The Escapist Avatar Adventure: An Open RP (Now Re-Opened!)

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

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Right to Rule

rugal's story

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Kyuubey tilted its head to the side, "Violence is foreign to my people," Kyuubey answered coolly, "I would have thought that overcoming impossible odds in combat was something that humans excelled at. Though I might have misjudged your abilities. Is bullying those that are weaker than you the only thing that you can do?"

Livia gave Rugal a wide-eye'd look. She kept her hand tucked inside of her tunic as she turned to Kyuubey.

The creature's smile twitched ever so slightly, "It appears that you are suffering from a severe illness of the mind. If it would be beneficial to your operating capability, I can remove that entity within you and cast its consciousness adrift into the void."

"I'm sorry Kyuubey, but I don't think I understand what is happening. What is this miasma that you're talking about?"

"I am not entire sure myself." Kyuubey answered, "I have never dealt with an entity of this nature as far as I can remember. But the situation is already dire. I do not want to spend more time on the matter of our situation." Kyuubey stood up. Lightning crackled overhead in waves of harsh light. Under the flickering glow of the storm, Kyuubey seemed to stand out like a lion at the head of its pride. For the first time, the little creature seemed utterly alien - not just strange or fantastical - but truly alien. "I will allow no one to engage Julia is combat. Her soul gem is unstable from extended use and if she undergoes any further stress, I suspect she will hatch before she dies. The goal right now is to stop the miasma from becoming conscious."

"Kyuubey," Livia said quietly, "that does not answer my question."

Kyuubey turned to look at Livia, its red eyes glimmered in the darkness.

"Are you hiding something from me?" Livia asked.

"I am incapable of lying," Kyuubey answered.

"Is it possible to save this world at all?"

Kyuubey paused. Its tail swiped from right to left. "I myself have not witnessed such a thing, but it is possible, theoretically."

Livia's grip on the item inside of her tunic tightened. The gemstone set inside of her hair accessory began to darken. "This is a suicide mission isn't it? Both of us are going to die so that you can save this world."

Thunder rumbled overhead. Kyuubey looked at Rugal and Livia. For the first time since it arrived, it was utterly silent.

"This is the duty of a sovereign... right?"

"For my species, it is logical for an individual to sacrifice themselves for the good of the collective. For your species, it is observed to be much in the same way. But many times it is not until many years have passed that heroes are recognized for their sacrifices." The storm clouds overhead grew a deeper black. The lightning grew more and more frequent, arcing from cloud to cloud in ominous bridges.

The box began to resonate in Rugal's hands.

Kyuubey turned to the captain of the Rising Dawn. "I can grant you one wish, using your soul as a catalyst to rewrite entropy. I have already done so using Livia's soul and Julia's soul. Despite your age and gender, I believe that I will be able to siphon enough energy from you to perform at least one miracle. I can grant you a wish in return for your promise to defeat the miasma above. Do you believe that you would be able to devise an wish that would be so grand as to assure our victory?"

 

[BlackHarte]

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Table for Two

Good End

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"Hands off of my lady!" Reign shouted as he stepped forward, his sword flying out of it's sheath like a bolt of golden lightning. The blade crashed into Nina's skin and shattered, sending small shards of God-Slaying sword flying off into the shadowed darkness. The servant took a step back, astonished.

An aura of darkness grew out from Nina as she spoke. It was a soft and gentle darkness, like that of a starless night. It wove itself in cascades over Nina's body the more impassioned she grew. As her emotions swelled, so did her aura, and it overflowed out of her heart and into the the train car.

Miriam's eyes grew wide.

As Anazorzia crumbled under the weight of the destinies of it's thousand constituent worlds, the space around the train car had reached the critical point where reality and dreams had begun to blur. This shadow was the manifestation of the Nina's overflowing emotions, her memories, and her hope.

"You..." Miriam said softly as she tugged at her own hand. "You're just like her."

The train suddenly stopped, jerking everyone forward onto the fleshy floor. There was an explosion and the world went white.

---​

When Nina opened her eyes the world was a colorless white. But as she blinked the sand and dust out of her eyes, things began to become somewhat more clear. She could see the shapes of the five other women on the floor. Philip was pooled a little bit to Nina's side. The world around them was blank and utterly flat.

Reign, Faea, Mnemosyne, and Cuelle were nowhere to be found.

Nina sat up. Small colored marbles floated in the air around her in hues of Blue, Red, Green, Black, and White. They held small tablaeux of some worlds she recognized and others she didn't. One held a scene of a train speeding through space, flanked by glimmering lights. Another had a group of women sunbathing on the canopy of a vast sea of trees. A older woman was sitting in a crystal world reading slowly through journals of the past. Nina knew instinctively that these were the worlds that made up Anazorzia.

Nina looked down. Her shadow turned the ground below her from a blank white space into a wooden floor. Where her hands touched the same occurred. She was bringing color into this empty world.

Where was this? Nina's thoughts echoed in the empty space.

"This is Anazorzia," came a reply. The voice was high and sweet. Full of innocence. When Nina turned to find the source of the voice, there was a small girl squatting next to her. She had red hair held back with a blue headband. Huge blue eyes smiled at her, glimmering like oceans in this white plane. "My name is Miriam Lockstar, and you're Nina! Nina Zack- Zat- Zachk-... Just Nina!"

Miriam grinned. She had a set of pretty white teeth, but she was missing an incisor. "Would you like to have tea with me?"

The shadow of the little girl painted the ground beneath her, but it expanded, reaching out to each end of the white space until Nina and Miriam were in the lobby of a cafe. Gentle beams of sunlight filtered through stained glass windows and tables set with checkered cloths hosted phantom guests. There was no one there, but there were the sounds of hustle and bustle, the tinkling of ice in cups, the scrape of knives against plates, and the warm nostalgic chatter of people going about their day.

Miriam grabbed Nina's hand and helped her up. "Welcome to Cafe Anazorzia!"

The little girl was wearing the uniform that Blue had on prior to everything happening. "How many will be dining here today?"

 

[Zepherus14]

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Table for Two

Good End

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Nina definitely needed help getting to her feet and even as she stood there in this cafe her legs wobbled. Despite her abilities, despite what she had just survived, she was still only human. Not a deity, a cyborg or even a well trained athlete, she was with some noteworthy exceptions a normal human that frankly spent too much time sitting down at her tablet. There's a limit to how many times one could continue going on stubbornness and adrenaline alone, and that time had been a long time coming.

"I... think it'll be three? You're sitting with us right, you wanted tea?" Nina asked, honestly shouldering Miriam with a bit more weight than she meant to until Phillip grabbed her a chair to park her tush. "T-Thanks Phillip." She exhaled, leaning forward with her arms resting on her knees.

