kenoscomm | [ open communion ] || POINTS MY GUN DIRECTLY AT THE SUN

[ Some recent arrivals have not really been treated to Silco via communion, and the crime lord does not frequently use it, and certainly has never initiated it en-masse, even though he's spoken his mind time, and time again. You all know him, because it's always some kind of rant. Well surprise! It's another one today! As always, communion feels like being dropped into cold, slick water, that clings like it's vile and corrupted, like pollutants make it feel clingy, like it doesn't simply dry off normally. It's like being dunked into that water, like being drowned in it. Like there is no escape from it, ever-present, pulling one under.

This communion is sharp, and agitated. Silco does not do this lightly, and it shows in the general anger expressed from the man. Roiling under the water like a furnace spilling heat that gets quickly swallowed by the cold, but still it churns deep beneath the surface. Intensifying. Ever intensifying. ]

How many of you have struggled? Truly struggled, where you have to fight for your very survival. Every moment of every day. Have any of you fought to find a place to sleep? Hunted for hours for food? Winnowed your fingers to the bone for the mere scraps of what those who look down upon you only allow you to have? Struggle is what war is, after all.

[ In communion, there is the sensation of something in your hand. Small, and delicate. So small, so easy to crush, should you only choose to do so. And you want to. You hold off, of course. What is it in your hand? The sensation of holding it up to the light, and there's the impression of a glimmer, brighter and more unknowable than you could imagine. ]

For too long, you all have lacked the resolve to take this seriously. Who can blame you, of course. So warm in your little beds under Meridian's light, or Yima's watchful eye. There is no true danger, is there? Even the most powerful among you would never go too far with their enemies, would they? [ He has no clue what had happened in the manor. He had been in Kowloon, deep in the bowels beneath Springstar. No news made it to him down there, and this only a scant bit of time after the manor was leveled. ] No, they would keep you, perhaps. Leave you a nice little bed for a rock.

[ A derisive snort, ripples through communion, before it is swallowed with a ripple of... something dark. Hopelessness. ]

Let me teach you a final lesson. Zenites, I suggest you pay close attention. Do not look away, should you not learn this lesson, you will have wasted your opportunity. Where I come from, we do not abide waste.

They do not care about you, the Meridian. They will do anything to see you stopped. The new world that you dream of will be nothing if you do not fight for it. You make friends with them. You coddle them. You allow them victory when the Oracle is nearly in our hands Do you not understand? If you do not take this seriously, then there will be no world at the end of this. There will be only what they want.

Meridian will not show you mercy. They will not allow you to go anywhere. They will shatter you, for the crime of wanting something different. Of refusing to look back. Our worlds are gone. Destroyed. It is not your fault, it is not their fault. It simply is. They detest us for accepting this. They hate us for looking forward, to trying to take the ashes of our shared tragedy, and make something new. Meanwhile, they refuse to accept the inevitable, try to put it back like it was before.

They proclaim it as hope. I call it regressive. They will take our world from us. [ In communion, the self-editing is more obvious, and the echo of 'revenge' can be just barely sensed, behind the impression of "world" ] Unless you fight them, and take the threat that they pose seriously.

[ Thin, small fingers clutch the small, round thing. You can all feel it. It is power. Deep, and weighty, like what is contained within -- the soul inside -- is vast. It nearly buckles under the force, but not quite yet. You know it is jade, and teardrop shaped now. You can feel it burning, in your hand. The impression of it, anyway. ]

Consider this my small gift to you. [ His fingers start to press down. It starts to buckle, and crack. ] I will level the playing field.

[ It shatters, the impression of it in your hands. Crushed into many pieces. The burning prick in your hand starts to subside, and fade. The impression of remnants in your hand goes cold.

In Springstar, for a moment. There is a Solar Eclipse. ]

Do not waste this opportunity, Zenites.

[ Communion like this does not normally cut off with such finality. This time, however, it will become rapidly apparent. Silco will not be responding, since he's uh. Busy. By the time he is ~~able~~ willing, it will be several days later, and communion does not last that long.

Feel free to gossip amongst yourselves though! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Most of the time, Akechi doesn't appreciate this shared connection with fellow iconoclasts; it leaves him too vulnerable, too open to a barrage of foreign feelings in such a way he can't tell where his own begin or end. The kind of sense he gets from this guy is no different, or so he thinks.

What a shame. It would be nice if, for once, this unrelenting chaos swirling beneath the surface was more than just his own heart reflected back at him. ]

Oh, won't you please leave some fun for the rest of us? You're hardly the only one raring for a fight.

[To another Iconoclast Yuber's emotions are laid bare: Excitement, yearning, and something that feels like hunger.]

Maybe I could be convinced to leave a crumb or two behind...

[ Fascinating. Could this Iconoclast connection be capitalizing on his feelings and amplifying them? Or... are these Yuber's feelings?

