Open to All | Communion

[envoyoftwilight]

[Communion begins and despite the source, it's strained. At least, in a way that perhaps it shouldn't be, especially considering that it involves Midna, who seems like one of the most nonchalant individuals in this world. She hasn't, in truth, addressed much of anything or anyone since the Harbinger incident, her death, her relocation to Highstorm, and that is beginning to bite her in the Twili backside.

Of course, if she were less prideful, she might actually address that. But maybe it all comes across in something about her, or what feels like wavering conviction, an otherwise kind of weakness she wouldn't ever intentionally display.]

Poor Springstar. There couldn't have been a better time for me to get out of there.

[Never mind that the discord a Meridian experiences in opposing atmosphere is a real contender. Perhaps Midna will turn as monstrous as those attacking the city of infinite light, except to her understanding, they aren't real monsters. No. Her discord is already manifesting in its own way.]

That said, surely we're keeping it all under control, no? The lot of us perfectly capable. If these little obstacles we go through for the Oracles don't hinder us, I find it hard to believe that a bit of chaos and murder is going to stop us. Well, those of us eager to throw ourselves into the fray that is.

[...So... people who aren't her?]

I'm sure I'll be making a little visit over there eventually, but that's not why I'm here now. Since I've made Highstorm my darling little home, I'd like to learn a bit more about it. It's beautiful, there are some nice places to eat, but I'm afraid I just don't know the area well enough. And I've been asked if I'll be decorating my home. I don't suppose there's a nice place to go shopping or some decorative ideas. Much as I'd love to fill my place with paintings, I've discerning taste.

I promise if I can get a little self-indulgence out of the way, I'll certainly be more helpful to my fellow Meridians.

[Which she may, or may not be. Either way, she thinks she's doing a great job pretending to be... well. Herself. But she's probably laying it on too thick this time.]

Comments

[lockedon]

[ Girl, you live in Highstorm now???? ]

Are you keeping your Discord under control?

[ They may not be friends but also he doesn't hate Midna enough to wish the misery of high Discord on her. ]

[envoyoftwilight]

[Yes to the first and no the second. No, she's not. Midna's skills at handling her discord are undeniably poor, but—]

As if a little thing like that would possibly affect me.
But how adorable of you to worry.

[lockedon]

[ He is so unimpressed that it colors the entirety of their Communion. ]

You're not invincible. Unless you want to find yourself dissipated, I suggest you find some way to take care of it.

[envoyoftwilight]

[She deserves that.]

Visiting Springstar will do that well enough. [Or so she suspects.] I am not as irresponsible as you seem to think I am. [Although he has every reason to think she is... absolutely irresponsible since that is the kind of person she's portrayed herself to be.]

[bakedapple]

Highstorm...? You're living in Highstorm?

[ Link doesn't need to ask why — that part will be obvious to anyone aware of Midna's intolerance to sunlight. Really, moving house might even be a bit overdue, considering how hostile Springstar's eternal sunlight is to her biology. But it still catches him somewhat off guard, and his mind immediately needs more information. ]

When did you move? Has everyone been treating you well? Can I come see you?

Is... is your Discord okay?

[envoyoftwilight]

That I am. I imagine I should have said something sooner, however, there were some complications that prevented me from doing so.

[That is, the dying thing was not great and Midna was not interested in seeing anyone and she wasn't interested in anyone seeing her.]

I've been here since a bit after the whole Harbinger labyrinth nonsense. You're welcome to pay me visit, but it won't be anything fanciful. At least, not the way someone like me deserves.

[And she's not even going to bother answering the discord thing. If he comes to see her, he'll likely see for himself.]

[bakedapple]

[ He's not about to complain about Midna not telling him — people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Link hasn't spoken to her either, not since that day during the Oracle, and for similar reasons. Similar "complications." He's heard about what happened to her from the broadcast and news coverage... but presumably, she's heard about what happened to him too. ]

...I can't come right now. I'm... tied up at the moment.

[ He's Communing with her from some distant part of the Beyond, far to the north of Highstorm, as he and Drizzt search for wherever the Meridian are constructing their weapon. Nobody knows they are doing this, and that is intentional... but for the first time, he considers telling Midna. Can he trust her not to tell the other Meris what they're doing? Is it even fair to ask that of her? ]

...

