insubordination: ( hughes ) (090.)
ᴛʜᴇ ꜰʟᴀᴍᴇ ᴀʟᴄʜᴇᴍɪsᴛ. ([personal profile] insubordination) wrote in [community profile] acatalepsy_rpg2019-04-06 06:23 pm

ᴏᴏ3 ( ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ) | ʙᴏʏ, ɪɴᴛᴇʀʀᴜᴘᴛᴇᴅ.

[ roy is seated in a secluded area of the temple that many may recognize as maes and barabas’ office. he has a notebook in front of him that a great deal of stuff seems to be written in, but roy himself doesn’t have a pen in hand. those paying careful attention may recognize that the writing in the notebook is, indeed, roy’s handwriting, but it’s certainly not legible.

anyway. roy looks a bit tired, but in relatively good spirits, despite what he suffered on the horologium. he’s been relatively quiet, since coming back to the temple -- focused on recovering, catching up with his closer circle of friends and family, and preparing himself for what he had to do next, which is, incidentally, address the circle.

And so, roy clears his throat. ]




We have a handful of new arrivals . . . welcome to the Circle. To those who don’t know me, my name is Brigadier General Roy Mustang. Roy is sufficient.

[ some people like using the titles, and some people don’t. It doesn’t really make a difference to him -- but that being said, roy certainly does speak in an authoritative tone, for as tired as he looks. some things don’t change. ]

I wanted to bring your attention to what we’ve experienced as a group in the past. A world jump is likely coming soon, and the more prepared we are, the higher likelihood we have to avoid another Akvos, or another version of the Horologium. To that extent --

[There’s not really a noise to announce Maes’s arrival. Just one minute there is empty space behind Roy and the next it’s being occupied by a man in glasses.]

Roy! There you are, I --

[He notices that Roy is speaking to the watch or The Circle and leans in over his friend’s shoulder. Personal space and Maes apparently aren’t acquainted, at least where Roy is concerned.]

Oh, hey, you’re talking to everyone else. Perfect. Let me borrow this for a second.

[Maes plucks up the watch. Roy is no longer visible, but you can definitely hear a “hey, give me that!” protest from the side. ]

Hi everyone. Technically I’m a Brigadier General, but feel free to just refer to me as Maes Hughes. I’m sure Roy already started in on the welcoming address, but I have some important information too -- concerning everyone really. I managed to get some details out of Astoria about our next world. After the past few times, well, one of the biggest issues we’ve had is not knowing a lot about where we’re going and how to prepare. Now I know there are mixed feelings about her, but the last time I asked her for information about a world it did prove to be accurate...so I think we can at least trust this much.

[As he speaks on trusting Astoria, he does glance in the direction Roy was. It’s pretty clear Maes has his own skepticism about the woman that has grown substantially from his months of being here. Now isn’t the time to dwell on that though. He clears his throat.]]

I didn’t get a name, but she called it a city, with taverns and everything. It’s populated by various types of people...different species and magic will be present. It sounded like we’d be going to a place with a lot of avenues to pursue. Astoria seems to want us to help the people there...though she couldn’t really give me specifics as to how. It sounds like it won’t be just fighting though, not this time.

[Maes pauses. Is he done? He knows that wasn’t very helpful and, especially for the new folks, it might not mean a lot. He looks like he’s about to give the watch back to Roy, but quickly pulls it back. Oh, right, the other things.]

If that doesn’t mean much to you, don’t worry. This room that Roy and I are in happens to be a library of sorts that Barb and I have been working on to keep all of the information from different people and worlds. We made it with the idea that those of you who are new might want to come read up on previous places. We’d appreciate any information you may have to add in the future.

All that I ask if that you please don’t touch the picture I’ve pinned to the wall of my precious daughter Elysia!


[The picture in question seems to magically appear in Maes’s hand, though it’s hard to tell if that was slight of hand or his teleporting again. The picture shows a girl, no older than three with twin pigtails sticking on top of her head. She sits proudly on a small tricycle, beaming at the camera. His voice changes from serious to a more gushing tone. Has he...has he forgotten the point of this?]

I know she’s just too cute~ But you’re free to look all you want I know she cheers ---

All right, enough, give me that --

[ and the watch is soon wrested out of maes’ hands, to show a very exasperated roy, frustrated (but clearly not enough to be actually upset, given he allowed maes to prattle on for that long). ]

The point of this is to offer ourselves as resources to the newer members, and to continue supporting one another to the best of our ability. Sharing with one another puts us on an even-playing field, and I intend to continue asking that of you, regardless of what happens on other worlds. Many of us have survived good worlds, and bad. Successes, and failures. This is our opportunity to attempt to plan for what comes next, because we likely have little time before our next jump.

