kenoscomm | Communion

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Communion | OTA.

[Is it cold in here all of a sudden? No, that's just Jade's first attempt at opening a line of Communion to the people of Springstar. Instead, it ends up going out to whoever is willing to listen as she's still trying to get a handle on this method of communication.

[Her presence is like freezing saltwaters, with the scent of sea and earth.]

Blazes. It still blows my mind that you people use Psionics to talk to each other here.

[As someone who's pretty adept in Psionics herself, it should be normal, but not like this.]

Anyways, in light of the absolute shit timing of my arrival... I need an outlet. By now I think I've learned the streets of this city well enough to navigate my way around. Buuut I'm looking for some obscure, holes-in-the-wall kinda places or favorite establishments to get a drink at and relax.

Don't think I need to explain why.

Also any tips on how to procure a home would be nice. Think I'm starting to get on the nerves of some of the folks living in the barracks... thing.

[Hi Meridian. Sorry you're stuck with this natural disaster of a woman.]

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...I'm fortunate that my war apparently had the decency to end and not spill over into more bloody continuations. Or so it seemed before I ended up here. I'm sorry to hear of your own troubles...

[ Isn't that always the way? Some people end up with apparent bad luck. Although he supposed so many years of war is far more than simple bad luck. ]

Surely there must be a way to end all that, though.

Yeah, me neither.

[ He doesn't even have an excuse since he's been here almost four months. ]

I've heard that the Oracles have a will of their own, so it's not simply a matter of winning a prize. We have to curry their favour somehow, but no one knows exactly what criteria they're judging.

Don't let anybody fool you; everyone is just making it up as we go along.

[ Back home, that would set off every red flag. Technically, it sets them off here, too, but Ryouma doesn't have a choice but to hope Kenos really is different from his word. ]

And to answer your question: no, I don't have a crew, but yes, it's seafaring. It'd be too much ship for one human to handle, but I have my ways around that problem.

[Since she had learned to properly interpret her gifts, Kiritsubo is rarely wrong. She usually does assume correctly. But it's still nice to be right, she supposes.

And more importantly,]

Avidly.

[The mental impression of something like warm smoke blown playfully, fragrant with something mixed into the leaves.]

One of my many vices. Well, let us stick to three main vices, so as not to seem greedy.

Shall I introduce you to somewhere full of those who appreciate a nice pipe... ?

[Jade shrugs at his expressed sympathy, clearly more blasé about her troubles than she probably should be, given the subject matter.]

Eh. Over the years, I've gotten pretty convinced that conflict is just what people do. Even when things get rough and would be easier if all just came together, there's always some assholes who think they know better than everyone else.

[She rests her chin on the table, placing her chin in her palm.]

Even here, it didn't take very long at all for the fighting to break out. No matter who wins this, it'll only be a matter of time before someone finds something else to fight over. There's never an end to shit like that.

[An eternal Cycle, much like the one she has become very familiar with.]

Three whole vices? Aww, you spoil me!

[It's interesting, the senses she's gathering here. Jade makes a mental note of it, much like how she's noted all the others through this Communion. This one is oddly pleasant, alluring, like a glistening spider's web.

[But then she hears mention of a "nice pipe", and Jade perks up.]

Now you're speaking my language. [She laughs.] Springstar has some nice establishments, but I feel like I'm gonna have to traverse farther downward for anything stronger than tobacco. I mean, that's usually the way it goes, anyways.

That may be so. But I try to hope for a better future; a better way for all of us. There must be a place somewhere, a future where we don't have to worry about fighting and war...

[ Maybe it's foolish. But it's something he deeply believes in. ]

Only three, though~ Don't forget.

[It's said playfully. Maybe it doesn't mean anything at all!]

In that case, hmm... I tend to start in Highstorm and work my way down... But I do know a nice little hookah place to begin in, if you want it.

If you want to start hard though... ?

[Then speak up, or hold your peace ♡]

Uh-huh. I'll keep a tally so I don't go over my tab.

[Does that mean she will? Who knows. She's just matching tones here, because the prospect of an actual hookah place that isn't full of highwaymen eager to immediately kill her at the door is a pleasing one.]

I'm, uh, well... To be honest, I've been avoiding the heavy hitting stuff these days. But I'm hardly so straight-laced that I'm adverse to a nice buzz. Just don't wanna get fucked up.

[Because of reasons.]

That said, hookah sounds absolutely delightful.

Can't say I share that same sense of optimism. But that doesn't mean I think people shouldn't at least try.

[It's why, while she mostly agreed with Jespar's philosophies on the futility of altruism, she never tried to discourage Calia's beliefs that she can make the world better. Jade has just seen so much shit to hold much hope for a better future... but not so much so that she's resistant to the possibility of someone proving her wrong.

[In fact, she wants to be wrong. But hey, you can't get hurt if you keep your expectations low.

[Kinda.]

If none of us try, then obviously such a future will never come about. A self-fulfilling prophecy if there ever was one.

[ He laughs quietly as he settles into his seat. ]

And even if it's not, what harm is there in trying to make the world a better place?

Noted. Y'know, that's not particularly reassuring.

[Though it begs to question why wouldn't these Oracles have a will of their own? Jade figures she'll have to find out when she sees one.]

And these trials are supposed to... what? Help Zenith or Meridian? Somehow?

[You can only learn so much through just reading about past incidents.

[She isn't too surprised when he mentions not having a whole crew.] So what is it, then? Magic? Automaton helpers?

[It wouldn't be the first time she'd seen such things made possible.]

Oh, I know. It's never good when I get invited to this sort of ritual.

