People you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley

[Guest Coda]

@AonEne

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Corenar is very interested in the magic systems of the Cosmere and Epic abilities. He would love to see examples of magic. Especially Selish magic. He is drawn to Selish magic for unknown reasons cough-secret backstory-cough

 

[AonEne he/him]

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Okay, Adhesion is now no longer the only Investiture Kios has.  

After walking for a couple minutes through the Alleys, which changed around them - stone type, sky color, whether or not the Void pulsed on all sides - Kios looked over at Corenar. “So, where are you from?” 

[Guest Coda]

6 hours ago, AonEne said:

After walking for a couple minutes through the Alleys, which changed around them - stone type, sky color, whether or not the Void pulsed on all sides - Kios looked over at Corenar. “So, where are you from?” 

"Roshar," he said, thinking of the beautiful plants and animals, unlike anything else in the cosmere. "It's magnificent there." As the Alleys flickered by, he smiled. It was lovely here too, but it could never match Roshar. 

[AonEne he/him]

On 11/22/2019 at 2:59 PM, Coda said:

"Roshar," he said, thinking of the beautiful plants and animals, unlike anything else in the cosmere. "It's magnificent there." As the Alleys flickered by, he smiled. It was lovely here too, but it could never match Roshar. 

Kios smiled. “So I hear. What’s your favorite thing about it?” 

[Guest Coda]

4 hours ago, AonEne said:

Kios smiled. “So I hear. What’s your favorite thing about it?” 

"The axehounds. They're just adorable, and so smart." Corenar thought fondly of his friend Reben's axehounds. He was the best breeder in perhaps all of Roshar, and Corenar would get to pick an axehound pup from a future litter. "They could survive anywhere, even the Alleys."

[AonEne he/him]

9 hours ago, Coda said:

"The axehounds. They're just adorable, and so smart." Corenar thought fondly of his friend Reben's axehounds. He was the best breeder in perhaps all of Roshar, and Corenar would get to pick an axehound pup from a future litter. "They could survive anywhere, even the Alleys."

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PUPPIES  

“Perhaps.” Kios didn’t mention the real odds of an axehound pup surviving a wander alone in the Alleys. He didn’t want to stop the conversation, and that would definitely bring it to a halt. “I’m sure we’ve got some somewhere, if you want to take a look.” 

[Guest Coda]

53 minutes ago, AonEne said:

“Perhaps.” Kios didn’t mention the real odds of an axehound pup surviving a wander alone in the Alleys. He didn’t want to stop the conversation, and that would definitely bring it to a halt. “I’m sure we’ve got some somewhere, if you want to take a look.” 

"No, let's move on to learning Hemalurgy." Though axehounds were adorable, he knew all about them. He didn't know Hemalurgy. 

[AonEne he/him]

23 minutes ago, Coda said:

"No, let's move on to learning Hemalurgy." Though axehounds were adorable, he knew all about them. He didn't know Hemalurgy. 

We could always do both, Kios thought idly. “You seem very eager to learn about Hemalurgy - why?” 

[Guest Coda]

57 minutes ago, AonEne said:

We could always do both, Kios thought idly. “You seem very eager to learn about Hemalurgy - why?” 

"Like I said earlier, I have lost this knowledge. Regaining knowledge of Hemalurgy is currently my highest priority. The more tools one can wield, the better." Emotion died in a heartbeat, leaving him perfectly, utterly calm. The smile slipped off his face. Unnecessary things are wasteful, after all. No point in expending energy on a useless subject.

[AonEne he/him]

4 minutes ago, Coda said:

"Like I said earlier, I have lost this knowledge. Regaining knowledge of Hemalurgy is currently my highest priority. The more tools one can wield, the better." Emotion died in a heartbeat, leaving him perfectly, utterly calm. The smile slipped off his face. Unnecessary things are wasteful, after all. No point in expending energy on a useless subject.

Corenar had stopped smiling, and Kios’s own smile flickered a bit. Idos Domi, had he made the man mad? He stepped over a small patch of ice and exhaled, noting the wisps his breath made in the air. Had he been down this way before...he couldn’t remember. “That’s understandable.” 