"You certainly dealt with that blade better than Faea did. Wonder who's holding her arm up now." He commented, surveying the area, specifically for a kitchen. "Why didn't you tell me you could do that?"

"I, I didn't know I could do that, but..." Nina commented to Phillip as she lifted her head up to look at Miriam. "We'll see how this chat goes, there might be more than just the three of us coming." She added to her original answer, taking a moment to look around the cafe weakly as she wiped her eyes, quite red from her final stand. "Do, you know what these are?" She gestured to the remnants of Anazorzia, the orbs, loosely wondering how much this Miriam knew of what had happened.

 

[BlackHarte]

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A Painted World

miriam's story

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"They're marbles," Miriam said matter-of-factly. The small glass orbs danced around her like planets around a sun. Light flowed through them and splintered into colored light which pooled around Miriam in thick paint-like orbs. The little girl drew her fingers along the paints and from them created a small notepad. She wrote down on it some scribbles. "But a table of three is coming right up!"

Before Nina and Philip could react they found themselves seated at a booth. A cloth laden table before them set with plates, knives, forks, spoons, and three cups of iced water. Sunlight dribbled through the window at their side. Nina looked out and could see a world outside. They were in the downtown of some city. The streets were empty, a painted scene of lamps, plants, and buildings, but she could hear the rumble of cars passing by and the footfalls of an intersection during lunchtime.

Miriam sat down next to Nina. The little girl smelled of blueberries and vanilla.

A blank-faced waitress came to take their order. She was silent and her movements were stiff, but the entire ordeal was not entirely uninviting. Miriam ordered an earl-grey with milk and sugar.

The drink came almost immediately, delivered by some phantom waitstaff out of the kitchen doors. Philip saw that the kitchen was empty when the doors swung open. A blank and cold room filled with pots, pans, stoves, and ovens.

Miriam took a sip of her tea. She had a solemn look on her face.

"You've been through a lot this past day," Miriam said. Her voice was as sad as it was cheerful. Her eyes faced forward and she held her cup gingerly in both hands. The fragments of Anazorzia kept their orbit around her person. "I don't blame you if you want to leave. It's not like you wanted to come here in the first place."

 

[Zepherus14]

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A Painted World

Miriam's story

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"Heh..." Nina couldn't help but smile at Miriam's comment, her head resting on her arms. She knew this was terrible edicate and likely breaking several rules of fine dining but she really didn't have the energy. "It's gonna take more than that to get rid of me unfortunately. I'll... sleep better when I know my job's done here." She answered.

Phillip for his part was very enamored by the sighting of the kitchen, but seeing the waitress and Nina's current state he shrugged. "Given Nina's current state, matcha tea would be a good start for her. Although I can't say why I'm participating here. I would much rather be in the kitchen."

Nina lifted her head up sluggishly as the cup of tea was placed swiftly on the table, the smell of the aromatic lime green tea. "I, just don't want to lose you too." Nina said as Phillip propped her up and put the tea in her hands. "Well, there are more things to learn from you, so as you said, you won't get rid of me that easily." Phillip answered back as Nina blew at her tea before taking her first sip. "Oh, that's kinda nice." She smiled and took another sip.

"Will you be destroying the recipes and ingredients that exist in those 'marbles' as you put them Miriam?" Phillip asked curtly, causing Nina to nearly choke on her third sip of tea. "Phillip, we're trying to save a little more than just recipes here..." To which Phillip pondered a moment. "Techniques would also be useful too, yes more than just those two." To which Nina held her head with one hand, admittedly looking a bit better now that she had something in her belly. Feeling her bare hand against her forehead made her feel a guilty, the gloves Faea had crafted were gone, and very possibly never to be replaced.[footnote]Not sure if Nina's capable of manipulating things in this space, but if she is having the gloves restitch themselves again would be cool.[/footnote]

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Rugal

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Right to Rule

rugal's story

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"It appears that you are suffering from a severe illness of the mind. If it would be beneficial to your operating capability, I can remove that entity within you and cast its consciousness adrift into the void."

Oh you did not just call me a mental illness!
"It is something I have been considering..." Rugal admitted as the nature of their situation began to dawn on them.
The worsening weather only compounded the dread as the box reacted in his hands: Time was running out.

"This is a suicide mission isn't it? Both of us are going to die so that you can save this world. This is the duty of a sovereign... right?"

Despite everything that was being said, that was the one thing that resonated with Rugal the most: The idea that one as young as Livia would have to give her life for this world to survive?
Battles of life and death weren't a concept lost on Rugal but there was something about making someone barely the age of his own daughter-
"...You're right...it is the duty of a sovereign...Alright Kyuubey, I know what to wish for. That side of me...I had great need of him in the past. It's power, it's will, it saw me to victory many times in the past. I thought I no longer had need of it but-...clearly that's not the case."
Ohhh, here it comes...
"But don't mistake me. No matter what power he might hold, I'll never willingly give him the chance to escape and let his ego bring ruin to us all. Back when I made the decision to change my life and my fate, I tried to separate us so no one could suffer at his hands. But now, I'll need you to mend that rift. Make the two parts whole-"
WHAT?! YOU FUCKING PRICK! NO! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! YOU NEED TO GIVE ME A BODY! I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN STOP THE MIASMA! I'M THE FUCKING KING OF FIGHTERS. I'M THE CLOSEST ANY IN THIS REALM WILL GET TO GODHOOD! RELEASE ME AND I WILL SWEAR MY SERVICE TO YOU! WE CAN WIN THIS BUT ONLY IF YOU LET ME FIGHT!
His other side raged at the notion of peace or in his mind defeat. Decades of wrath and self-empowerment boiled down to a voice raging against reality. It couldn't end like this! What about Rugal's pride? Surely he wouldn't admit that he alone couldn't defeat Omega!?

"I'm not going to lie, I'm not sure how much power it'll take to fulfill such a request. The only times we are truly whole is when divine power flows though our veins. I've done it a few times and, if what you say is true, it's our only shot at saving this world. As well as Livia." He explained before turning to the young woman.
"I do commend your bravery. I've not known many people who would stare at their own demise and accept the risk of death. But this shall not be the end of your story, Livia Lucretius Lamia. Even if I was to survive, I wouldn't be able to look my daughter in the eye knowing you died for my safe return. My mere presence in this world seemed to have caused all this. So I must be the one to set it right."
Handing off the box to his "Mistress", he then smiled and said "You need to get out of here. The old should die for the young, not the other way around. Don't worry, you are still young. You can get the next god awful Apocalypse."
YOU! MAGIC FURBALL! IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO SET ME FREE! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! I WILL NOT BE DENIED MY RIGHTFUL PLACE IN *MY* WORLD! I HAVE FOUGHT FOR EVERYTHING AND YOU JUST SHOW UP AND DECIDE THE VICTOR BY VIRTUE OF BEING SOME IMMORTAL MAGIC-...FUCK!?. WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!

