first verse Augury: Ten of the Void

[+Sorana she/her]

20 minutes ago, AonEne said:

And I ship them 

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That took a while.

 

[AonEne he/him]

9 minutes ago, Sorana said:

That took a while. 

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I shipped them a while before this  

 

[+Sorana she/her]

1 minute ago, AonEne said:

I shipped them a while before this  

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*sighs in relief*

I feared something was wrong...

 

[Lunamor she/her]

5 hours ago, AonEne said:

Before Gati could answer Sagitta, Price spoke again - and then she walked out, and he ran out after her, and Gati was left to stare after them. He raised an eyebrow at a guard, then covered the corpse’s face with the bag and walked over to Zura, leaning against the wall. “Don’t worry; I won’t do it.” 

@Lunamor 

 

“Why?”

Zura turned to face Gati. For some re should couldn’t quite place she just didn’t trust him. He seemed odd, like he didn’t really belong with the rest of them. 

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I’ve shipped Sprice since the beginning 

Also apologies if my posts are short or take a while, irl has not been great at the moment.

 

[AonEne he/him]

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Yeah, it had so much potential  nice name, by the way! 

Your posts are completely fine, don’t feel pressured to say something. I’m here if you ever want to talk or need someone to listen.  

“I don’t want to waste my Power on it, for one - it would take me some time to recover, which is why I don’t do it often,” he explained frankly. “And I don’t want to give the impression that I can be asked to do anything, and I’ll oblige. Especially when it comes out like an order.” He looked into her eyes. “And because you don’t want it to happen. He’s of your ethnicity, you have more claim to him than anyone else. You get to decide what happens to him.” @Lunamor

[Archer he/him]

“Oh, well done, Gati! How very human of you.” By the back of the door, in the corner of the room, where previously had been just shadows, the visage of Tion suddenly appeared, sarcastically clapping his hands. A large scabbard hung from his belt. Strangely, the guard did not seem to notice him.

“I’m sure because they share an ethnicity that this child knows all about the way this deadling wanted to be treated after death. If they look the same, they think the same, isn’t that how the humans view it? You’ve adopted their customs so well!” He took a step forward, voice rising, oblivious to any shock they had at his unexpected interruption. “Why would you presume from his appearance? There are times when imitating their societal norms is useful, but this? That was just sloppy. You have to see but not assume, like hearing but not listening. Otherwise, you’re just like them.”

He seemed almost ready to punch the other deity, but he unexpectedly calmed, and slowly turned his neck to look at Zura, staring at her unblinkingly. “You’re a bad influence on Negation. You want to take his throne. The Forgotten God makes you test and test and test us all to find the weakest. But we’re all weak now. The gods will fall and humans take their place, and there’s no restarting this time. My powers corrupt, yet are disguised. But what I can’t decide is…”

Without breaking his gaze, Tion waved his left hand by his side. To those watching it, the body on the floor appeared to twitch, then sharply inhale. The god wiggled his fingers like a man working a marionette, and the corpse responded by spasming, flailing its limbs jerkily. Its eyes were wide open, spinning frantically, but its gaping mouth made no sound.

He kept the illusion going for a moment, then abruptly stopped and cocked his head. “Who did I betray?”

[I think I am here. he/him]

17 hours ago, Sorana said:

“You offered my memories up. And they weren't yours to offer." She told him slowly, as if explaining to a child. "You accepted, that should Gati accept your offer, that I would be harmed. You placed your gain in knowledge above my wellbeing."

She gave a curt, hurt laugh. "Do you really expect me to stand by and wait for that decision?"

“I,” Price fumbled, tried to words. Words usually came so easy to him. Words were his specialty.

“They were your memories. Not your arm, not your leg, Negation wouldn’t stab you, wouldn’t hurt you in any way! You’d just forget. And,” he clicked his fingers, tried to find the words. “And how would you rather have it? He can do it, the gods exist. The only way for you to live happily would be for you not to know about it.”

His eyes shifted to a guard standing by a corner. Soon enough they would see, see his desperate tone. Not fit for someone who was supposed to have authority. Breathing in he stood up straighter, lowered his voice.

“Right, maybe it was wrong to make that choice for you, that, that... must have been the authority getting to my head.” Shaking his head Price looked back at Sagitta. “But that doesn’t mean I violated the contract. Without contracts, what would we have? We would be like Caha—” raising a hand he sharply stopped himself.

“We would be like barbarians.”

Edited November 23, 2019 by I think I am here.