[envoyoftwilight]

[She... has heard a great many things. And she's aware that some of her exploits during the Harbinger misadventure became public knowledge. What exactly that entails and how public remains to be seen, but she has largely decided to ignore it. At least until someone comes to her personally to ask questions or confront or anything else that one might find necessary.

It's not the most responsible way to handle the situation, but she hardly sees the harm. What more can go wrong after all of that? All the better she got out of Springstar when she did before she starts being labelled a Zenith sympathiser.

That said—]

Are you all right? You don't have to tell me, of course, but surely it's evident enough that I would help you if you needed it. Of course, if you mean a different kind of tying, then you don't really need my help there.

[Midna.]

[kinaesthesia]

Oh damn, I didn't realize you've been hanging out over here in Highstorm!

[Girl, why didn't we trade places?? Gavial is dying for more sun.]

Guess I'll have to swing by. Bring a house-warming gift and all.

[envoyoftwilight]

I didn't exactly announce it, though I'm beginning to think I should have. Who knows how many Springstar residents have gone looking for me only to find me absent. It's very possible I've caused a touch more concern than I meant to.

[But Gavial is good company and she likes the idea of having some companionship. That is, she feels like she's in a place where she's ready for it.]

If you don't mind it looking a little barren, you're welcome. If you bring me anything, let's make sure it's not something I might kill. So I can keep it and maybe liven this place up a bit.

[kinaesthesia]

Ha, sure. Some non-killable decoration coming right up.

[Does Gavial have much of an idea of what makes a suitable house-warming gift? Not really! She's not gonna let that stop her, though.]

You been getting on alright around here, though? Springstar hadn't exactly been happy to see me when I'd last visited, so I kinda figured Highstorm might be a little weird about Meridians too.

[envoyoftwilight]

I'll admit I've had a peculiar relationship with both places, though the most Highstorm has ever done is house people who wondered why I wasn't in Highstorm to begin with. Perhaps some might have even considered me an honourable member.

[If she wants to be that arrogant about it, of course.]

Right now, I suspect that Springstar may not necessarily be keen on Meridians as well. It seems many things came out during that whole Harbinger Oracle ordeal. I think some of the locals were not impressed with our conduct.

[At least, that's the impression she's been given.]

[youngprodigy]

Highstorm is lovely, isn't it?

It reminds me of my homeland, near perpetual dark included. During the winter months there would be days when there was hardly any daylight at all.

[But that being said, it's obvious there's a twinge of worry about her. There's a reason he doesn't often travel to Springstar, after all.

Nothing outright stated, but obvious all the same.]

Have you been to the markets? There's an astounding variety of baubles and trinkets being sold there.

[envoyoftwilight]

It is. [Stunning, is how Midna might describe it.] It reminds me of my home as well. I wasn't aware you came from a place that was so dark. [But it's not as though she's pried terribly much into or about him. In truth, she's been feeling her way around many of the people here, Cid included. Yet perhaps they have more in common than she's thought.]

I've passed through the markets, done perhaps a little shopping here and there, but nothing extensive. It seemed wiser to see what the locals recommended. You and some of the others have been here longer than I have, after all. I'm not afraid to defer to better judgement when it's available to me.

[youngprodigy]

Aye, Garlemald was about as far north as you could go. 'Course, in the summer months it was the opposite, the sun only set for a bell or two at most. But summer was short, no more than a few weeks. It was a harsh place to live, but it was home for a long time.

[Even after defecting, there were times when he missed Garlemald.]

I'm afraid my own taste of decoration is rather spartan, but I can certainly give it a shot.

[envoyoftwilight]

Hm. What a curious world you came from. I suppose being here must be considerably different by comparison.

[Perpetual daylight. Perpetual nighttime. Having any kind of change from what they considered 'normal' would be quite the change to become accustomed to. At least she's just had to move from light into dark.

Enough on that, however.]

Oh? Are you offering to attempt to decorate my home? How sweet of you.

[corvidant]

Likening "a bit of chaos and murder" to an Oracle trial... As a newcomer, I must say you have me fairly concerned.