Taking off his jacket, Rugal took a deep breath as he prepared himself for the fight of his life.

"...I wish for the power to being peace to my soul. As much as you can give me. The Lord God Rugal Bernstein shall live again [https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2591/3841154974_d9292e0ebf_z.jpg?zz=1]..."

 

[BlackHarte]

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A Painted World

miriam's story

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"You're here to save Anazorzia then?" Miriam asked softly. "Do you stare into these worlds that I have created, so full of life, and feel pain for their passing?" She shook her head. "Of course you do. Who wouldn't? To you they all seem so very alive - so real. For a time I also felt like they were real. Anazorzia is special in this way - it grants the deepest desires of those who inhabit it. Those who live fear death, and so in Anazorzia, death does not exist. At least, not in the way that mortals understand it."

Miriam smiled, "The idea of mortality is enough to shatter their entire world. Did you see what happened when Anna died? Everyone was shook to their core. I want to be free, Nina, but I am bound as a custodian to this world I painted. I simple cannot leave them, for if I did the world would grow cold and dark until even time itself ceases to pass. To me, that is a fate worse than death."

"Can you imagine? Being born and then left behind by your creator in a dark place with absolutely nothing. A timeless oblivion where it is neither hot nor cold, dark nor light." Miriam chuckled to herself and finished her tea before conjuring a buffet of small cakes before herself. "Well, I do not need to imagine. That was what this place was before I created Anazorzia."

"I fear death. There is nothing more frightening to me than returning to that colorless oblivion. Yet, now I understand more than ever that death is necessary. Without it, the living can not move on because they are eternally weighed down by the older generation." She produced a vial from nothing, this time not even using the paints that she was so fond of using. It was full of purple dust. "I cannot leave these worlds, but Violet could. Neither her obsession with Shuwa nor her friendship with Syl were coincidence. Han Ankhem, the pollen of Everlasting Stargazers. My older sister, Syl, created the flowers so that she could lose her own immortality and memories. She did not like to take the mantle of God. She loved to discover, to research, and to explore. So she could not stand to know everything in all of her creation."

"My world has stagnated. It's filled to the brink of breaking. I know you mean well, but it is at this point it is a matter of the limits of my own powers. I do not have the ability to maintain a world any larger than Anazorzia is right now. And you have seen with your own eyes that even my own avatars have fell to the corrupting influence of eternal life. They thought themselves untouched - but each of them had grown radicalized by their unending vigil.

White grew guilty, burdened by the uncountable sins of the world. She was forced to shed pieces of herself in order to stay sane.

Blue grew distant, weighed down by the information she yearned to gather. In doing so she lost her spirit of invention.

Black grew arrogant and sought to extend her own influence, going so far as to attempt to expand Anazorzia using her dampening slates.

Red grew hedonistic, falling into pleasure-seeking tendencies and losing her aptitude for art.

Green grew destructive, unable to see any deviations from the natural cycles as beauty."

Miriam touched Nina's hand. Her skin pale skin was as cold as death. White paint flowed around Nina's hand and formed the silken glove that Faea had once woven for her. "Was it right for me to seek to destroy Anazorzia? To create what my children fear, what I fear, for the sake of the future? Is it wrong that I yearn to leave this Labyrinth and seek the world outside, knowing that if I leave, Anazorzia will cease to be? In the end, what should I do?"

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

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Right to Rule

rugal's story

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[hr]

"Your wish is accepted. Your contract is written." Kyuubey said flatly. Its ears reached into Rugal's and a sudden burst of light erupted from within his heart. Rugal suddenly felt an overwhelming pain as the small creature sunk it's grip into his astral body - tearing apart the tangled threads of karmic destiny that bound Rugal and Omega together.

Kyuubey stopped briefly, its eyes looking unblinkingly into Rugal's soul. Then it continued, pulling hard.

And Omega and Rugal became uncoupled and Kyuubey forced both personalities into crystal gems. His energy roared around them like a maelstrom. Omega vanished into the chaos, leaving behind only his overwhelming energy as proof of his existence.

It was over by the next time lighting flashed across the dark sky. Kyuubey stood over a soul gem. It was a brilliant red. Kyuubey picked up the red gem in it's ears and handed it to Rugal. "As a part of the process of fulfilling the contract, I had to remove your soul from your body. For now, your consciousness is stored in this egg. It will return to your body through diffusion after some time. Provided of course you do not hatch into a Witch."

Livia held onto the box tightly. Now that it was in her hands the stone vessel roared with life. It's lock pulsed as it tried to keep whatever was inside locked inside.

"This is insane," Livia said, "Kyuubey, this is insane! How can you be okay with asking a person to die for you so casually!?" She took out the binding stone that Jove had signed for her. "Rugal, I command you by order of your contract to me to flee from this city! I cannot, I will not have another person die because of me." Tears were streaming down her face. The gemstone on her hair accessory was nearly black in color. She clutched the stone, but the rock did nothing.

"The Gods no longer control this city," Kyuubey said matter-of-factly. "Such contracts are not enforceable."

The miasma above crackled with lightning, now in short intervals.

The rain was coming down particularly hard now. Livia stared on in disbelief. Her knuckles were white from clutching the stone box. "How come I don't get a say in this? Am I not the sovereign? Am I not the caretaker of the realm?"

Kyuubey turned away from Livia, "I might have given you the circumstances for you to rise to power Livia, but unlike your deceased father, never have you once had the right to rule. In the end you were only a girl playing princess."

Livia's gem was jet black.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

The Rising Dawn: Armoury [https://orig00.deviantart.net/1cc6/f/2012/168/d/1/contact___armory_by_shimmering_sword-d53uu2p.jpg]
Hillary the Slime | David West | Jenny | Violet​

"....Errrrr-....I'll pass...." David remarked, being able as open to the idea of "Drinking" a living being as much as any other average guy.
"And while I did say that, we have weapons and objectives now. Gotta adapt to the situation. And if those bastards get out again, lord knows what they'll do." The Irishman added while Violet attempted to fix Hillary's mass issue.
"Here, try using these. Military Ceramic Plates. Designed to stop rifle rounds. It's not as heavy but it should be strong enough to keep you safe." The Doctor explained as he began to use a knife to tear apart some of the bulletproof vests left over.
Each time, he yanked out the protective plate [https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y235/Firelotus/Fake%20SAPI%20Plates/FakeSAPIplates032.jpg] and left it in a pile for the slime to consume.