[ Because he's usually there to ruin it for being an existential threat. ]

The Oracles are supposedly the key to restoring our worlds or creating Zenith's new world. [ a beat. ] Incidentally, magical items that claim to grant impossible wishes also tend to be bad news where I come from, but it can't be helped.

[ He's being very flippant about it now, but this issue lies at the heart of all his uncertainties. Should he trust in his experience or just play the game laid out before him and hope for the best? Neither of these are comfortable options. ]

It's magic, technically. It helps that when I put my hands on the wheel, I know the best way to operate it solo. [ A perk of being a former Rider-class Servant. ] It's true that I was trained to operate this type of warship before, but this is different.

Vessels that big don't really do things instantaneously, and your course is plotted out ahead of time, so making adjustments on the fly is pretty easy for me. It probably couldn't hurt to have a few extra hands if there were trouble, but not much happens when Springstar's a big island within an island. It's quiet.

It's good when you want to escape the whole fate of the multiverse business for a while.

Really? Banning it seems rather harsh.

[Then again ... she mulls on it.]

I suppose what I read as a child is far more fantastical but if magic were quite powerful then I could see why it was banned.

The ban was not entirely without reason. Magic in my world is... volatile. Even something like healing can easily drive you mad, kill you, or worse if you're not careful. Plus, there's the whole "people fearing what they don't understand" factor in it all.

Of course, I was never afraid so much as wary of it at first. But I also wasn't born with magic, despite being half-Aeterna and my mother a decent Thaumaturgist.

[Still, between people's fear of magic and her mother's kind, Jade hated how much that fear kept them trapped on her father's farm.]

[A self-fulling prophecy. Jade is quite familiar with those. The track they were on in her world, following the steps of those in the past who failed to save their civilizations from being wiped out, seemed like they were headed for the same fate. But even her attempts to raise questions about it were easily brushed off.

[She studies Dimitri for a moment, her one good eye squinting.]

You fancy yourself an idealist, Mysir Blaiddyd?

[See? She can say it right.]

Well. I'm no token of good fortune, either.

[Being among the "Emissaries of the End" had a kind of existential threat vibe when Jade was told about the role she played in the end of her world, but does anyone ever listen to her when she tries to question it? Nooooo.

[A frown forms as she listens to him. That is... tragically familiar.]

"Everything has a price," as the saying goes. That shit is usually bad news where I'm from, too.

[Jade saw a lot of it during her search for the Black Stones. If these trials are anything like that...

[Well. She hopes they aren't.

[But magically driven ships! Much more interesting to think about. And less depressing. Less trauma. Yay.]

I see. [She pauses.] Y'know, I think I'd like to check that out sometime. Haven't been able to step foot on a ship in several moons, but... yeah. Would be nice to actually stay on the deck this time.

[And not get thrown overboard by the captain.]

An idealist?

[ He shrugs and starts to pour them both a cup of tea. ]

I suppose you might call it that. I simply believe in helping people. I have the power to do it - political in some cases and if not then I'm the strength of my own hands. Isn't it only natural to wish to help? To see suffering and try to alleviate it? Is that idealism?

[ now she’s just talking crazy, and tony recoils from the communion like she’s slapped his hand. ]

Magic again?! I thought you were using psionics!

[She arches a brow.]

Psionics is a form of magic. At least it is where I'm from.

[As he pours the tea, Jade leans back, staring at the steam rising from the hot drink.]

Y'know, things like this tea used to be a luxury I could rarely ever afford, as was having a roof over my head and a bed to sleep in. But it wasn't because I never tried to better my life, or because I didn't have any help. It was because that help wasn't enough to fix my situation. Because the world is sick, and it takes more than idealism and a bit of strength to salve a sick world.

[Such a philosophy would probably seem more befitting of someone from Zenith, of who Jade was very decidedly against. Her expression is neutral for a moment, void of the demeanor she had presented when she first knocked on the door.

[And then she smiles, taking the tea.]

But I won't pretend to have the answers. I don't think anyone does -- and those who think they do tend to act like tyrants.

[Ah, there it is. That's why she chose Meridian.]

[ Dimitri listens to that, his own expression a bit serious. He can't claim to have as hard of aofe, but... it still rings a little true to him. ]

It doe stake more. And I will never claim it's easy. That won't stop me from making my best attempt, though.

[ He lifts his cup to blow on the hot tea. ]

As for tyrants... I do not wish to have one nor do I wish to be one. Controlling the lives of people... I don't see the point in it.

[Kiritsubo played at fucked up quite a bit, because it was useful to. But as for the actual experience, well...]

Understandable enough~

Let us begin there, then. I shall collect you at the cornerstone from Springstar, hmm?

[Ah. People fearing what they couldn't understand. Alice's expression turns a little grim at that.]

It must have been a shock to gain magic then.

[Jade snorts.]

I mean... Literally. When I suddenly started shooting sparks from my fingers.

[A quiet laugh.]

But, to put it mildly... yeah. Especially since it was killing me. Had to go through a ritual to help contain it, though I still have the Fever to contend with if I don't wanna keel over without warning. Smoking helps reduce the symptoms, though I don't think the local stuff is as effective as where I'm from.

Sounds good.

[Jade has done enough exploring to know where the cornerstone is right off the top of her head, so she doesn't take long to get there. While she doesn't tend to wear anything fancy or flashy, she cautions with some more "discreet" attire this time so as not to stand out.

[...Though there is hardly anything discreet about a 6'9" woman waiting patiently at the cornerstone for some vices in a hookah den with a Zenite.

[Eh.]

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Communion | OTA.

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