Wouldn't you like to use more than words?

[letsplayamod]

The last thing you recall is likely your own death. Whether it was fast or slow, it's over now. And you're... where are you?

One moment, you were among the living. The next - you may be one of the unfortunate ones who actually died. In which case, you've found yourself flowing in the lazy rivers of the river Styx, unfathomably deep underground. Just for a moment, mind you. It's not long before your consciousness is yanked from the waters by some scary monsters, shoved into a healed body, and pushed through a portal.

Or, maybe you were caught red-handed and sentenced to your doom. But, instead of a proper death, you were whisked down into the Veins of Tartarus. And there's really only one place that could lead to... Or is it?


You've been tossed down here by the will of the Titan, but what you find is A helping hand swooping you up - possibly literally, and potentially out of the grasp of the Titan himself.

Not a moment after, you're whisked through another rift, this one a shimmering gold. Into a realm of slightly more stable platforms and a lot more shit to look through. The area is practically littered with the ill-gotten goods of a thieving God (who is happy to note via pop-up illusion that you are touching his stuff). Here, however, you are safe; assured that Typhon cannot find or hurt you here.

For the moment, you can breathe before the next part comes.

Comments

Week 7

[letsplayamod]

[Welcome Quark and Seymour.]

cw: self-harm

[necromants]

[Tartarus. It hasn't been long since they left this place - chased by Typhon and his beast, saved by Fenyx's sudden arrival - but somehow it feels like it's been far, far longer. Maybe that's because of everything today has been. It's hard to tell. Zvei hasn't felt this damn tired since he was alive, but there's no rest for the wicked or the dead. He has to be the one to get Seymour, because he can't let any of the others get to him first.

Fenyx is with him, of course, the goddess having guided him back down here just to find Seymour. A kindness neither of them deserve, quite frankly, but one Zvei is immensely grateful for. Perhaps she'll depart to go bring Quark back to those eagerly awaiting his arrival, or maybe she'll at least have the decency to pretend to let these two have a private conversation.

Seymour will find himself waking up here with little explanation as to how, why, or what this place even is, though at the very least all of his injuries are healed. He also has approximately one comment to himself before Zvei gets here, because he is rapidly approaching. Not quite running - not yet - though it's only barely restrained. Blood pools in his palms against his nails where they're balled up and biting into the skin again; injuries that aren't nearly as bad as anything Seymour sustained just now.

Welcome to being dead, Seymour.]

cw: suicidal ideation

[taintedfayth]

[Seymour is here, yes. But he also isn't here, because while his eyes may be open now, they're blank, unblinking, staring off at some indeterminate point in the distance. He shows no signs of being aware of anything around him, nor even the fact that he is once again (seemingly) alive and in one piece.

It is, perhaps, a small mercy that his mind seems to have simply shut down rather than attempt to process everything that's happened in the past half hour, because there's so much to go through and none of it is pleasant. What he endured was deserved, he knows that. He won't try to deny it. But what he hadn't anticipated was how utterly alone and rejected it would make him feel, how that tiny ember of hope that had been extinguished when Zvei had chosen his path would be drenched in a deluge that left no hope of ever reigniting it again.

In the end, there was no place for him in this world either, not that he'd ever expected it. But that realization hurts almost as much as his now-healed wounds did, and the worst part is that that pain isn't going away, just growing sharper as it sinks fully into his mind and bleeds into the few parts that weren't already broken and damaged.

This... this is truly suffering, to not even be allowed to rest. And if there's no escape from it physically, then he'll just have to lock himself away in his own mind, because what else can he do?

There is no salvation for the damned, after all.]

[necromants]

Seymour—

[He is running now, the last few steps quickly giving way as he drops to to the ground before Seymour. He catches himself on his hands and hisses out an exhale of pain - deserved pain, of course - before reaching out immediately. He doesn't touch, but immediately the familiar glow and sensation of healing magic follows. There's no need to cure Seymour's wounds as he doesn't have any. Of course Zvei knows that, but it's the only damn thing he can do, so by the gods, he's going to do it.

...Though, perhaps tellingly, he doesn't go for the spot where Seymour was impaled by Lebkuchen; instead, that healing magic flows into Seymour's hands, where his nails had pierced skin weeks ago. The wounds Zvei wasn't allowed to heal then, that he's been thinking about nonstop since then.]

I'm here, Seymour. [It's soft, dangerously close to sounding fragile.] You aren't alone. You won't be alone again. Please, just...

[He trails off then, because he's not even sure what it is he wants Seymour to do. Get angry with him? Storm off? Have some sort of reaction that isn't so, so devastating?]

cw: brainfog

[latinumsbetter]

[Quark dies. He knew he was going to when he does; it's pretty inevitable. He'd used the last of his energy to throw some fire at Seymour (a hint, if they look close enough,) and then, once that idiot was gone, to write out the number Aoi told him. Maybe, if they can get her phone back from him, if they remeber the number, she can be saved.