[ Concerned that he's been missing out on all this fun, that is. ]

[envoyoftwilight]

The two things aren't so similar. Well, they could be. It's all a bunch of obstacles and things that usually aren't particularly fun or enjoyable, but a decent amount of manual labour.

[Ah, but some people seem to enjoy that.]

If you've not experienced it just yet, you can decide how the two compare. I find there's plenty of chaos in both. Wonderful for one who needs engagement and loves to keep their hands busy.

[corvidant]

I don't mind chaos per se. If anything, I am rather drawn to it.

[ And since this is Communion, he can spare some honesty. Cracks in his mask might be more easily detectable this way. ]

Regardless, these trials are reason for concern. From what I gather, there were several casualties the last time. I would rather not be one of them, myself.

[appeale]

I didn't live there for very long, but I did look around the shops quite a bit while I was a Zenite! Did you want company, signora, or shall I simply name some of the places I remember?

[envoyoftwilight]

Implying you were here at one point and you left it? Whatever reason could you have had for that, hmmm? Highstorm is striking.

[She's not ignoring the rest. She simply seems to have her priorities. Although the implication is that it wasn't just a move of location, it was a move of faction loyalty.]

[appeale]

Oh, it's a lovely city! But I didn't think I would be particularly welcome there after I realigned with Meridian... I didn't want any trouble, so I moved back to Springstar.

[ and now she doesn't live there, either, since they resent her so much for failing to live up to expectations she never volunteered to carry. bastards. ]

[baltimores]

[ He narrows right in on the strained nature of her broadcast, cutting through everything else she says.

Because they share an aspect, it's not as though Amos' emotions can be hidden from her either — not that he'd consider trying to hide them even if they didn't. They're relatively muted because of the way he is, but they flit across their shared mindspace regardless: surprise at hearing that she's chosen to live in Highstorm despite remaining Meridian, followed by immediate concern. That she's asking for someone to help show her the city goes as unremarked upon as does the fact that Springstar is suffering from random and vicious attacks — the latter being completely irrelevant to him, while the former pales in comparison to the other problem he foresees. ]

I take it your discord's holding up okay, [ since he hasn't heard of any monster attacks in Highstorm itself, ] but call me when it gets to be too much. I got magic that can fix it. Doesn't matter that we're both Exalts.

[ And he's already put down one shard-bearer whose discord got out of hand in his city. He's not letting it happen again, hence the single-minded focus with which he approaches her. Doesn't matter the terms they last parted on, nor that he's increasingly unsure what to make of her — he remembers Midna to be practical so here he is, being practical in return. ]

[envoyoftwilight]

[In truth, she has almost expected that any future contact with Amos would result in him holding a great deal of hostility against her. If he did, she'd understand. Since the Harbinger Oracle, she's realised that there are some in this world with whom she has a strangely closer connection. Despite the amount of trust she has in Link, there is something she feels and experiences with Amos that she can't quite explain. She feels it again in this communion. And perhaps he feels it as well.

He cuts right to the heart of the matter and his offer is... surprising. But not unwelcome. She's done nothing to deserve that. He has no benefit to making such an offer.]

I wasn't aware there was magic that could be used for such a thing. But then, I have to admit that until my move into Highstorm, discord was not something I had to keep too much in consideration.

[Usually because she has unintentionally kept herself relatively balanced between light and dark.]

[baltimores]

It's a high-level spell. You can learn it when your connection to Zenith or Meridian is a lot stronger.

[ So, not Midna and the way she insists on remaining Meridian, even though she's... choosing to live in Highstorm.

His answer is level, simply relaying facts. He doesn't want to feel all that much around her, so he simply chooses not to — or at least, he thinks he does. Amos is practised at burying his emotions, but that comes with a side effect of not being able to recognize them when he is feeling something.

Case in point: there is an undercurrent of unease when talking to her. He knows she can't do anything to him over communion, but he still remembers what it felt like, as she asserted herself over him, pushed him into submission. Which normally he might not have minded, but in the midst of an Oracle—

He tries to push those thoughts aside. Maybe succeeds. ]

I already had to kill someone here once when their discord got out of control. I don't want to have to do it again. [ It could be a threat; it's not, just another statement of fact. Please don't make me kill you. ] Call me when it starts getting bad. I'll fix it for you.