Prepare for the #LodanRespawn2024 Existing characters may choose to be displace from/have memories of different timelines, thereby allowing returning members the option to retcon their whole character. These changes are the result of the "Unnatural Fog" plot device that is running between now and the Respawn. The plot is simple: no matter where your character is, that place is shrouded in a thick fog that suspends time, but not thoughts or memories, so even if they're repeating the same day over and over again, they continue to remember, so each time feels like a new day. For those retconning OCs; this is where new versions of themselves have the opportunity to replace the old versions. Official lore and tree updates will be announced asap
"...You can stay if you want..." Amon replied, his puppy-dog eyes just asking for a cuddle buddy.
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Jul 19, 2016 21:16:16 GMT
At first, Edelweiss didn't know how to react to it. She was already (and he could clearly see it before) pretty emotionally strained by everthing going on then, a thin coat of numbness spread over as if her mind was protecting itself while still processing everything. And Amon had lied to her. His explanation on why he didn't tell he was alive beforehand was that he'd been so afraid he couldn't get out, but then when asked if he was alright (such a misworded, obvious question asked by reflex, as the answer should be obvious), he had no qualms stating that, yes, he was fine. A contradiction in itself. It wasn't a matter of whether he lied or not at this point, but of which is the lie: Did he simply not have an excuse at all, or there is something wrong he'd rather keep from her still even though she passed the past 3 months worried sick about him?
Six people died in that place. Three of them by her hands, three by his - and if those didn't die then the two of them would have (or worse). The fact he could even make such an innocent puppy eyed face barely an hour after he was laughing like a maniac crushing people on a giant robot was outright unsettling instead of cute, and she could only hope she didn't look as hurt by it as she felt. That said, he seemed intent on acting like the past 3 months, and even the couple passed hours, didn't happen. If she could match it she would, but they did happen and took a heavy toll on her. When she got upset in front of him he was pretty quick to apologize, but pretending nothing happened completely disregarded what she went through while he was away. Did he not care as long as it happens out of sight? He promised to make it up to her, but how? With how he was acting now, it didn't even look like he considered it important. She could trust that he wouldn't go around spreading her secrets, but how could she trust that she wouldn't close her eyes, fall asleep, and wake up to find him gone in the morning?
"You make it sound so simple.... I do envy you a bit for it." No matter whether she stays or not, she's not going to get any sleep that night even if she wanted to. Her throat felt dry despite the water cup. "How do you even look alright after that whole mess?"
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
"...So she's still upset..." Amon thought. "...Well...of course she's upset; you abandoned her for 3 months..."
With a sigh, he flopped down on the bed. "...I dunno..." he replied, absently rubbing at the plated under his left eye. "...I guess...growing up close to the hovel, it actually wasn't all that difficult to find someone getting stabbed or killed on a daily basis; you just had to look in the right areas. That, along with what happened with my biological father, I guess I just got used to the concept of 'kill or be killed,' at least in terms of self-defense. Which may be why I actually haven't killed that bastard yet: he hasn't given me a reason to. The first assassin, however, gave me a reason: if I didn't kill him, he would've kill me."
"It felt like when my biological father attacked me...and as I said before, I spent the last three months reliving a similar fear that I had back then, coupled with the fear that they might seek out anyone I tried to contact. However...that fear was mixed in with something that I would call a madness: a joy of creation, an obsession to perfect and implement my plans, and a desire to prevent the same thing from happening again. The first kill...I didn't feel much...only slight relief at the incident being over and that I was alive, mixed in with the paranoia of it not being completely over. The kills here though..." Amon paused, reflecting back. "...I would be lying if I said I didn't feel anything. More than anything else, it was the joy of being in control, and that if someone were to attack me again in a similar fashion, I could fight back with little to no effort. Regardless, they don't feel like weights on my conscious. At this point, if it came down to it, I could kill in self-defense, but only if my life or the lives of those I care for are on the line."
"...I could just be rambling at this point..." he sighed. "Point is, during these past three months, I was not what most people would consider 'okay.' With this, there is some feeling of a conclusion, and with you being here, I feel a lot better," he continued, looking at her.