He won't be around to see it if they do.

The river, at first, is calming. It feels almost familiar, and his thoughts feel like they're in a fog. He can only wonder if this is the Great Material Continuum for a moment, that river that flows through all things. Where might it be taking him? All the sudden, he’s rudely yanked out. He’s too startled to even shriek as he’s shoved through a portal, stumbling, disoriented, falling to his hands and knees.

Quark breathes, quietly for a moment, before he sits back on his haunches. His hands rest on the top of his thighs and he just...sits there for a long moment, quiet.]

[rockymountaindie]

[ Alex didn't really want to be back here, in the pit of Tartarus and not Fenyx's supposed safe haven. However, the idea of leaving Quark to be guided by either strangers or those who have actively put his life in danger (or killed him) set his very blood on fire and lit him with purpose. Somewhere a ways away, Seymour, the lying bastard, is reuniting with Zvei, the other lying bastard, but Alex pays them no heed. Because the moment he sees Quark, he zeroes in, crouching down in front of him. ]

Quark. Quark, hey, you with me?

[tailoredfate]

[Meanwhile, as Fenyx is off getting the new arrivals and Aglaea is very much trying not to think about that for the moment, with Sayo's rules firmly in place in their new parlor, she just. Keeps on watching in the cauldron as the living gather for just one more party. Something about this feels... comfortable. Feels right. That she's seeing beyond what her eyes can see once more.

But now, she isn't seeing plans whispered in the dark, movements of enemies and conspirators who are plotting to undo everything she's worked for over the past thousand years. Now she just... watches. For them.

And as she watches, she spies something. Watching the two of them talk - at first, when Lebkuchen reaffirms her resolve, embracing herself and her power and trying to make it something that's not entirely his, she smiles what's possibly the warmest smile anyone's ever seen on her face.

She was proud of even the smallest steps Lebkuchen took, the smallest affirmations. Progress in any form was fantastic to see in the girl, so seeing such a wholehearted affirmation of who she wants to be...

... It makes that warmth sink into what remains of her heart, at the same time a pang of regret does.

Oh, but she can't linger on that regret, because something else is happening with her and Cerejeira and-]

... Oh my.

[... She sounds. Impressed? And pleased?]

[eeeonetwothree]

[ Omega has also been watching, and…does a bit of a celebratory arm pump. ]

YES! CEREJEIRA IS CERTAIN TO ANSWER IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AFTER SUCH A HEARTFELT PLEA!

[markofnobility]

Oh?

[Ferdinand stops his anxious Quark-based pacing to peer in]

Oh!

[atu709]

[ it's funny how different it is to be jealous. for so long she had nothing - no hope except oblivion. love was something found in stories, and it is real of course because she is herself a story. but it would be transient. fleeting. and a cruelty to any other snow white less fortunate.

While there are many things that are untrue about all princesses, the fact that they fall easily into the patterns of love is not a falsehood. It is something that is expected, and one of the first illusions to fall away upon learning the truth of the Neverafter.

But she thinks of Rosamund, who kept her faith in love despite the unmaking of everything. Of Rapunzel, bitter and vicious. Of Cinderella, and their nights talking about what they suppose true love must feel like. And she thinks that there are much worse guiding stars than love.

Perhaps that's why she was made the goddess of it, before everything went wrong. That there is a Snow White within her that still yet holds faith in love, in the ability of connection between souls and minds.

Perhaps she will always wish it was her in Cerejira's place. She does not know. But there is no room for jealousy in Snow White's heart, because no matter how she loses her way, Snow White is Good.

And this is probably for the best. Brutal murder aside, partners of all genders tend to desire their bed-mates to not be the temperature of ice. It hurts, and it's not a hurt she is used to, but she is used to hurting, and she will figure it out. ]

... Good for them.

[ She means it. Whatever her feelings for Lebkuchen may be, it's her happiness Snow wants most of all. ]

[raiseyoulikea]

[Leaning over, Fenyx gives a glowing smile of her own.]

Best thing about mortals. Finding the light in even darker moments.

OPEN

[latinumsbetter]

[When they reach this safe shelter Fenyx as brought them to, Quark has a moment to look around, eyes wide. Then, to Alex:]

...wow, you weren't kiddin' when you said this place was a mess.

[Well, he's here now, for anyone that'd like to greet him.

Later, after meeting with some familar faces, Quark is just going to go and walk around and see what there is to see. There is, of course, the chance that he'll run into someone along the way, but he'll leave that to chance]

[taintedfayth]

[Seymour, for the most part, has been doing his best to stay away from everyone else. He doesn't want to see them, and he's quite sure they don't want to see him, either; coupled with the fact that he's still trying to slowly reboot into safe mode, he's ensconced himself in an out-of-the-way corner to just rest.

