle him later for it, but for now it seemed like Kimmuriel was in more of a need of a strong glass of wine and a soft bed than an interview.]

002 | ACTION. OTA.

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NSFW

DAMMIT BRACKEN

KIMM STARTED IT

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Couldn't resist

WELL THEN

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