[+Sorana she/her]

1 hour ago, I think I am here. said:

“Right, maybe it was wrong to make that choice for you, that, that... must have been the authority getting to my head.” Shaking his head Price looked back at Sagitta. “But that doesn’t mean I violated the contract. Without contracts, what would we have? We would be like Caha—” raising a hand he sharply stopped himself.

“We would be like barbarians.”

Sagitta took a deep breath, sensed the honesty, the desperation behind his words and then she nodded.

"It's about the sense behind a contract." she started, tried to explain. "You agreed that I won't be harmed, body or mind, and yet you offered my memories." She swallowed. "Price it's memories. I would rather loose an arm, than a gift from the gods. Without Sensation we would be nothing, to give a way such a present with a wave of your hand and for another person..." She trailed off, tried to focus.

"What would you have done had Gati agreed? If he had tried to take my memories? Would have tried to stop him, tried to keep me from harm?" Her face was earnest. "A contract is more than a set of words, it's an agreement. And while you wouldn't have harmed me yourself, you accepted harm to myself while a testing you conducted with me present. It's a difference, yes, but if we take a look at the sense behind our agreement, then it's the same."

Slowly she registered his other words. The gods. Gati was a god. "Why would I be happier if I forgot?" She asked, dread reaching out for heart. The gods were real, of course they were. Everybody knew it. If Gati was a god, then, why? And why was he convinced that she would be happier without this knowledge? "What did I forget?" She clarified her question, felt as if standing on shaking ground, ready to split open to swallow her whole.

[I think I am here. he/him]

4 hours ago, Sorana said:

Slowly she registered his other words. The gods. Gati was a god. "Why would I be happier if I forgot?" She asked, dread reaching out for heart. The gods were real, of course they were. Everybody knew it. If Gati was a god, then, why? And why was he convinced that she would be happier without this knowledge? "What did I forget?" She clarified her question, felt as if standing on shaking ground, ready to split open to swallow her whole.

“You...” Price began, then shook his head quickly. No.

“No,” he said. “I should have Negation erase this whole conversation, this whole - no, I won’t tell you.” He crossed his arms, mind racing at her words. Without Sensation they would be nothing. She still had the strong faith. What would happen to her without it? Without the belief? No, Price wouldn’t do that to her. Slowly he shook his head, wanted to tell her the truth so badly. But, no, he couldn’t.

“You’d just be happier if you forgot, end of story,” he said. A compromise. He’d leave it to her. A choice. That way, he couldn’t blame himself for anything bad that had happened. He wouldn’t repeat his mistake and assume.

“Wouldn’t you want to be happy and know a lie, than miserable and know the truth? Because that’s what this is, that’s what you commit yourself to if you want the truth.” But please don’t ask for the truth, he said quietly to himself. It would be painful stating the familiar fact: that the gods didn’t care. Not one bit.

[+Sorana she/her]

27 minutes ago, I think I am here. said:

“Wouldn’t you want to be happy and know a lie, than miserable and know the truth? Because that’s what this is, that’s what you commit yourself to if you want the truth.” But please don’t ask for the truth, he said quietly to himself. It would be painful stating the familiar fact: that the gods didn’t care. Not one bit.

She was quiet for a while, considered his words. Happy and know a lie, or miserable and know the truth. Such an easy question and yet so complicated. If she accepted that he knew, that he could judge what was good for her, then she could go on, as she had so far. Or she asked him to tell her, maybe that would repair what was broken.

"You've been acting strange ever sinvce we met Gati and Tion." She said quietly. "This thing you don't want to talk about - it's the reason."

She moved a hand through her hair. "Price, I," how to tell him, "I like you, I trusted you. But now it's like you're standing on one side of a rift and I on the other. I, I have no idea why you act how you add and I wish that we were back to earlier." That you are again the person that held my hand for whatever reason it was.

"Tell me." If only to try to repair all of this. She could handle it. She was strong.

[I think I am here. he/him]

1 minute ago, Sorana said:

“Tell me." If only to try to repair all of this. She could handle it. She was strong

“We, we can go back to earlier,” Price said. One last plea. “With the memory erased. But, but,” he stood up straighter, forced himself to look directly in her eyes. “You said you wanted the truth, and I won’t deny you that.”

He inhaled, tried to find the best way to say it.

“The gods don’t care about us,” he said, looked down. “Sensation doesn’t care about Ta’e’ilo, he shrugged it off. They’re just like us, normal beings, except with great powers. But up here,” he pointed to his head. “They’re the same as us. Worse even. When they found out Zura, you and I had gotten along, they erased your memories. Zura’s completely. Yours partially. Mine - I don’t know whether it worked on me or not. Something with their power ‘fluctuating’.”