Jenny herself slipped on one of the remaining vests before David checked the hallway.
"Alright, do your check then head straight for the bridge. Engagements at a minimum. Still outnumbered and not immortal like they are."
"Alright then. Hillary and I will do one quick sweep then we'll meet up." The Gardevoir said before David held up his hand, doing a quick countdown before both groups silently split up, making a dash for their objectives.

Jenny lead the way to the airships crew quarters, a somewhat fancy part of the ship designed for the comfort of any and all crew who live on the ship.
She kept up a small Reflect barrier up at all times, using it almost like a riot shield as she advanced onwards.
There were some slight skeleton presence here and there, mostly just finding out what having beds made out of modern materials and experiencing the comforts of the living.

"Attention anyone who can hear me. We're going to try and make our way to the bridge so we can get out of here. Regroup as soon as you can, those skeletons will overwhelm you otherwise. David is going to head to the brig, I'll be in the living quarters. Meet up with one of us as soon as you can." She spoke out to anyone in the area over and over again as she attempted to have them sneak though the area without causing a fight.
Thankfully, the skeletons seemed pretty distracted, I mean, the light switches alone were blowing their minds (Skulls?).
They seemed rather happy with themselves, even if they were the enemy, it was hard for Hillary to see that as they jumped up and down on king sized beds and other such childish actions.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

Rugal's story

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[hr]

"NGH-.....GOD DAMMIT!....GRRRRRAAHHHHHH-"

Rugal shook with pain as both sides of his soul were torn asunder.
His life felt like it was flashing before his eyes: The cold streets of Berlin, the silent temples he left in his wake, the roar of the Rising Dawn's engines, the power of the gods flowing though him yet again.
Fear filled a part of him he never knew it could, for years, that force loomed over him like a storm cloud threatening to tear apart his entire life.

There was such an expression of shock as the crimson soul of evil was dragged away, clawing fruitlessly at the dirt as the surge of energy swept him away.
NO! NOT LIKE THIS! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! YOU WON'T! YOU! NEED! Meeeeeee-..... His echo called out before being scattered to oblivion.
No sooner did he vanish did everything suddenly start falling down on him with crushing weight.
"-HHHHHHHHH-AHHHHHHHH-AHHHHHHHHHHH-A-HAHHHHHHHHHHH!" He called out as a burst of crimson energy started to radiate off his being, his skin turning a similar hue while his hair turned a pure white, scorched by the power.
He stood dazed for a moment as the reawakening slowly washed over him.


Rugal stood tall and examined himself, as if he needed to make sure this was actually still happening to him.
His soul gem glowed brightly, shaking a little as Kyuubey held it, Omega was dead and gone though good luck telling him that.
"As a part of the process of fulfilling the contract, I had to remove your soul from your body. For now, your consciousness is stored in this egg. It will return to your body through diffusion after some time. Provided of course you do not hatch into a Witch."
"That will not happen. I would hate to "Inconvenience" you..." He bluntly said before snatching the gem back from the kitten while Livia pleaded her case.

"This is insane," Livia said, "Kyuubey, this is insane! How can you be okay with asking a person to die for you so casually!?" She took out the binding stone that Jove had signed for her. "Rugal, I command you by order of your contract to me to flee from this city! I cannot, I will not have another person die because of me." Tears were streaming down her face. The gemstone on her hair accessory was nearly black in color. She clutched the stone, but the rock did nothing.
"The Gods no longer control this city," Kyuubey said matter-of-factly. "Such contracts are not enforceable."

"..."
Her tears were a rather sour note on his "Return" to godhood as he looked down at her, his frightful form doing little to mask the sadness on his face.

The rain was coming down particularly hard now. Livia stared on in disbelief. Her knuckles were white from clutching the stone box. "How come I don't get a say in this? Am I not the sovereign? Am I not the caretaker of the realm?"

Kyuubey turned away from Livia, "I might have given you the circumstances for you to rise to power Livia, but unlike your deceased father, never have you once had the right to rule. In the end you were only a girl play-"

"Kyuubey, I'm getting dangerously close to wanting to murder you again. Ever since I arrived, I knew I disliked you but now I can truly understand why. You never once cared what she thought, just what she could do for you. What I can do for you. So you wish for me to play savior, do you? Then Shut. The Goddamn Hell. Up." He spoke with quiet fury.
He turned to Livia afterwards before saying "Kyuubey believes this is the only way to ensure the safety of your world. I want to believe it's possible but I don't want you believing my death will be on you. I don't fear death or dying. I-....I know for a fact that I am not a good man. And I never know if I will be. But I promised that I would try everything in my power to become that man. In that respect, I'll ask that Kyuubey be silent.

Speak your mind. Have your say. Rulers and Sovereigns are worthless unless they rise up to the challenges facing their people. This is your time to do so. Help me save this world."

 

[Zepherus14]

[hr]

A Painted World

Miriam's story

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[hr]

"Well if I'm really honest, I don't know why I'm here. Saving the people of Anazorzia is just what I want to do now that I'm here." Nina answered back, recoiling a bit as Miriam's ice cold hands touched her. Goosebumps ran along her skin as the silky fibers wove themselves back together and reattached with the remaining threads that connected them to the rest of the outfit. Touching at her arm with one of her hands, she couldn't help but look a little pained. Sure it felt real, it looked real, but... this wasn't Faea's, it was Miriam's.

Nina set her cup down after another sip, being greedy about it, but she was nearly done. "Honestly, I don't know how well off I am to comment on that now, this tea is helping but... Nina started to explain, rubbing her temples with those soft silky hands of her's. "I'd be lying if I said I was drawing with a full set of crayons."

"You're not wrong to want to leave, and... you aren't wrong in introducing death. It's the way you've done in and the need for such an utterly complete deletion of this place that bothers me." Nina answered, not able to hide the head fog she was starting to experience. "The best I understand this is like a computer program or a picture file. There's only so much you can put on it before the whole thing starts collapsing in on itself. Wouldn't have thought I'd make that comparison in my life but, here we are I guess." Nina said awkwardly, trying to wrap her head around this problem. "I just don't understand, where I come from the universe is supposed to last for... well a crazy amount of time. I don't know exactly what happens by that point but it's so far in the future, and there's so many things to do in the meantime, even if it does end like that, I'm here, from there, talking to you now." Nina said, eyeing the different selection of cakes, eventually picking up a marshmallow creme filled one.