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Aug 8, 2016 7:17:56 GMT
That rambling was probably the sanest thing she heard from him since she first entered that warehouse, and she could feel her expression softening and shoulders sagging in a large mix of relief and hope, though still inlaid caution. "It's alright to ramble." Nothing wrong with that. It was a nice way to demonstrate comfort in someone's presence, when they didn't feel like filtering or shielding their words. Which was something she was hating about herself right then. Why was it being so hard to lower her guard around him? It didn't used to be like that. Three months ago she'd have known what to say to him without feeling like there was a knot in her throat. Just his very existence and presence there would have put her at ease and made her feel like things would be alright, and there was no need for walls or shields, or fear, or shame. Even if there was something that brought her tears, rather than trying to hold them back she'd just have openly cried and bawled in his arms until she felt better. She'd give him everything of worthy she had, her body, her heart, her faith – and she in fact did, before. Now? She knew he would keep her secrets safe, but wasn't so sure he'd keep her heart safe anymore. Could she trust him with it again? Who was the Amon she was looking at now?
He looked the same, sweet and thoughtful and a little bit overzealous, albeit with a second eye and different haircut. But he didn't look that way just a couple minutes ago – instead he was a maniacal laughter through a speaker in a giant murder machine. He had looked like the type of person who could become her target. And, and when she pointed out that he was sounding like a madman, he had said there were bigger priorities. That frightened her so much, much more than anything Sveden or their advanced tech could do. She didn't want to have to hurt him, even as a hypothesis. She'd rather have been dead instead.
"Back when you first disappeared, I was---" She started saying, but a sharp pang of pain made her stop herself. Not the physical type, just that mix of mental and emotional distress still there – the kind she knew was solely in her head. What was the point? What worth was in her whining again? What did she even want to hear from him? He had already apologised at least 4 times – every time she seemed on the verge of tears or even just upset. It gave her a feeling maybe he couldn't imagine the amount of actual soul-crushing tears and grief shed in his absence, or maybe it just didn't matter as long as he couldn't see it in person. Out of sight, out of mind. Either way keeping turning her woes into his wouldn't bring any good. To anyone. And speaking further on that wouldn't change the past either; at most, it'd start sounding like an annoying broken record. "Nevermind. It doesn't matter anymore."
She sighed. "Look, I'm still upset and disappointed, probably will be for a while, but that's not something I want to be. And I'm not angry." Just, again, upset and disappointed. At him and herself and everything in life at that point. "So you don’t have to apologise again. Just... I need some moments to let all of this sink and settle." Words held a lot of power, but actions spoke a lot louder. He had already offered her all the spoken apologies and assurance words she could demand of him. Now it was up to her to see whether his actions could back that up from now on.
"And I never got to give you your birthday gift. It's true I can't watch or protect you 24/7, but it might at least help with the fear part... if you still want to see it."
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Wow...this really hurt her...on one hand, it was nice to know that he meant that much to her...
...on the other, it meant that death would've been more merciful than what he did to her...
With a sigh, Amon sat back up. "...I-" he stopped, catching himself from making yet another apology. "...Take as much time as you need..."
He was at a loss for words...to be cared about so much by someone in this way. Being alone for so long, it was so drastically different. And there he was, hurting the love of his life, and he was at a loss for words... "You better not break her heart..."
He had initially thought it would lead to his death, in one sense or another...and yet, again, death would've been more merciful.
Well...there were only two, actually three ways in his case, to get over that feeling.
"You're already helping," Amon replied with a sad smile. "And yeah, I'd love to see it..."
Might as well try the third option...
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Aug 9, 2016 7:33:22 GMT
At the afirmative response, Edelweiss took a couple seconds to harness energy again and open another of those magic portals - a smaller one than what she used for corpse storage, and smaller than the one where she'd kept the bullets from before as well. Everything this one cointained was a small cluster of books that should be kept out of sight, held tight within the space available.
She pulled a single volume out, thick and of reddish leather cover - the handwritten type instead of mass pressed. The title was repeated on the frontpage: Aura Log - A Guide on Andersweltler Magic and the following pages formed a detailed compilation of notes, graphics and research on anders, their magic, its basic properties and relation/effects towards technology, with plenty of illustrated examples throughout the chapters. Out of the 3 copies that existed of that book, the first was hers and the third was in possession of MI. That remaining second one should have been his for a long time by now.