He doesn't seem to be aware that he has company at first, just sort of curled up in a makeshift attempt at a bed. He's calm enough now that Zvei is comfortable leaving him for short periods of time, and for better or for worse, it will be during one such period that Quark stumbles across him.]

1/2

[raiseyoulikea]

[Hurrying behind him, Fenyx is quick to quip,]

I've been trying to clean things up, but it's not easy to sort through godly possessions. Some of it's some valuable stuff, some of it's like a random goblet I was using one afternoon--

[markofnobility]

[ it takes every but of willpower to not charge Quark like dog left at home a little too long. But he manages, somehow. Instead the first time their eyes meet he nods and walks away- any reunion, happy or furious, would be on Quark's terms.

The fact that his death wounds are clearly memorable thanks to the gold thread Aglaea used to patch his shirt probably doesn't help. That huge gold stitched gash on his blouses' chest stands out like a scarlet letter.]

Re: OPEN

[eeeonetwothree]

[ Quark is greeted by a certain robot. Hello Quark. ]

QUARK. I AM GLAD TO SEE YOU ARE SAFE. I…I HAVE MUCH TO SAY TO YOU, BUT FIRST AMONG THEM IS THAT YOU WERE RIGHT. FERDINAND AND I WERE WRONG.

[tailoredfate]

[All of this just feels so... wrong. There are things happening in Aglaea's chest that she hasn't felt in centuries. Unpleasant, twisting like an agitated snake, bumping and biting at the tattered edges of her soul.

It feels like that when she sees Quark. It doesn't... hurt, like it did when she saw Lebkuchen during the seance, or when they were watching the events of the last trial unfold... but it's still there.]

Quark.

[But, as always, Aglaea's voice is calm and even.]

I hope you don't take it as an insult when I say it's terrible to see you here, of all places.

MEETING

[raiseyoulikea]

Attention! If you could please listen to me - I'd like to request that everyone attend a meeting tomorrow. I'd like to plan our next move, and I want everyone's input! Thank you!

[That's what you get in advance, though you'll just as easily spot Fenyx moving furniture around. Cleaning up an area where she can put down a large table, and an assortment of random chairs that are enough for everybody. If she didn't know better, maybe Hermes really did steal things for a reason.

The time comes, and as you all gather, Fenyx is already there to welcome you. Phospho, her phoenix, perches on the edge of the table.]

Thank you all for coming. This is a bit short-notice, so I'll get to the point: between my searching and Phospho's we haven't seen Typhon resurface yet. If I had to guess, this means he's locked in a stalemate with whoever's been helping him. That makes this the most perfect time to strike.

So, I want to bring it to you; I want to set out to find Typhon and stop him, once and for all. If you'd like to help, or offer any kind of assistance, I'd love to hear it. Nothing is off the table... so to speak.

Also, if you have any questions, now is probably a good time to ask them.

[latinumsbetter]

I'm not much for fighting, but I can provide a safe, fortified place if needed during a fight.

That being said, I'd like to know how you plan to stop the guy.

[rockymountaindie]

Mmm... Way back when we first fought his freaky skeleton foot soldier guys, the...healing thing I did hurt 'em. Maybe, if I could...amplify that, it'd hurt Typhon too?

[ .........ah, wait- ]

I-I can't do it a lot, I think. It kinda...hurts me, to use.

[ we're being honest about that now 😔 ]

[atu709]

I can raise the dead. That... seems relevant, here.

[taintedfayth]

[He's here and he's definitely sitting quite a ways away from the others.

... he also notably isn't contributing much to any of this.]

[eeeonetwothree]

I HAVE BEEN SCANNING AND MAPPING TARTARUS. I BELIEVE THAT, COMBINED WITH MY ABILITY TO IDENTIFY TYPHON’S ENERGY SIGNATURE AFTER STUDYING IT FOR SO LONG, SHOULD PROVE USEFUL?

[markofnobility]

[He ponders, thinking]

I wonder... if my power may be able to pinpoint a weakness. I... never considered trying, if I am being honest.

[it's amazing what not being Stressed AF 24/7 can do for a guy]

[tailoredfate]

Are we sure Typhon is the one we should be preparing to fight?

[She's been rolling it over in her head for a while now. While there are some similarities between this world and Amphoreus, she can't say she has any ideas of what that mysterious voice they've heard might be. She can't make any concrete plans. But there's still the obvious.]

With each trial, each battle we've faced, he seems to be getting weaker. More tired. And with that, we began hearing that voice. What if this mysterious being holding his leash is draining him of his strength to grow their own?