"If we're dealing with size issues, with a bit of sleep I know I could help you out. I'm pretty good at meshing things together for an audience. As for the people... I hate to say it but some just won't want this at all, and be stubborn, but even I have to admit something needs to be done here. You can't stay trapped here just for their sake, that's not right either. Even if Anazorzia is reduced to a memory, if the people who wish to move on and make something for themselves with the limited time they have, I think that'd be fair. Let the people decide if they want to move on with you to see the world outside at a bare minimum." She said her piece. Nina was still under the impression that if people were allowed to enter Anazorzia like Green had allowed, then that should be more than enough life to drive the narrative. Like a piano string vibrating another by sharing an octave. Trimming the fat, reorganizing the headcanon and retconning some aspects is what they needed, a good old fashion defrag. Nina's priority was trying to keep everyone who wanted that second chance in tact regardless of how Miriam ended up deciding to go through with this. Raising the cake up to her mouth, she took a bite and smiled. "Mmm, this is nice~" She said softly.

"But, if you could, why is it that Anazorzia will be doomed the moment you leave. You don't need to go super in depth, seriously please don't, I'll definitely fall asleep if you go into full techno babble. Try explaining it like you would a kid. It's not like I haven't heard the 'In the beginning, there was nothing' story before so why is Anazorzia different?"

Phillip for his part had mostly been remaining quiet through this little exchange, not really concerned with the people for the most part. Miriam seemed to be capable of making whatever she wished, so getting the ingredients and such from her would be easy enough. Nina nearly falling asleep despite the tea was another thing entirely, and this annoyed him. He had assumed the tea alone wouldn't have solved the problem, Nina was too far gone for food alone to help her, or at least, normal food. "Is a senzu bean on the menu? Either the whole or used in a pastry, it doesn't matter." He asked, figuring such a thing was fiction but, perhaps Miriam was able to weave even fiction into reality.

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

rugal's story

​

[hr]

"I... I... I..." the words came tumbling out of Livia's mouth as her gemstone darkened as Rugal spoke. "I..." The darkness filled the space around her in a whirlwind. The box rocked back and forth in her hands. Rays of light had begun to poke through the gaps forming between each half of the stone vessel.

"This is my world. My world! All of it! It all belongs to me!" Livia screamed out. "If anyone is destroying my things, then I should get to destroy them, obliterate them, remove them! I don't want to have to care about how people think of me, how people think they want to protect me. I don't need protecting! My name is Livia Lucretius Lamia!" Livia howled against the gale, her primal scream echoed through the air.

And then everything died down. Her gemstone was still black as tar.

Kyuubey turned around. "With that much negative emotion stored inside of you, you should have hatched." Kyuubey said. "How strange."

The box continued to struggle, but the winds around Livia died down. She seemed calmer now. Tears were streaming down her face. "Everything in this world belongs to me. All the good things and all the bad things. That includes you as well. I hate feeling powerless. I hate being thrown around just because I'm a girl! I don't need to be protected. I am a murderer, a witch, a traitor." She pulled something out of her tunic.

It was a golden goblet. She undid the seal on the cup and brought it to her lips.

A spear of ice struck the goblet out of Livia's hands. A hooded figure stood on top of the temple dome. "Even from here I can see that you have the most terrible ideas Livia." Julia brushed the blood-matted hair from her eyes. Her cloak was torn apart and pieces of her armor had been shattered. Deep cuts ran across the skin exposed to the storm by the gaping holes in her armor. She had Livia's daggers sheathed together at her hip.

"You were always childish Livia, Papa knew that and I knew that. Everyone could see it. But I did not truly understand how narcissistic you are. Like a snake that would devour it's tail. I think I finally understand that stupid nickname of yours." She glanced at Kyuubey, "And I see your true colors as well, Incubator."

Kyuubey flicked his tail.

"I ran into someone while I was fleeing the witches you had sent my way Incubator," Julia continued, "someone that told me some very interesting things." She held out her hand and a small white creature ran onto her shoulders. It's white tail flicked back and forth behind it.

"Think of the surprise when I discovered that there was another individual of my species here." Kyuubey said. "And one that has is from another timeline at that. Most interesting."

The Incubator sitting next to Livia and Rugal stood up.

"There's two... Kyuubey's?" Livia gaped.

"Don't listen to it Livia! It's trying to deceive you!" the Incubator said. "You have to defeat the miasma above before it chokes out all life in the city! Go now!"

"I do not know what the entity patrolling the skies of Rome is, but it is a creature far surpassing any of your mortal abilities. If you challenge it, death is almost certainly the outcome." Kyuubey answered. "What I do know is that it is not a witch. I doubt magic would be of any use against it."

Livia looked back and forth between the two white creatures, unsure of what to do.

Julia grimaced and spat at Livia. "Come on, you talked big game about how you wanted power and authority, but when it comes down to it, you just rely on everyone around you to tell you what to do don't you? You're so afraid of failure that you don't want to risk anything in case you end up looking stupid. You're the worst type of hypocrite. You've given up everything for a chance, it's time to show everyone that you're not just all talk Livia Lucretius Lamia."

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You don't know anything about me, the things I went through, the things that I've had to do!" Livia screamed back, "I know I'm afraid, but what am I supposed to do!? Everything I do ends up in disaster eventually... everyone I love ends up leaving me..."

"And so you rely on power to keep everything in line like some sort of tyrant? You have to play at being a princess that can exert control over whatever circumstances you can?"

"No! That's not... that's not what I want..."

Julia scowled, "By the Gods, it doesn't matter what you wanted or what you intended. All that matters is how you act. If you keep making poor decisions, it isn't going to matter if you made them with good intentions you idiot!"

"Don't call me an idiot!"

"Someone who can't own up to the consequences of their own actions can only be called an idiot! Idiot!"

 

[BlackHarte]

[hr]

A Painted World

miriam's story

​

[hr]

Miriam picked up a small cheesecake and popped the entire thing into her mouth. She looked at Nina, blue eyes shining brightly in the steady light of the painted sun. "You mean that thing from Dragonball?" Miriam spun green paint around her fingers and dropped three of the small beans onto the table. "I have only kinda sorta remember what they are so don't go blaming me if these don't work exactly like they do in the show."

The girl leaned back in the seat, the leather creaked under her body weight. "The reason why I can't leave and why I can't let more people in is pretty simple. I'm too weak. Labyrinths are maintained by their weaver and the further away we are from it, the more difficult it is to keep the strings tied together, so to speak. The more threads we have to maintain and the farther we have to do it from, the more taxing it is."

She smiled, "Having outsiders in my worlds are already pretty taxing you know. For every person that enters the world, I have to spend extra energy counter-balancing their presence. It's sort of like how a Minecraft server has to render extra blocks for each person that logs in. Actually, that's a pretty good analogy. You can think of me as the server itself and my avatars like operators."