[ and, after roy says that, he turns to maes, exasperated: ]

Do you always need to be the center of attention, or do you have an actual medical condition that forces you to --

[ and then the feed ends. ]

(OOC: If you are interested in looking at what we have in the office and want to read or, even better, contribute. Check it out here! Also, feel free to threadjack in this post! )
starseedling: (will scream ‘dog’ when there’s a dog)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-04-07 08:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[There's plenty of info here, but one part of it sticks out way more than the rest.]

You mean it blew up?!

[He doesn't really get how crop problems and poor diplomacy lead to immediate destruction.]
starseedling: (but our maid said there's ghosts)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-04-07 08:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Well... Back home I'm a member of the Crystal Gems. We're kind of like alien super heroes that protect the Earth! Normally I have a bunch of different powers, but I guess I don't anymore while I'm here...

But I know how to fight and I also have some experience with interplanetary diplomacy.
usedforcepalm: (listening)

[Video]

[personal profile] usedforcepalm 2019-04-07 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[A girl who looks no more than ten or eleven years old replies, looking curious.

Seeing that one of the two men is a doting father is somewhat reassuring for Hanabi. If nothing else, it means he's probably patient with children.
]

It's very nice of you help everyone out like this, sirs. Um...what's the difference between a General and a Brigadier General, though?
dadandgone: (Now You've Gone Too Far)

[ voice ]

[personal profile] dadandgone 2019-04-07 10:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Honestly? She's was pretty straight forward in responding to all of my questions. There wasn't one that she dodged or paid more attention to.

[He did note that she didn't touch on the comment he'd made about recovering from being murdered, but that wasn't really relevant to the conversation. Besides, technically that hadn't been a question so much as an accusation that she wasn't giving them the proper avenues to recover from Horologium.]

I will say she seemed a little tired after giving me the information. Like investigating the world further might have been exhausting for her just like when we push our own powers to the limit.
dadandgone: (Default)

[video]

[personal profile] dadandgone 2019-04-07 10:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[He hesitates. This is Yang's sister, so he can't be sure if Yang has spoken up about it, but she may have heard about what happened on the Horologium already. He'll test the waters.]

We'll do our best. I can't say that nothing bad will happen. But if we have each other's backs then getting through it is a great deal easier.
dadandgone: (Giggle)

Video

[personal profile] dadandgone 2019-04-07 10:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Probably not. I prefer to keep a few on me and then a few are in my room. Although if you want to see more I'd be more than happy to show them off as well sometime!
dadandgone: (I Don't Get It)

[personal profile] dadandgone 2019-04-07 10:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[Did it blow up? That part was kind of a blur. As he mentioned, he's REALLY not sure how things got so out of control during Akvos when it was supposed to just be about uniting two factions.]

That's...probably a pretty close approximation, yes.

[Perhaps this needs a little more clarification.]

There was this rip in reality...a Void that appeared when the King forced his way out of their magical prison. From what I've pieced together I believe that rip got bigger as we were trying to fix other problems and eventually it just kind of...tore everything apart.

[It doesn't really do it justice at all, but frankly Maes was doing his best to survive at the time and only tried to comprehend what had happened after.]
shootstyles: (oh my teary eyed surprise)

[personal profile] shootstyles 2019-04-07 10:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay.

Thank you.

[Except as much as he's trying to keep it together, his shoulders are shaking and snot is dripping from his nose. He sniffs loudly and hiccups. He wishes he could talk. But the idea of telling any body about what he feels, about confronting what happened is so much. Not when he feels so alone.

All Might would probably be disappointed.]


I'll do my best.
clickclickbloom: (Then a tragedy with no big reveal)

[video]

[personal profile] clickclickbloom 2019-04-07 11:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ruby doesn't have all the details, but she knows Yang is shaken up about something. They are due for a TALK at some point. About what's happened here and what Yang doesn't seem to know about what's happened at home.

Aside from getting settled this message has been the biggest update she has had.]


That's all of any of us can do, so that's all I would ask of you.

The other Brigadier General guy mentioned Akvos and Horologium. What happened in those places?
shootstyles: (lil bit suspicious)

[personal profile] shootstyles 2019-04-08 12:17 am (UTC)(link)
She should just tell us. It doesn't make any sense for her to hide things from us.