[Guest Coda]

20 minutes ago, AonEne said:

Corenar had stopped smiling, and Kios’s own smile flickered a bit. Idos Domi, had he made the man mad? He stepped over a small patch of ice and exhaled, noting the wisps his breath made in the air. Had he been down this way before...he couldn’t remember. “That’s understandable.” 

This Alley was icy and cold. Corenar stepped cautiously around the ice and thought about Investiture. Hemalurgy was the most accessible, being universal. Breath was accessible, but required consent to take, so it was much harder. A Nahel bond required Oaths that restricted him unnecessarily. Selish magic required being near the Dor. Getting an Aviar would work, but he knew nothing about caring for the birds. "It's logical," he said softly. "Knowledge is power. Knowledge allows more actions, which allow further gathering of knowledge, and so by gathering knowledge, one can overcome all things."

[+ZincAboutIt she/her]

6 minutes ago, Coda said:

"It's logical," he said softly. "Knowledge is power. Knowledge allows more actions, which allow further gathering of knowledge, and so by gathering knowledge, one can overcome all things."

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Oooh, I like this fellow. A man after my own heart.  

 

[Voidus]

Voidus caught himself again, still staring out into the distance. Getting lost in his memories was not the most unusual of occurrences for him, perhaps an old habit as a researcher to muse on the past in search of ideas for the future. But something else had been distracting him as well, a feeling of some kind. Not so potentially catastrophic as when he'd felt the Void being pulled those months ago, but something equally if not even larger in scale. Something subtle.

A flare of Bronze sent an immense surge of Allomantic power out, washing over the Alleys and even spilling out a little into the city itself. The flood of information was as intense as ever but he quickly sorted most of it as insignificant. A few places of particularly strong Investiture, the unique pulse of the Worldspike's barrier, Invested individuals walking about. But nothing of particular note.

Imagination perhaps? He wondered. He lifted one hand to his head, bracing himself against it for a moment, placing a slight pressure against the bridge of his nose. Lack of sleep?

He snorted at the thought. He couldn't even recall the last time he'd truly slept. There was far too much to do to be able to take a break for several hours in order to do nothing at all. Even a moments inattention could cause any number of catastrophic issues, might ultimately lead to another Sudiov or something worse. No, there was no time for resting.

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An indeterminate period of time ago in a location of indeterminate distance

"So." The Professor began, curiosity and fear still warring in his expression. "You called it Voidmaking? How did you..."

Voidus gave an amused smile. The two had moved away from the Professor's office and Voidus had ceased any overt displays once they were back in public, visiting a cafe that the Professor had recommended. This seemed to have calmed the Professor down enough that his curiosity had begun to win out and he was asking questions more eagerly than before, though it had taken Voidus no small amount of effort to prove that it was more than some hallucination or magic trick.

"How did I do it? It's not terribly difficult once you get used to it. More difficult to avoid doing it for me to be honest." He replied. "Ah, cappuccino and as many sugars as you can manage."

Voidus turned towards the waitress who'd come over to their table, the Professor managed to blurt out a request for a flat white as the waitress left them with a smile.

"That's not an answer." The Professor said, frowning. "I meant specifically how, people can't just..."

He seemed to have trouble phrasing himself, resorting to gesturing at Voidus as though to encompass everything that he was.

"Clearly they can." Voidus replied, still amused. "Given that I just did."

Looking at the Professor he seemed to feel some measure of pity, giving a soft sigh before he continued talking.

"There's a very complicated answer that I wouldn't be able to articulate in a way that would be understandable, or there's a very simple answer that wouldn't leave you satisfied. So I suppose I'll go with the middle ground here and start off by being mysterious. There are forces beyond your understanding in the universe, I happen to have some measure of control over one of those forces. And you have the potential to learn how to do so as well."

He held up a hand as the Professor was about to interrupt, nodding his head to the waitress who was returning with their coffee. Taking it and enjoying a sip of his incredibly sweet beverage, Voidus continued as the waitress left.