"But that's a discussion better held some other time." Miriam chuckled. "You might be wondering why in the world you ended up here after hearing that. After all, how did someone like you end up breaking through all the barriers around this world if most planeswalkers can't? Answer's pretty simple."

"You and Philip were more or less dead. I found your souls drifting in the eternity right outside of Anazorzia, cast out who knows how long ago to drift among the ambient chaos of infinity. You had essentially done the inter-dimensional equivalent of washing up on a deserted island." Miriam put her hands on top of each other. "Besides, you have spent far too much time here already. Though it seems like it has only scarcely been a day, more than two years have passed since you originally arrived here."

"Ah, I'm all over the place today. My head's not on straight. I'm jumping from one thing to another." Miriam picked up another cake and stuffed it in her mouth. She chewed in silence. She swallowed. "Nina, be truthful with me. Do you really believe that someone like you can pass judgement on all of Anazorzia? Your solutions has simply been to tell me that I should make everyone happy and give them everything that they want. That might work in an truly infinite universe with an all-powerful god, but my universe is finite and my powers are limited. Many of the people within can never leave. They aren't strong enough to withstand the journey out. Anazorzia will be their one and only home."

"I am not unreasonable Nina, and I do not think my avatars were either, even given their eventual decay into madness. If there was a simple and obvious way to make everyone happy, I would not have sat here agonizing over my inaction for so long." Miriam turned toward Nina and leaned forward. "I mean, after all, you and I, we're not characters in a story. Our choices have consequences as real as us."

 

[Zepherus14]

The Rising Dawn: Living Areas
Hillary the Slime | David West | Jenny | Violet​

Hillary's featureless eyes looked from David to Violet and Jenny, her form rippling gently as she moved her arm tentatively to the two before slowly withdrawing it."A-alright." She said, her fingers hooking her jaw in a self conscious manner, and with a closed mouth dragged it down to sit in her lap. The move impossible for a human given their jaw, but Hillary obviously didn't have that issue. "Hillary was just trying to make sure she could help you guys." She said, looking down moreso at the floor.

When offered the plates, Hillary looked up with a look of confusion. She couldn't switch over with the amount of material currently inside her, but Violet was trying, so she should as well. Scooting over to the slowly accumulating pile, she picked up each plate with a bit of difficulty, and pushed it into her midsection and pseudopod. It was quite apparently by looking at her that Hillary was actively needing to hold those plates inside her body, otherwise they'd just fall to the floor. Even still, after the eighth plate was pushed inside, Hillary shook her head and let go of the plates, each plate falling to the floor as she moved away from them. "I know you are trying to help, but until Hillary gets rid of most of the lemonade inside her, she won't be able to switch what she is made of. She should be fine to go with Jenny like this, but I know she won't be as helpful as she was getting here." She tried to explain her situation better to these people who obviously had never seen a slime before. Before the group split up, Hillary made sure to at least grab one of those plates, holding it like a football as she tried her best to keep up with Jenny.

[hr]

Jenny likely wasn't able to go at her full pace with Hillary following behind her. The slime tried her best to keep up but an occasion check at her six resulted in Jenny seeing Hillary was leaving a trail of stained floor behind them. At least she was quiet, Hillary wasn't breathing heavily, or breathing at all. Her air pocket had shrink to the size of an apple by her collar bone.

Getting closer to the bedrooms, she was cautious to look around to make sure the skeletons weren't too close before turning to Jenny. "Is it okay if we check a bedroom before we go to the bridge? She's probably somewhere outside, but Hillary didn't see her figurine there. It's very important to her." She requested of the psychic, the tone she used indicating she wasn't kidding. Whatever this item was, it was very precious to her.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Extremely sorry for the delay

Spoiler: Rugal

[hr]

Right to Rule

Rugal's story

​

[hr]

Rugal's eyes widened as Livia went for the chalice, though the interruption of Julia defused that possible bombshell before it could explode.
"Julia...Right on time it seems...And it appears that she too has a magic rat whispering in her ear..." The Lord God remarked, standing firm in place while she attempted to berate Livia and break her will.
"Someone who can't own up to the consequences of their own actions can only be called an idiot! Id-"

Before the next syllable left her lips, Rugal suddenly was right in front her, showing off his remarkable speed once more.
"I couldn't agree more. I do hope you are able to own up to your own..." He grimly said as he towered over her.
"I know not your story or your reasons. All I know is I'm told by Kyuubey no less that for all your power and ego, you're the one who'll turn into a witch. Just another faceless victim like the ones you fought and defeated over and over. I'm giving you a chance to show you are more than just a footnote in another person's story. I have neither the time nor the desire to fight you. I can't speak for Livia but I believe she feels the same."

Rugal slowly raised one of his fists then out stretched his fingers.
The gesture wasn't much, but the energy output from that mere act alone sent out a shockwave of wind and dirt as if a bomb went off, blinding all nearby parties until the energy radiating from his being was the only thing visible.
"You've seen my power before. You've seen it now. You have your life ahead of you. I don't plan on my power being the last thing you ever see. Me and Livia can't spare anymore of our time."
When the dust cleared, Juila would notice something was-...missing right as she saw Rugal holding both of the blades she had stolen.
"Should we return and our battle is won, your time will come should you still feel like confrontation. I can't force you to do anything. I can only ask. You are right: It is time for Livia Lucretius Lamia to prove herself. So I don't plan on letting you hold her back."

He handed off the blades to Livia, glancing back at Julia he warned her one last time: "I ask that you don't let yourself be blinded by anger. Don't let spite make the decisions for you. I don't wish to fight you, it doesn't mean I won't. Kyuubey believes if you fight, you will die. That you are too unstable and emotional to stay in control. Prove him wrong. Don't make the same mistake I did. If there is nothing else, we need to leave. What is your decision, Julia?"

Rugal then used his power to hover above the ground, getting ready to leave for the skies above Rome.

 

[Zepherus14]

[hr]

A Painted World

Miriam's story

​

[hr]

"The very same." Phillip answered as Miriam described the origin of those holy magic beans. "As long as they have the same rejuvenation quality, it shouldn't matter." He commented as she weaved the beans into existence. "Hmm, yes those appear to be the beans..." Phillip started to say as he looked over them as Nina took one and brought it to her mouth, and took a bite. "... Hold on..." Phillip started to say as he realized what was about to happen as Nina swallowed.