“But the main thing is that they don’t care. They’re evil, playing us against each other like that, like puppet masters. And when you found out the first time, it was too much, I could see the Hope die. And I didn’t want that again. Even now, I don’t want that again, Sagitta.” Glaring at the ground he blinked back any tears that were beginning to form. All of this was too much. Far too much.

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It’s official, Price is having a little bit of a breakdown  

 

[+Sorana she/her]

5 hours ago, I think I am here. said:

“But the main thing is that they don’t care. They’re evil, playing us against each other like that, like puppet masters. And when you found out the first time, it was too much, I could see the Hope die. And I didn’t want that again. Even now, I don’t want that again, Sagitta.” Glaring at the ground he blinked back any tears that were beginning to form. All of this was too much. Far too much.

The gods didn't care. Sagitta opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. The feeling was strangely familiar, as if she had experienced it before and she touched her head, wished that she could remember. There was something and she tried, groped for a memory, but failed. It was as if she was standing in front of a wall and couldn't break through.

She stepped closer to Price, gently touched his arm unable to form a coherent sentence. So many had died, so many had died for nothing. They fought for a country and in the end, nothing. What use was it to fight for the memory of gods who didn't care. It was about them caring, listening. And Price had wanted to protect her, had tried to spar her the disappointment. "I'm sorry." She said quietly, her voice shaking. She shook her head, tried to comprehend. They didn't care. They didn't listen. All the blood, the prayers, all of it for nothing. Her thoughts spun in an endless circle, turning and turning, until she felt like she was about to fall down.

She understood why they had held hands, why he hadn't let go of hers. He'd cared. Cared so much. "I'll stay." She added, looked over to Gati. They didn't care. She knew, she didn't even understand it yet, hand't processed it. "Thank you." The words sounded empty, when she tried to follow, to ingest. But Price was here. And he looked as bad, as she felt. Sagitta continued to look at him, suddenly wished that she hadn't pressed the matter.

Edited November 23, 2019 by Sorana

[AonEne he/him]

On 11/22/2019 at 5:16 PM, Archer said:

He kept the illusion going for a moment, then abruptly stopped and cocked his head. “Who did I betray?” 

You’ve adopted their customs so well! It rang in Gati’s mind, and he concealed a twitch. Why did that feel so...he couldn’t even place what it felt like. “Hello, Tion,” he said quietly. “I doubt I have to worry about that.” 

Gati didn’t feel it, but a gust of wind blew into the room - though perhaps into was the wrong word, for it came from nowhere specifically. It was both heated and freezing and circled the room for a moment before dissipating. 

[I think I am here. he/him]

20 hours ago, Sorana said:

She understood why they had held hands, why he hadn't let go of hers. He'd cared. Cared so much. "I'll stay." She added, looked over to Gati. They didn't care. She knew, she didn't even understand it yet, hand't processed it. "Thank you." The words sounded empty, when she tried to follow, to ingest. But Price was here. And he looked as bad, as she felt. Sagitta continued to look at him, suddenly wished that she hadn't pressed the matter.

“No. Thank you for staying.” Price looked up, saw Sagitta and saw Gati and the rest behind her.

“Now come, the testing the important. It’ll help me, us, the whole nation, understand what these gods are capable of.”

And then what? As Price stepped ahead, closer to the testing room he realised that, if it wasn’t against the war on Cahaya, then what would all of his research, his tools and his tests be used for? It had been so simple before, before he met Sagitta and Zura. Weapons were developed to harm Cahaya. Research was developed to make weapons.

It was fine, he chided himself for worrying so far in the future. He would find a purpose. For now, information was information, and any information about the rogue entities of the gods was bound to be something worth using in one scenario or the other.

[+Sorana she/her]

On 24.11.2019 at 0:15 PM, I think I am here. said:

It was fine, he chided himself for worrying so far in the future. He would find a purpose. For now, information was information, and any information about the rogue entities of the gods was bound to be something worth using in one scenario or the other.

She watched him leave, felt strangely empty. The testing. Of course. He had to maintain his face, and it was important for him. It was his life. Sagitta remained where she was, stared at the bag conceiling the corpse on the floor, at the gods standing around it. Tion had rejoined them, Tion. She couldn't recall who they were, what they represented, but she didn't particularly care. Price words haunted her, that the gods didn't care about them, that they were indifferent towards their struggles. No, they had destroyed the peace, the friendship they had formed. They had ripped the bond between the three of them apart and while she still wished that she had the time to talk things through with Price, to sort that part out, she knew that it wasn't the right moment.