"I know you won't believe that yet. You probably still don't think I can do it. So to answer your next few questions: Yes I'm sure, no I'm not going to ask you for any money, this isn't a scam. I'll even pay for the coffee. And no, not everyone can. You had something of a brush with death? That's a part of it. But it needs to happen in a very specific way, for reasons that again are too complicated and not interesting enough to go into right now."

He watched the Professors frown deepen, taking a sip from his own cup before quickly drawing back as he discovered it was too hot.

"Here." Voidus said, leaning over to touch the side of the cup. A barely visible shadow drifted over them for a moment, easily dismissed as a passing cloud if it weren't obviously a clear day. "Try again"

Sceptically, the Professor tried another sip, finding it to suddenly be a much more comfortable temperature. His eyes shot up from the cup to Voidus' eyes, then down to his hand, examining carefully.

"No trick." Voidus said, pulling his sleeve up to show the empty hand. "Heat is energy, and contrary to what every physicist you've ever met has told you, energy can be destroyed. You just need to try hard enough. Think it over for now, I'll be back another day to talk a little more."

With that, he drained the last of his cup and stood up, leaving the Professor to examine his cup now, and made his way towards the counter where the waitress was waiting to put their order through.

"Keep the change." He said as he handed her a bill.

She smiled in response, thanking him and putting the change that she had been about to hand him into a nearby jar for tips. Voidus looked down to the small name badge on her shirt then back up to her, nodding in thanks for the coffee.

"Thanks for the coffee Laurelai." He said as he made his way out, past the Professor who watched him leave, still obviously burning with curiosity.

[AonEne he/him]

14 hours ago, Coda said:

This Alley was icy and cold. Corenar stepped cautiously around the ice and thought about Investiture. Hemalurgy was the most accessible, being universal. Breath was accessible, but required consent to take, so it was much harder. A Nahel bond required Oaths that restricted him unnecessarily. Selish magic required being near the Dor. Getting an Aviar would work, but he knew nothing about caring for the birds. "It's logical," he said softly. "Knowledge is power. Knowledge allows more actions, which allow further gathering of knowledge, and so by gathering knowledge, one can overcome all things."

Kios nodded wordlessly. That was a sentiment a lot of Denizens believed in. He noted icicles beginning to stretch down from a ceiling that had faded into existence a few minutes ago and stepped around one that hung particularly low. “Unless you don’t have the ability to act on that knowledge, which is why Hemalurgy exists.” 

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Voidus, you’re going to kill me from excitement. The theorizing part of my brain is having a heart attack. DID HE NAME HIS DAUGHTER AFTER HIS WIFE? Then how did he forget his wife’s name? Is that even his wife? Should I ship it? (Laurelus? Voidlai? Voiurelai? Laidus? I’m partial to Voidlai but should I be shipping it at all?) Maybe he just saw the name and liked it, then kept it for later. I’ve done that with characters. Should I be interpreting certain parts of this as shipping interactions or not? Did he actually say he was married or am I misremembering things? By the Alleys, you’ve absolutely slaughtered my train of thought. 

Also, the rest of the scene was awesome, I enjoyed it  are they on Earth? Does Voidus come from Earth? Argh, what have you done to me. This feels very Earth. 

 

[Guest Coda]

1 hour ago, AonEne said:

Kios nodded wordlessly. That was a sentiment a lot of Denizens believed in. He noted icicles beginning to stretch down from a ceiling that had faded into existence a few minutes ago and stepped around one that hung particularly low. “Unless you don’t have the ability to act on that knowledge, which is why Hemalurgy exists.” 

"Yes," Corenar said as he broke off an icicle. "Thus Hemalurgy's utility." He stuck the icicle in his mouth and sucked on it.

[AonEne he/him]

5 minutes ago, Coda said:

"Yes," Corenar said as he broke off an icicle. "Thus Hemalurgy's utility." He stuck the icicle in his mouth and sucked on it.