Almost immediately, Nina's eyes widened as the tiredness that had plagued her was swiftly swept away. But that wasn't what had gotten her attention, or Phillip's annoyance as Nina put on a good 10-20 pounds and all in the right places! "Oh..." "I..." "My!" "Here it comes..." "GOD!!" "I should have seen this coming..." Nina stood up as best she could inside the booth while Phillip recoiled, pulling out a blanket from within in some fruitless attempt to hide. Thankfully the silk was able to stretch as her new chest was now a chest! The extra energy reserves of the beans had to go somewhere, and now Nina was looking quite a bit like Mnemonyse if a bit smaller. Sure she was getting squeeze hard in her outfit, the lines of the silk that wrapped around her whole body were far more noticeable.

"Phillip! I never knew these existed!" Nina squealed like an idiot, reaching out as Phillip tried to jump away only to be squeezed into that awaiting bust. "ACK! Nina, let go!" He whined as his tendrils flailed around while Nina hugged him like a teddybear. Nina listened to Miriam describe the limits of her powers, up until the point that Miriam dropped the bombshell that the duo had died in some form or another.

"W-What?" Nina remarked, visibly stunned as Phillip got dropped back down onto the booth's seat. What did she mean she was dead, or that two years had gone by already?! That made no sense! But she just continued talking like that wasn't that big of a deal or anything, and instead handed her a question that rated right up there with 'What is the Meaning of Life?' "That would explain why there's an odd difference with some of my tendrils..."

"I-I don't know!" Nina exclaimed, scratching at her hair vigorously as she dropped herself back down to the seat. "You're right, I really can't but fffff-" Her fingers fidgeting violently as she tried to make sense of the myriad of directions she could take this. "How the hell do you know we're not, you and I could just as easily be in the same boat as them, some characters in a story about... fuckin' pants! Who cares what! We could be side characters for all we know, and you're just like "Come on Nina, stop being such a bug and let's move on." but I can't help it!"

"I'm just trying to save anything I can of this place. You and your avatars have made it sound like I'm some big hotshot here, super smart with some fancy PHD in badassery, but honestly I've just been bumbling my way throughout this mess this whole time! I was just supposed to be going to this party but now I'm being told we somehow died and got sent to an entirely new place than the place we got taken to... well yesterday technically! I just don't want them to be completely lost." Nina explained, burying her face in her hands. "She does get like this from time to time... It's grating on your patients but the amount of times she's stayed up well into the night in some last ditch effort to archive someone's tasteless scribbles is far too numerous... She's stubborn to a fault and will continue to move the goalpost until something goes her way. It's troublesome, but she does manage to make cooking for me easier, so it is tolerated..." "Not scribbles, wholesome art..." She corrected through her hands.

 

[BlackHarte]

[hr]

Right to Rule

rugal's story

​

[hr]

"I did not anticipate it happening this way, but this will work just as well."

The black clouds above crackled with lightning in response to Rugal's display of overwhelming power. Angry blue streaks arced within the shadowy depths of the storm. Then the flashes of light began to turn red. And finally the lighting turned green. The clouds started to shimmer, streaks of perpendicular lines lit up the underside of the storm cloud, running parallel to the earth below. Rugal recognized the pattern immediately.

The entire sky above them had turned into a circuit.

Livia and Julia stared up in disbelief as the cloud began to throw itself toward the ground in spiral funnels. Immediately the air became suffocating, filled with the biting odor of ozone and oil.

"This is bad." Kyuubey said as he ducked beneath Julia. "Rugal, your power far eclipses the amount of energy that would have been released when a magical girl hatches into a witch. Why in the world did you think such an excessive display of power was necessary?"

The Incubator smiled as it waved it's tail back and forth. " This Labyrinth needed to end. This result is not functionally different from what I had originally planned." Then it turned and ran away, vanishing into the tall grass of the plaza.

The main body of the cloud had begun to descend down toward Rugal, the ripping winds creating a dark tunnel into the depths of darkness. He could see the green lights within caused by steady pulses of small arcs of lightning. All the aggression in his mind and heart struggled against the shadows, but they quelled him.

Rugal could see out of the corner of his eye Livia collapsed on the floor. The stone vessel cracking along it's spine, letting loose rays of golden light from within.

Rugal first forgot how to hate, then he forgot how to think, until finally he even forgot how to breathe.

---​

[hr]

???

???'s story

​

[hr]

"I had thought I felt a familiar presence."

Rugal woke to the voice of a familiar stranger. He could hear the telltale hum of airship engines. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring at the decorated wood ceiling of the Rising Dawn's iconic Canteen. Cold air washed over his body. He turned around to find him staring out of the starboard windows of the airship at a green field that stretched to the horizon.

The stranger was sitting besides him. It was a small black amorphous blob that he had known once upon a time.

"It has been a long time, Rugal Bernstein," it said. It's voice was synthesized, but unique. Old, patient, kind, and vaguely English. "Ah. I have not spoken in such a long time. It feels good to hear my voice again." The singular green eye on the creature flashed to indicate it's speech. "So long... so long... It has been more than two years, I believe. In some ways you have changed so much that I scarcely recognize you, in other ways, it is almost alarming how little you have changed."

"Do you still remember when we first met? During that fighting tournament that you held... back when there were still villains to fight? There were so many of us back then. Now... I can scarcely see four or five in all of existence. I have managed to reach even less. I did not like all of them... but I do miss them to some degree now that they are gone." The black creature turned from the window to look at Rugal. "Surely you must feel the same way."

"Four survivors." It continued. "In my two years of searching I have only found four survivors. The rest have fallen into oblivion. Either forgotten by the world or they lay unmourned in unmoving time."

"I wonder," it laughed, "do you even remember who I am, Master Bernstein?"

 

[BlackHarte]

[hr]

A Painted World

miriam's story

​

[hr]

Miriam laughed at Nina's excitement. "How wonderfully lively you are!" Miriam leaned back into her seat and looked up. Her eyes were filled with a wistful emotion. "You were thrown into an incredible situation, Nina, and you rose to the challenge. If nothing else you should be immensely proud of that. You've placed the weight of Anazorzia on your own shoulders. You, with your magnanimous heart, want everyone to be happy. Yet, you are only one girl."

Miriam took off her headband. The stone glistened in the light of the sun. "When I was young, much younger than even now, I lived with my mother. We were poor, desperately poor. Each day my mother would wake up before sunrise to stalk the river valley for stones brought in by the high tide. She looked for precious stones to sell to goldsmiths in the city so that she could buy food for us. On a good day she could find all sorts of small stones, rubies, emeralds, sapphires... on a bad day she could at least find pearls, geodes, or opals in the sand. She worked hard so that we wouldn't starve. We rarely did.