She slowly followed him, but kept back, couldn't bring herself to walk back to them, to face the gods. She wanted to ask why, why they wished for them to destroy themselves, why they didn't care about the war, why they wanted to keep it going, but she couldn't. If she did, they would erase her memories again, and this time, maybe there was no Price to speak the truth. Feeling sick and weak she sat down on a nearby stool, her had clutching the crutch way to hard. It was stupid to react like that, she was a grown woman, she was supposed to be strong, to be able to handle this. But the only thing she saw, was her mother's face while she told her the story about the sky, how the stars came into existence. A lie. How her mother had tought her rituals to please the gods, more lies. Everything she did, everything she lived was a lie. Lie. Lie. Lie.

Nothing but lies, nothing but money the invested into nothing, because those it was directed at, didn't care. They didn't tr yto protect thouse fighting in their names, they didn't try to keep them save. That she was alive, was nothing but pure luck, Intensity had never cared about her at all. And maybe even worse. Sensation. If Price was right, then there had been no hero uniting them all. There had been no brave man to face down those opposing him, Sensation at his side. All of it was a lie.

Edited November 27, 2019 by Sorana

[Archer he/him]

On 11/24/2019 at 3:41 AM, Ookla the Roleplayer said:

You’ve adopted their customs so well! It rang in Gati’s mind, and he concealed a twitch. Why did that feel so...he couldn’t even place what it felt like. “Hello, Tion,” he said quietly. “I doubt I have to worry about that.” 

Gati didn’t feel it, but a gust of wind blew into the room - though perhaps into was the wrong word, for it came from nowhere specifically. It was both heated and freezing and circled the room for a moment before dissipating. 

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Sagitta and Price are in the hallway, while Gati, Zura, and Tion are in the initial room, right? I think I might have lost track of the spatial relations

Posed in front of Gati, Tion examined the god with curiosity. They didn't seem especially vulnerable, but perhaps...

"Dear Gati, the inconsequential is now all-consuming! My new eyes see this realm as it truly is: a glorious construction we build together. But the workers changed the plans, they whisper behind our backs in tiny voices, so hushed. I've been to the shadows, I've heard them with all my ears."  

Will he be the first to go? he wondered. The god narrowed his eyes at Zura. She seems handy with a knife. Perhaps she will do it. 

"We have to stop their scheming, don't you see? Tear down the halls they build, with them inside, oh yes! All the little ones go squish squish. Especially the testers." He wagged his finger in the direction of the doorway. "No usurping for you!"

[AonEne he/him]

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Yeah, that’s what I thought too. 

Gati gave him a look of pure alarm. “Are you okay?” 

[+Sorana she/her]

7 hours ago, Ookla the Roleplayer said:

Yeah, that’s what I thought too. 

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Same here.

 

[I think I am here. he/him]

After walking with the room in sight, Price turned back.

“Sagitta?” He asked, and when he saw her face he sunk. Quickly he moved back a bit, towards her.

“Sagitta,” he said quietly. “It’s okay. You don’t have to be sad, Gati can change your memories, you can be happy again,” but remembering what hadn’t happened before Price strayed away from that topic. “Or not. But you’ll have to face them eventually. And I know it’s hard to cope now, but after the tests. Then we can see what we can do. For now, I’ve got a very limited window of time to test all of you before others start poking their noses in, and I’d like to get as much as I can done.”

He looked to her. “Does that work? Maybe I can get you something to eat other than bread.”

[+Sorana she/her]

35 minutes ago, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

He looked to her. “Does that work? Maybe I can get you something to eat other than bread.”

"I'm not hungry." She replied tonelessly, but walked over, followed him back to the room. "It's alright. Finish your tests." They were important, tests. To learn. To see what they could do.

"You'll really do it?" She asked, her voice rising a little when she started to chuckle. "You'll test a god? A being that doesn't even care about you, no that actively wants to keep our war going."

She turned to him and shook her head in a wild mixture of emotions she had trouble to name. "You'll really try to test a god." A laugh escaped her lips and she started to laugh out loud. "You are crazy. You should bow in devotion, try to get their favor, or maybe a boon, but you'll test them." Lifting a hand she wiped away a tear from her cheek. "Do it. Just do it. Whatever they do, at least one of us doesn't bow to a being that only wants to see them destroyed."