"I've been making notes for this it's been a long time, but actually got the idea of making it into a present back when we talked of Skye's rescue's results and the topic of tech resistant to magic came up. Though I had thought it'd be more useful for the extra testing records of spells on tech rather than... well." Rather than the medical records, she completed in her mind, but figured it'd already be obvious without speaking as she held the book to him open on the chapter explaining Health V's particularities and applications. It was a nice introduction for breaking down the old paradigm that death is an irreversible process... Although it still had a very narrow timeframe for healing before it truly became impossible to 'fix'.
"...Man, that is convenient..." Amon said as he observed Edel opening the pocket dimension.
When she handed him the both however, he was at a lost for words, though in a good way this time. As he accepted the gift, the only thing he could do was stare in awe, carefully pouring over the wealth of information in front of him. It wasn't until he flipped to the chapter directly dealing with the magic auras did he realize the scope of what he was holding.
"...Yeah..." he finally replied, a little teary-eyed. "...This definitely would've been helpful when I was working with the magic-resist metals...but still...this may be the closest I'll ever get to actually learning magic...thank you..." he said, bringing Edel into a one-handed hug and kissing her on the forehead.
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Aug 15, 2016 7:59:19 GMT
"Unfortunately it's bound to a time and casts limit. But yes, it is." She responded with a little amused half-smile at his comment that her magic portals were 'convenient'. That was indeed the best word she could have thought to describe those, no worth in denying that.
"Glad to see you liked it so much." And, despite the state of distress she still currently felt, the redhead couldn't help but think it was rather cute how he was acting with the book. Suddenly looking like any exhaustion had suddenly disappeared (or at least became very easy to ignore) and browsing the pages and chapters back and forth, and then the sudden hug while still holding the book and looking at it; only downside was just it took a moment for her to notice that teary-eyed face with how his hair bangs were partially hiding his expression from view. A shame, really. But that would be something she'd just have to grow accustomed to, at least in the moments where she can't be randomly holding his hair away from his face like if her hand is an odd hair acessory... like now. Again. "I just wonder if Stephen will be happy he now has company in the heterochromia corner."
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Amon couldn't help but make an amused expression at the fact that Edel kept moving aside his bangs, only to make a blank expression at that last comment.
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Aug 16, 2016 5:12:41 GMT
"Both his eyes are perfectly healthy. Just one is golden - a cat eye, actually." She shrugged. "He hides it for the same reason Winged Anders hide their wings." A shame, really.
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Aug 16, 2016 5:44:48 GMT
"...Yeeeesssss....?" She drew the word out a bit longer and patted Amon's cheek a couple times in case his slow processing in due to being half-asleep.
"What's the surprise in that?" There were halfbreeds everywhere in Lodan, and even not counting that, Stephen was more of a cat than cats are. Edelweiss pondered if she should mention the time the eyepatched noble had climbed a clocktower and turned unable to get down, or that one other time he stuck his head into her old house's cat door. Stephen was like the personification of a grumpy cat in human shape. Him being part Feline was merely a fitting detail.
"...Well...it just never really dawned onto me I guess..." Amon replied, giving Edel a bemused look. It was a sort of odd, familiar feeling; just talking normally, as if it was all behind them. True, there was still damage control to be done, but at least a feeling of normalcy was there, despite the lingering sorrow in Edel's eyes.
With a sigh, he held her hand to his cheek, nuzzling it a little.
"...You sure you don't want to stay the night...?"
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Aug 16, 2016 6:17:11 GMT
"I can't. EIRAL has patrols scheduled to around 4am, and I might bump into them if take too long here. Even if I have a permit" Courtesy of Kalum (or Kalum's need to find some dirt about Alistair). "to walk around night hours for work reasons, it'd still be very annoying to bump into them and have to talk my way out of why I'm in the Merchants District at this hour. Besides..."
I don't think I could handle staying and risking getting comfortable just to wake up in the morning and find you gone again. No, she couldn't say that. She sighed. "You need sleep... and I'm keeping you awake."
"...That's not the real reason...is it..." Amon thought, looking into Edel's eyes. With a sigh, he stood up, offering his hand to help her up. "Well...can't seem to get your mind to change when its made up..." he said with a defeated smile.
"I'll walk you to the door."
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
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