But on the most fortunate days she would find chunks of lapis. Lapis was prized by the dyemakers for making the most expensive of colors - ultramarine. Finding a node of lapis pure enough to synthesize ultramarine could feed us for weeks on end. But competition for lapis was intense among the scavengers." Miriam ran her fingers over her headband, gently tracing a line of white marbling in the azure stone.

"One day there was a catastrophic storm. The waters of the river grew so angry that they flooded the valley. The weight of the water collapsed the city into the mines beneath it, and the collapse of the caverns brought down the mountains around the valley in a tremendous landslide. We were trapped inside our cave by a rockfall.

Unable to break out my mother brought me and journeyed deeper into the cave. A winding labyrinth of darkness, water, and crystals as sharp as knives. We wandered for weeks in the dark until we came upon a crevice that glimmered with light.

The opening was too small for my mother to pass through, but she pushed me through."

Miriam was silent for a moment. "Father found me shortly after. He was a tall and dark man. He told me he was visiting from someplace far, far away. He told me that he was surprised that anyone was alive. The world had been flooded for forty days and forty nights, ravaged by unending wind and water. He expected that there were no other survivors.

I told him about mother and he dug into the mountainside where he had found me to search for her, but when we broke through enough of the stone, we found the tunnels empty. But in the room where I had last been with my mother was a piece of lapis so pure that it shone like the sky. The stone was bent down against the wall, as if in quiet prayer. Father looked, but he could never find my mother. No body, and no trace. Then he took me away from that world and made me his Daughter. We took that piece of stone from that world, and from it he fashioned for me the color that would one day become Anazorzia."

"I think you are just like me. Your world ended, but some benefactor has seen fit to bring you to the edge of my domain. I do not know what fate expects of you, but I do know that you are bound for great things. Your love for the world is more than enough evidence for me. But, perhaps saving Anazorzia is not the great thing for which you are destined. Perhaps you are not destined to save even me..."

There was a long pause.

"Oh?" Miriam stood up and turned around toward the entrance to the cafe. There was the ring of a bell as the door swung open. "Welcome to Cafe Anazorzia! How may I help you today?"

There were two people standing in the lobby. One was a young dark skinned man, the other a pale redheaded woman. They both wore thick armored robes and breath masks over their faces. The young man took his mask off, revealing a bewildered expression.

"What in the world is this place?" Vihaan said.

Yona took off her own mask. "It looks like... a diner..."

Miriam looked slightly miffed. She cleared her throat and said again "Welcome to Cafe Anazorzia! How may I help you today?"

"A diner?"

"It's a place like a cafeteria where people go eat. It's much more casual, more geared toward families." Yona's eyes fell on Miriam. "Look, it's a girl. Is... she the Daughter?"

"Maybe? I don't really sense any magical energy coming from her though."

"Welcome to Cafe Anazorzia! How may I help you today?" Miriam repeated again in a more strained cheery tone.

 

[Zepherus14]

[hr]

A Painted World

Miriam's story

​

[hr]

"You say that, but it doesn't make me feel much better about it." A muffled whine came from her as she rested her head on her arms. "And... okay sure, you're technically older than I am, but at least I have all my adult teeth in..." She commented, raising her head just enough to eye the little munchkin, not exactly appreciating being called a girl by what appeared to be a child.

It was at this point that Nina sat up to listen to Miriam's story, giving the little girl her full attention. The story of poverty and heartache certainly struck a nerve with Nina as a very empathetic look made its way along her face. She hadn't had to deal with poverty, at least not to that stark degree, her parents had worked hard sure, but they had made some good investments, saved where they could, a good head on their shoulders. It was when she described her mother's last ditch effort to save her precious daughter that Nina finally broke down, having to reach over to grab a napkin to dry the tears that had been held back up until then. It was gutwrenching really. "And now she's crying..." Phillip somehow managed to deflate even more than he already had. "Shh shh, let her finish!" Nina commented back in a hush, to which Phillip responded with what could be described as an eye roll.

And finish she did as Nina got up to move over to the bench Miriam was sitting at, sat down herself and gave the poor thing a hug. It was a tad awkward with her new size, something Nina tried to play off but she couldn't help but notice it. "I don't really know if that's exactly true, if it's my world you're talking about, or that one we were supposed to have the party in, but... What I know right now, is we both need a good hug." Nina giggled softly, holding Miriam for a short time more before getting up and making her way back to Phillip who'd gotten that fangled cookbook out. "Wait, have you not signed that thing yet?" Nina asked as she got back in her seat.

"No." He said matter of factly, a twinge of frustration in his voice. The book itself was something unlike anything Miriam had seen before, with a strange otherworldness she couldn't place her finger on. The singular page they had open was the same contract looking page with the words of "To whom who hungers for this book, must allow the book to hunger for them. Your Blood for the ink, and ink for your blood." scrawled across it. "No whenever I try and fix this, something always comes and-" The ring of the door opening to the diner cut through the silence. "... I'm not even surprised any more..." Phillip commented, not stopping as he got his jar out, the bench in such a position the two new arrivals couldn't spot him. "Here, let me help you with that, Miriam's probably got this, whoever these two are..." Nina offered as she grabbed a couple tea spoons and using the edge dipped it into the awaiting jar of inky blackness and began writing.

Unlike the previous times, which technically had never happened before, Nina didn't wait to see if the ink of the felled aberition pleased the book. If it was supposed to be a joke, these two asshats weren't making it very clear as they were ignoring Miriam. "Phillip, just keep that close to you for now..." She told him before she stood up. "HEY! She asked you a question, three different times! How about a little respect and answering her, or did your parents neglect to teach you any manners?" Nina raised her voice sternly, Phillip taking the moment to pocket his things and jump onto Nina's shoulder. "Hmph, today hasn't been a total waste after all~" He chimed, sounding uncharacteristically happy in the moment.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

[hr]

Rising Dawn Canteen

rugal's story

​

[hr]

"Blackharte..."

That was the first thing Rugal said once he realized where he was, he was no longer in rome but was instead back home on the airship.
His words were slightly confusing but it quickly became clear that he knew more about what had happened to him then most.
"That explains the presence of Nanotechnology in such a realm. But-...what of Livia? What of Julia? I was just about to-....unless....You were the Mishima this whole time. You were the one taking control of that world's people...which begs the question: Why?" He bluntly asked as he looked around the airship, seeming a little disbelieving that he was actually back.
"...Is this really home or is this just another construct of yours? You clearly have far more power then you let on. I'm just trying to make sense of what I've been through and how it serves you..." He then asked, adjusting his gloves as he sat forward with his arms out front on the table.

"I'll confess I don't entirely understand but that's why you brought me here, isn't it? If you weren't going to explain yourself, you wouldn't have sat me right across from you..."