She slung an arm around his shoulder. "You're a wise man, Price, a lot wiser than me." Her laughing subsided and she only shook her head again, feeling empty. "Let's go. Do some tests." Whatever consequences that would lead to.

[I think I am here. he/him]

Price walked with her arm slung around his shoulder. Concerned at the laugh. Concerned at Sagitta. But what could he do?

”Testing is how we control them. And a controlled god is better than a rogue one.” he kept his words. Little needed to be said.

“I’m not wise,” he said. “Just stubborn.”

He smiled.

[+Sorana she/her]

13 minutes ago, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

“I’m not wise,” he said. “Just stubborn.”

"I like stubborn you." Sagitta said and removed her arm, suspected that he didn't want his guard to see him like that. It would undermine his authority, but then - in the last place they had been it had seemed like everybody was expecting her to share his bed, so maybe they simply wouldn't care at all. "It's a good you. All yous are good, but stubborn you -" She sighed. "Stupid me only wishes to finally hold a sword I can use and ram it through their chests."

She gave a small gesture with her hand to show him, that she didn't really mean it, that she wasn't sure what to do what to think. Fighting always had been her first impuls. But if it was good - who knew. "Although if I could exchange the tomahawk for a sword, I would be grateful." It would be nice to have a sword on her back again. Maybe a second, a shorter one by her side. To fight as she had trained to do, ideally also with some armor.

[I think I am here. he/him]

23 hours ago, Ookla the Dreamer said:

She gave a small gesture with her hand to show him, that she didn't really mean it, that she wasn't sure what to do what to think. Fighting always had been her first impuls. But if it was good - who knew. "Although if I could exchange the tomahawk for a sword, I would be grateful." It would be nice to have a sword on her back again. Maybe a second, a shorter one by her side. To fight as she had trained to do, ideally also with some armor.

“You’ll get a sword soon enough,” Price said, grateful when she removed her arm as a guard walked by.

“Of course, test subjects are never allowed weapons, let alone a sword, but this base doesn’t even think you’re a test subject. They think you’re some kind of bodyguard from how I said you were with me on the street. Which, although is lying to the national government,” he tilted his head to one side. “Has it’s perks.”

Sighing he entered the testing room again, looked at those here.

“Hello,” he said, walking to his ledger and shooting the guards who were stationed there away.

“Sagitta knows, by the way. So I would drop the nice act now if I were you,” he said, noticed Sensation for the first time. Hadn’t he always been there? These halls were really making Price lose his mind.

[Archer he/him]

"On the contrary, all is finally as I knew it would be," Tion was saying as Price noticed him. He nodded his head curtly. "And lo, the tester returns, and in his grasp, a most dangerous weapon."

As he spoke, a faint thud sound from came from the hallway, like a man bumping into a wall. The god paid it no heed as he stepped away from the doorway, instinctively moving closer to Gati. His right hand slipped to his side, where his new sword was affixed to his belt.

"All so careless," he muttered in a low voice, not seeming to be aware that anyone could hear him of they intended hard enough. "The guarded with the unguarded tongue, and the mortal who acts immortal. Never adapting, always adopting the habits of the rabbits that scurry, oh hurry little rodents, squish, squash, squish..."

His stopped meeting anyone's gaze, zoning out as his looked distantly at the floor. 

[+Sorana she/her]

Sagitta followed Price over. A bodyguard of some sorts. Whatever. Soon enough. She didn't want to have a sword soon, she wanted to have it now. Although if she really was his bodyguard, maybe she could use that non existent title to request what she needed. There were enough around, and he had allowed her to carry a weapon already. Well, it was more that he hadn't forbidden it. Still it resulted in the same thing. She was armed.

The other god, Tion was speaking of strange things, and she creased her forehead when she tried to follow, tried to understand what he was saying, until she rememdered Price earlier words. The gods were using their powers. "Why are you here?" She asked them. "You could leave anytime, given the way we came here, and you are supposed to be powerful enough to level the city."

She narrowed her eyes, rested her hand on her weapon, although with no real threat behind the gesture. It was a nice resting place and she liked to carry weapons. "But as you don't care about us, prefer to let us slaughter each other, there is another reason. What did Price say? Your powers fluctuate? Maybe you can't escape again, or maybe, mabe you need us to do something for you?"

Her words were crazy, she was talking to gods, but they felt good. They hurt, but at the same time they felt incredible good. As if she ripping an itching scab off a healing would. It hurt, but you couldn't stop either. Somehow she still wished that Price was wrong, that they weren't the gods and that the gods cared. And if she provoked them, maybe they would react in a way that told her, that Price was mistaken.