techalaniani. [cw: dr...ugs...]

[fursuit]

[ It’s about two weeks after the chaos that’s hit Highstorm and Springstar both. The dust has had time to settle and people have started to pick themselves back up. And in that busy time, the Shard-Bearers of Kenos are touched by someone new. It’s a mind that gives the impression of vastness in the way that other gods and similarly supernatural creatures have. There’s dark, fragrant smoke of copal, and the humid heat of a rainforest. It probably feels faintly familiar to some, since there’s just a hint of that warmth that feels similar to a certain sun god(dess)…

But as it focuses, that warmth seems to be coming from a campfire, perhaps oddly. The logs around it offer you a “seat”, whether proverbial or not, and it’s only if you take one that the speak themselves will come into more focus. But the introduction that comes with it is much cooler (in both senses of the word) than the bubbly Quetzalcoatl. ]

Yo.

[ …Is that how the newest god is greeting the masses? Yep. Apparently so. ]

I talked to enough people when Kenos was jerking me around [ no, that was me, the player, ] that Communion is just more efficient. So, for those I’ve met and for those I haven’t, consider this a more formal greeting. You’ve removed my brother Quetzalcoatl and allowed me to descend in his stead.

[ And even though he’s identified Quetzalcoatl as his brother… The smirk in that statement is unmistakable. He’s pleased that Quetzalcoatl is dead. For those that know the mythology of the Aztec pantheon even faintly, this wouldn’t be a surprise at all, since Quetzalcoatl only has one enemy that would be glad to see the feathered serpent fall. ]

Name’s Tezcatlipoca. Tloque nahuaque. [ The Nahuatl is spoken with a sense of power that’s subtle, but still raw, even though there’s no one that would understand it. Still, it conveys the idea well enough—this is no minor god of that pantheon. ] If you know me, great, and if you don’t, well. Met your god Set one of the times I was stoppin’ by, and our whole deal is similar enough. I am conflict, so in the spirit of fairness, I’ve thrown my lot in with Zenith. Can’t have two gods that oversee war and conflict on the same side, yeah?

[ There’s humor in his tone that makes it seem like it’s a joke, but… No. It’s not. That’s a pretty significant part of his rationale for picking Zenith. Thanks Set!/Don’t worry about. ]

Anyways. All that formal shit aside, easy one to follow it all up. Ain’t often that I got a human body to enjoy getting fucked up. So, if you’ve got a preference for weed, hit me up. Workin’ on somethin’ artisanal there, but I wanna know the poisons of preference for the locals. Let me know what you get fucked up on, and I might even make it worth your while.

[ …So. You know. That’s one way to introduce yourself. ]

Comments

[dreamflowers]

[In fairness, it's tricky to gauge each individual's stage of technological advancements. Surprisingly, Springstar didn't take too much getting used to after Jade had spent several months getting used to the sprawling, bustling streets of Ark. Things are marginally more advanced here, but not by too much.]

Huh. I'd appreciate that. I might see about getting myself a pipe here either way, but it can't hurt to know that there are other methods.

[She arches a brow at the cigarette.]

D'you use firetwigs to light these things, or something else you also consider "more convenient"?

[Fire magic would be the most convenient option for her... if Jade were willing. She's a skilled Elementalist with her magic, but conjuring flames from her fingers just didn't agree with her.]

[fursuit]

Ha, firetwigs! I know what you mean, but that’s a cute name for ‘em.

[ Or, like. He assumes that means matches, anyways. He digs further into his pocket he’d fished the cigarettes out of to produce the lighter, which is a Kenos-brand zippo, more or less. He flips and flicks it open with a little flourish to produce the flame. ]

I prefer lighters. They’re flashy. [ And modern, which is really what he prefers. But with another flip, he closes it. ] But, yeah, you’ll find firetwigs. They call ‘em matches here.

[ He nods to the cigarettes. Since he already has the lighter out, well. ]

You wanna try one? Those are pretty cheap, so I won’t be offended if you don’t like it.

[dreamflowers]

["Cute" isn't exactly the word Jade expected to hear, but... they're pretty much matches, so yeah. It seems like they have something of an understanding.

[When he pulls out the lighter, she blinks. And then again when it presents a tiny flame. It's not enough to trigger any visceral reactions she has towards fire (if it were that bad, she would barely be able to function in life), but it instead elicits some intrigue.]

That's... interesting.

[How do they work? With some kinda oil? She must investigate further after this.

[For now, she looks down at the cigarette she's holding, before glancing back down at him.]

If you wouldn't mind... I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't curious. And I'm no stranger to tobacco.