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On the one hand, this dude likes dogs and eating ice, and he is my spirit animal. On the other hand, I do not agree with Hemalurgy  

Kios glanced back and winced. “Careful there, you don’t know where that’s been.” Though maybe the other man intended to just heal from any potential poison. 

[Guest Coda]

10 minutes ago, AonEne said:

Kios glanced back and winced. “Careful there, you don’t know where that’s been.” Though maybe the other man intended to just heal from any potential poison. 

"It tastes good though," Corenar said through a mouthful of ice. It tasted like the strawberries of Shinovar, a rare delicacy he had gotten from a friend of a friend.

[AonEne he/him]

29 minutes ago, Coda said:

"It tastes good though," Corenar said through a mouthful of ice. It tasted like the strawberries of Shinovar, a rare delicacy he had gotten from a friend of a friend.

Kios snorted. “Well then, why not.” He broke off the end of a thinner one, hefting it in his hand. “You do this often?” 

[Guest Coda]

Just now, AonEne said:

Kios snorted. “Well then, why not.” He broke off the end of a thinner one, hefting it in his hand. “You do this often?” 

"Of course," he said. "They taste like foods for some reason. Mine tastes like strawberries." The taste was changing slightly, adding a hint of lemon.

[AonEne he/him]

“I meant walk into the Alleys,” Kios clarified. He studied the pointed icicle in his hand. “Since you’re not a Denizen, and all.” 

[Guest Coda]

10 minutes ago, AonEne said:

“I meant walk into the Alleys,” Kios clarified. He studied the pointed icicle in his hand. “Since you’re not a Denizen, and all.” 

"Yes," Corenar said. "It's a nice place. Great people, great economy, great Investiture."

[AonEne he/him]

Kios smirked. “If you define economy as give and take, then yes, there’s a lot of that.” He flipped the icicle over, tossed it from hand to hand, then - knowing Corenar would probably interpret it as idle movement - did a couple quick spins in Alleycant. Very brave of you to come in here, not being one of us. Even braver to admit it...though perhaps smarter than trying to pretend you belong. 

He gazed at the icicle as he stilled it, testing its tip with the pad of a finger. “More taking, though.” Though made of frozen water and not metal, it was a very good size, and if you ignored the inverse temperature, the feel of water dripping off the tip was almost right... 

[Guest Coda]

11 minutes ago, AonEne said:

Kios smirked. “If you define economy as give and take, then yes, there’s a lot of that.” He flipped the icicle over, tossed it from hand to hand, then - knowing Corenar would probably interpret it as idle movement - did a couple quick spins in Alleycant. Very brave of you to come in here, not being one of us. Even braver to admit it...though perhaps smarter than trying to pretend you belong. 

He gazed at the icicle as he stilled it, testing its tip with the pad of a finger. “More taking, though.” Though made of frozen water and not metal, it was a very good size, and if you ignored the inverse temperature, the feel of water dripping off the tip was almost right... 

Corenar watched Kios with suspicion. The last few movements seemed almost like a pattern, though there wasn't enough data to judge the honesty of this stranger. "Very true," he said, letting some paranoia slip into his voice. "But most must lose for there to be a winner."

[AonEne he/him]

12 minutes ago, Coda said:

Corenar watched Kios with suspicion. The last few movements seemed almost like a pattern, though there wasn't enough data to judge the honesty of this stranger. "Very true," he said, letting some paranoia slip into his voice. "But most must lose for there to be a winner."

“Oh, I’m not arguing,” Kios said lightly. “Though the definition of winner is a little loose.” He began flipping the icicle again, this time randomly, not saying anything; Adhesion kept it from falling out of his hand, slick though it was. 

[Guest Coda]

2 minutes ago, AonEne said:

“Oh, I’m not arguing,” Kios said lightly. “Though the definition of winner is a little loose.” He began flipping the icicle again, this time randomly, not saying anything; Adhesion kept it from falling out of his hand, slick though it was. 

The pattern stopped. Random chance allows for patterns, though unlikely. "The winner is the one who succeeds. The losers are the ones who failed. There is no obscurity." Corenar took out a chisel from under his hat and started carving a design on the icicle.