Either way, the thought of chaotic warfare is a thrill. ]

I would think you have your work cut out for you. Silco-san has just given us quite the demonstration of how far he's willing to go, after all. Do you think you could match him in kind?

He is impressive but he is merely human.

[A slight twinkle.

There is a sincere admiration for Silco in there. Humans who spread chaos are always fascinating.]

I would not dismiss the value of human willpower so easily. Some of us are even willing to stand against those who liken themselves to gods.

[ There's Silco right there, of course, but the pride in his words comes from a place of personal experience. ]

I know.

That's why I find your kind so interesting.

[Affection bubbles across the Communion like warm honey.]

But in the end, humans are frail little creatures helplessly tossed around by the whims of the Balance.

Frail, perhaps. But you might be surprised to find out how often a human can cheat death.

[ That's... his idea of humor? A bit morbid, as it's a jab at his own fate.

Nevertheless, this affection over Communion is... odd. Fairly new, as well, but that's an Akechi thing. Very curious, though. ]

And what kind might you be, to claim yourself as being above this Balance?

I'm something else.

[Which is to say he's not entirely sure himself sometimes.]

Why? Does it matter?

Not for as long as you're on our side.

[ Which also means he's not afraid to face any "something elses" that happen to stand in his way, if it comes to that. ]

Though it would still be useful to know what kind of skill you bring to the table. It's the most effective way to coordinate war efforts, after all.

Me? What about you?

[His presence swirls in a disdainful scoff.]

What do you bring to the table? You said you were human, after all.

Yes, I am-- and I can say my skills have played a decisive part in the chaos that has been sown across Springstar leading up to Cyrus's demise. You ought to have paid attention to their citizens acting uncharacteristically and turning on their own Shardbearers?

[ There's a swell of pride in his chest as he reveals this much, too, a sense of comfort borne from chaos and the thought he's been entrusted with important matters so soon after Harmonizing. ]

Yet, the burden of proof lies with the one who speaks, and you went on a tirade about-- oh, what was it-- depending on you to win this entire war. What can you say of your own contributions to Zenith so far?

Me? I raised those who fell and marched them on their former allies.

[He wasn't able to raise as many undead as he'd wanted but it was a start. Back home he could draw monstrous skeletons from the Empty.]

But I only just got here.

What I am is a veteran of a thousand wars. I'm war itself! Why shouldn't Zenith depend on me?

Because Zenith doesn't know you.

[ And that's just simple logic. Yuber could very well be war itself as he claims, but the fact remains that, until he can prove himself, he's just another rando talking big. ]

Regardless of your vast experience or powers you claim to possess, it is all meaningless until we see it in action. Trust must be earned, and your worth to the cause must be proved like anyone else's. As long as you can do that, surely cooperation will be no problem.

But of course.

[There is a stillness, a sense that Yuber is considering Akechi's words.]

You misunderstand me, I think.

I'm saying that I can be a valuable asset to Zenith. You may depend on my ability.

As long as I get to bask in the chaos of war I'm happy to help.

[What he means by that remains unspoken but through their connection over Communion it becomes clear: He will go where he's told, step aside when he's told, and loyally follow orders as long as he gets a war to enjoy.]

[ In return, he may get the sense of a pleasant thrum in return from Akechi, a touch of kinship he's hardly ever felt with anyone else. Joker may have accepted him for who he is, but even he couldn't relate to Akechi on this level, couldn't hear the call of chaos as keenly as he did. ]

In that case, I look forward to seeing what else you can do for our cause.

[ There's one small caveat, though, something else he picked up over Communion: ]

That said, remember you have agency to act on your own. As much as I'm sure veterans would appreciate your loyalty, taking the initiative on crucial moments is just as important. This new world we seek... it would mean little to me if any of our own would be thought of as little more than a tool.

[ Just like he was. ]

Know something about that from experience, do you?

[He's guessing, but he's known the type.]

Don't worry about me. I'm not one to follow orders blindly if they are dull and I am not one to get myself killed.

I follow on my own terms.

[And he knows how to take initiative. Over the centuries some of the humans he's served have needed him to purr into the ear and give them that last push to turn their despair outward and wage a war.]

[ While Akechi doesn't address that first part directly, there's the sense of a scoff passing over Communion, his feelings of contempt for his old society easily shared over their Iconoclast connection. It's a bit too early for his traumadumping, but exposing this much of his motives to a fellow Zenith is fine. ]

In that case, I imagine we could make for an interesting team, the next time we're called to action. And considering Meridian's latest offensive, I'm sure there will be a wealth of opportunity to sow chaos as far as the eye can see.

[ Not a dull moment in an all-out war, right? ]

[ open communion ] || POINTS MY GUN DIRECTLY AT THE SUN

private; iconochaos meeting?

private; iconochaos meeting!

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