[So it's hardly "babby's first smoke". But still, she pops the cigarette in her mouth, and makes a small gesture towards his zippo to see whether he lights it for her or hands it over. Either way is good.]

[fursuit]

[ Tezcatlipoca does hesitate for half a second, since even if it’s as simple as lighting someone else’s cigarette, he balks a bit as a god at serving anyone else… But, luckily, he’s a bit more in touch with people than that. And has a love for modern things. So, with a shrug, he flips it back open and lights it up so that he can light the cigarette. He’ll even pause their walking for a moment so it’s a little easier. ]

Sure. Assume it’s grown somewhere in Alenroux, but couldn’t tell you for sure. Just appreciate it either way, personally.

[ And once it’s lit, he’ll pocket the lighter again, since there’s no reason to keep it out. ]

Ain’t bad, either way. I’d call it solidly middle of the road stuff.

[dreamflowers]

[It had conveniently fled her mind that Tezcatlipoca had mentioned gods in his earlier speech, so it didn't occur to her that her gesture might be considered an affront. Doesn't help that he seems rather laid back for a god, so she doesn't even have to try not to think about it.

[Despite not knowing where Alenroux is, she takes in the comment with a hum, pausing to light the cigarette like she's done so a hundred times. It's an odd taste, but not an unpleasant one.]

Hm.

[She doesn't even cough when the smoke fills her mouth.]

Most of the time I couldn't really afford anything higher than the middle, so the quality's not too bad for somebody like me. At least it's not fog sponge -- that shit will stick to your throat.

[fursuit]

[ Someone else that had it rough, then. Tezcatlipoca nods, and though he doesn’t quite feel sympathy (a hard upbringing is something he’ll never understand personally), he understands it. He feels more attachment to those kinds of people, after all. They’re the ones that struggle through life, and he’s practically their patron deity. He doesn’t let any of those thoughts slip through, though, save for that little inkling of warm understanding. ]

Ha, nowadays, things you smoke are pretty smooth. Time gets funky for me, so I’ll just make it simple and say a long time ago, but shit back then was way worse.

[ Limited options, mostly. He really didn’t partake so much back in the height of times when he was more likely to walk the Earth. ]

Just watch out if you ever go down to Kowloon. There’s stuff down there that’s definitely not made for— [ He starts, but catches himself with a shrug ] Well, was gonna say humans, but you might not be? So I’ll just split the difference and say “people that look way different from you and me”.

[dreamflowers]

[The lack of acknowledgment is actually a sort of solace, even if Jade doesn't express it. She's not about to glamorize her lifestyle or spin lies to make others feel comfortable, but she also isn't about to make this some pity party, either.

[His warning also does not go unappreciated, even if Jade simply acknowledges it with a quiet laugh, smoke billowing from her lips.]

Well, you're half right.

[She pulls back some of the strands of black hair on the side of her head to reveal the pretty large, very pointed ears, adorned with ebony piercings, before letting it slip over like a thick blanket framing her face.]

Human enough, at least. But I've traversed Ark's Undercity for some time to know how to survive in unsavory subterranean places, and I always had a knack for making myself... unseen. [Which is quite the feat, given her size.] Thanks for the warning, though.

[fursuit]

[ Tezcatlipoca looks with interest as she reveals the ear, even making a little ah noise to go with it. ]

Yeah, still gettin’ used to updating my turns of phrase. World I’m from—

[ He pauses, then laughs as he realizes no, that’s not even true, technically. The world he’d just come from had more than humans. Hell, humans didn’t even exist. But he waves it off. ]

Well, world I’m originally from, pretty much only humans, at least in the most recent society. Definitely the dominant species, anyways. Anyone else is pretty much just a human with a few lil’ tweaks.

[ They’re definitely not as distinct and different as, say, Deinos. But rather than get into all of that, since explaining his knowledge of the worlds gets complicated fast, he returns to the much simpler topic of delightfully unsavory places. ]

Anyways, yeah, doesn’t matter what you are, those kinda places will chew you up and spit you out. It’s why I like ‘em. Way more my style.

[dreamflowers]

[Jade listens between drags, still trying to decide whether she actually likes this "cigarette" thing or not. Maybe she would have at one point, but all it does is make her wish for her pipe again.

[At least it gives her fingers a nice, tingly feeling.]

Humans are pretty dominant on Vyn these days, too. Aeterna like my mother have a... peculiar history there.

[With Jade only being half of both and receiving none of the benefits from either growing up, and all of the conflicting texts, she's reluctant to go too deep into it.

[As she sighs, smoke billows from her mouth.]

Honestly... me, too. But I never fit in with those fancy pants, or even among the bourgeois rabble. No matter where I went, people saw me as beneath them.

[Ironic, considering her height.]