[He huffs, almost growls. He's not one to get frustrated or angry but he feels... set up for failure. And he doesn't like how that feels.

Then he softens when Hughes mentions his daughter. It's... heartwarming to know how much he cares for her.]


It's nice to have pictures. I... I wish I had pictures of my mom. And my friends.

dadandgone: (Blue Man)

[video]

[personal profile] dadandgone 2019-04-08 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
[He's put the pictures aside by this point. It's time to get to more serious matters after all. He'd just told Ruby they were sharing information. He tries to stay matter of fact, but the Horologium is still a pretty fresh loss, even if they technically succeeded in their objective.]

Horologium was the place we just returned from, shortly before you all arrived in fact. The Horologium was a ship that sent out an emergency distress call and Astoria sent us to check it out. The investigation turned sour pretty quickly and

[it's here that he hesitates. Still, if she's Yang's sister and hanging around this post she's bound to hear it elsewhere.]

there was a monster on board, a creature. It confronted those of us who went deeper into the ship and it hurt a lot of people. Some...well until a few days ago we were counting our dead. Astoria

[He stops, shaking his head]...or someone else was able to restore them to life. It's why the mood around here has been a little darker than the festival would have you think.

[Maes sighs, suddenly tired. He hadn't even gotten into Akvos yet, but this conversation was already pretty heavy.]

Akvos was the mission prior to that. We didn't lose any Circle members on that one, but it was still a pretty bad mission given we lost the people of Akvos' home. Maybe that wasn't our fault entirely, but it certainly feels that way looking back on it.
dadandgone: (Well Now)

[personal profile] dadandgone 2019-04-08 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
I agree. It would make a lot more sense, given the objective she's given us.

[Still, for some reason he can't help but feel a little sorry for her. He knows Roy's feelings, but talking with her in person is different. It's harder to stay angry.

I could be giving her too much credit, but after the whole eye-glowing thing she looked pretty tired. It could be she needs to use her powers in order to look more deeply into a world...beyond just the cursory connection. Maybe there are limits to what she can do after all.

[She can't be all powerful, there have been too many gaps in what she has done to help them.]

I understand. It helps...but it's really not the same. It's hard being away from people you care about. Who knows. Maybe someone has an ability that can generate images for your or something.
clickclickbloom: (Can we follow through?)

[video]

[personal profile] clickclickbloom 2019-04-08 01:49 am (UTC)(link)
[She notices the shift in his tone. She isn't exactly surprised by it though, she knew from her first encounter with Yang that something was off. Now she knew it wasn't just the odd time difference in this place.

She keeps quiet during his description of the events. She's able to put two and two together as he goes on.

A monster. Yang. Counting their dead.

Her head droops and her shoulders sag.

It was like her mom all over again.

It takes her a moment to let all this set in and then she finally speaks up.]


You've all been through a lot here, huh?

You, Yang and... The other general.

[There's no anger in her voice. A hint of hurt. A bit of sadness. Maybe just a little lost.]
dadandgone: (My Philosophy)

[video]

[personal profile] dadandgone 2019-04-08 02:00 am (UTC)(link)
[On the one hand, he hates being the one to tell her. He's not a fan of making people sad. It's one of the many reasons he doesn't talk about his own issues very often. However, he's also not going to lie. Ruby wanted the story and he wasn't going to beat around it or try to hide it from her.

She said she wanted to help and wanted to know what happened. Well, this was what had happened.
]

Yes. Some more than others, but no one left the Horologium unscathed.

[Dead, physical injuries, and more importantly psychological ones. They were going to be recovering from that last bit long after they were all physically healed. Maes knew that much.]

We're all supporting each other though...that's helped I think or at least it's going to help as we move forward.

[He offers a smile, it's small but warm and reassuring.]

Don't worry about the other general. I've looked out for Roy before and he has more than just my eyes on him. Just like I'm sure you're going to look out for Yang and do what you can for her.
starseedling: (please stop)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-04-08 02:04 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, that's upsetting. Steven had been hoping that having a team out there would mean that they were avoiding shockingly sudden deaths of planets. His worry shows on his face.]

But... how were you supposed to stop something like that?

[He doesn't think anybody's powers involved repairing the spacetime continuum.]

Are some of them just... doomed?
clickclickbloom: (And the lesson isn't new)

[video]

[personal profile] clickclickbloom 2019-04-08 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
[There's a small nod at that.]

You're right. I'll do everything I can for her.

[She returns that smile of his with one of her own. She feels her own resolve start to burn again. This place had felt more like a vacation for the last couple days, now she knew that wasn't exactly the case.]

Not just for her though. I'll do whatever I can for anyone here. You've all been doing your best here and I'll do the same.

[There's a brief pause as she takes a moment to think things over.]

Can you do your weird pop into existence thing to show up where I am?

[She kind of waves her arm around to give him a better look of her room. It's got two beds. It looks like she's moved in with her sister but there's no sign of her at the moment]
dadandgone: (My Philosophy)

[personal profile] dadandgone 2019-04-08 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
I don't know.

[He imagines they could have sent fewer people through the Rift. It was unstable and Astoria had warned those who went through it. However, would that have changed things or was opening the Rift in the first place the problem? Or did it go beyond that.]

It's really beyond me Steven, sorry. Maybe Roy could give you a better answer, but I think a lot of us aren't quite sure what we could have done differently on Akvos. I don't think any of the worlds are 100% doomed, no. I think they all have a chance. It's just...some are going to be more difficult, have more challenges and situations, than we might be prepared for.

It's unwise to give up before we even start.
dadandgone: (Duty Calls)

[video]--->[action]

[personal profile] dadandgone 2019-04-08 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
[That's better. He'd rather see her smile. Maes knows she's a nice girl, probably pretty strong too if she makes a habit of throwing herself into battle like her sister.]

I'm pretty sure that's all we can ask of you.

[He blinks at the request.]

What? Teleport to you? Sure, I should be able to, give me a second.

[It doesn't just have to be the location. If he thinks about a person usually he can send himself to them instead of worrying about knowing where they are. It's come in handy a few times now. He's not entirely sure why Ruby is making that request, but he figures there's no harm in it. He forgets to turn his watch off though so there's this moment of him just sitting there with his eyes closed as he concentrates and then the screen goes blank.

And in that next moment he's standing a few steps behind and to the left of Ruby, nearer one of the beds. He belatedly turns off the camera and holds up a hand in greeting.
]

You called?
starseedling: (i want to be a nice person)

[personal profile] starseedling 2019-04-08 02:42 am (UTC)(link)
[He has to remind himself that the alternative is just doing nothing, and allowing these events to happen without even trying. Surely trying and failing is better than doing nothing at all.

Then something occurs to him.]


Wait... you said some of the merpeople are living in this lake now?

[He face falls.]

...They must be really hurting right now.
clickclickbloom: (When all hope is gone)

[action]

[personal profile] clickclickbloom 2019-04-08 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
[She watches the camera with interest until the screen goes blank. Then all of a sudden she hears his voice from behind her, there's a yelp and a jump because gosh there is actually no way to be prepared for that.

Once she manages to catch her breath she'll turn around to face him.]


Yes, jeez! That is cool but so weird at the same time.

[Then she's going to close the distance between the two of them wrap her around Maes' waist, pulling him in for a tight hug.]

I just want to say thanks for looking after my sister until I got here. And for being honest about what's going on here.
traumaplate: (Default)

[personal profile] traumaplate 2019-04-08 09:56 am (UTC)(link)
[Klan listens to that with a somewhat grim look - the Horologium sounds a bit too familiar considering some of the incidents on the Frontier with the Vajra, though this sounds like it was just a single opponent rather than the flock that those insectoid aliens always took form in.]

If you killed it in the end and everyone who died came back, I'd call that a success too. Honestly, I'd take the dead actually coming back as an added bonus. Akvos, though...was there any warning that would happen? Did the witch even say it was a risk?

[It sounds like Astoria might be a bit cagey, which isn't really something Klan appreciates in her informants.]

I'll make my way around there later, but I'd prefer to hear a bit from someone directly before I plumb the archives. A world ending because not enough was done isn't something I want to overlook.
moneytwin: Art by <user name="thebutt">; commisioned by me, do not take! (Hmm?)

[ voice ]

[personal profile] moneytwin 2019-04-08 01:24 pm (UTC)(link)
I suppose that something. [there's a soft sigh] In the least, she's not actively lying to us.

Hmm, that isn't that surprising. All power has a cost, and given she resurrected so many people on our return, I'm shocked she's recovered as quickly as she has. [not a full deity, maybe, but certainly Up There in power] I've seen that kind of scrying magic in action before, it can require a high cost for limited gain. Assuming the spell works at all.

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