acatalepsy_rpg | ( ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ) ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛɪᴅɪɴɢs

[ there is a sudden sparking that emits from your magical watches and a hologram appears, showing a petit woman with dark hair. her eyes seem to hold a certain amount of mischief and light, and when she speaks, you listen. it's something about her; you are captivated by her presence, and you can't help but give her your attention. ]

Hello, hello, hello~! ♥

[ it's a trill of a voice, light and airy. ]

I know you've all just arrived~♥ but I wanted to introduce myself! To those who haven't met me, my name is Astoria! I know many of you are likely unhappy with being found here, and I understand. But the need is urgent, and dire, and I am in desperate need of your help, as is the universe in which we reside. There is much darkness, in this universe . . . plenty of worlds on the brink of collapse, or at the precipice of something great. It is my job -- our job -- to help where needed. Like superheroes, but a little less flashy!

[ she pauses. ]

No offense to the superheroes. -- but anyway! I want to let you know were we're going to go first.

[ she takes in a D E E P breath!! ]

There is a city, by the name of El Minha. It's beautiful, an oasis in the desert. There are many shops and stalls and the entire city is bustling, but El Minha is facing a difficult path. Transitions of power are hard, you know? And they have a new King, who is . . . probably nice, but the people there are suffering. Crime is at an all-time high, and King Kathashun can only do so much . . . if he's doing anything at all.

[ she brushes a loose piece of hair behind her ear, and astoria smiles a little. it is obvious, by now, that she's definitely bubbly and full of spirit, but she is deadly serious about her mission. ]

I truly believe that we have the ability to help those who need it most, and those people are in desperate need. So we're going to go there, explore, and talk to them! And maybe, just maybe, we can affect some good in this world, and change the tide for the better for these poor people.

[ she pauses. ]

So that's where we're going first! But before that, I'm here to greet you, to support you, and welcome you to my beautiful Temple. Please, please, please make yourselves at home! I'll be here if you have any questions. ♥

[ astoria pauses before lifting up a single finger, as if she's forgotten something important. ]

Oh, and please let me know if you find anything interesting or important or otherwise peculiar in the Temple! The Forest of the Fey is a magical place, and I'm keeping a careful eye on all of you explorers to make sure you don't get too lost, but my dear friends within the forest may like playing with you all, so be respectful of the wildlife! It may fight back. ♥

[ is she serious? the world may never know. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ No matter how hard he tries to be cold, he couldn't hide some sort of empathy in his expression. He just had to have a big heart, and had to have known a "mage" himself, that he considers to be close with. It made it that much easier for him to understand, and to fill in any blanks he presumes.

But, Rean couldn't bite down the friendly bullet just yet. He saw the good points, if they were true. In fact, if it is, then he could very well be grateful for her actions. If this were to help everyone, or even someone, it would give him some sort of direction he needed. But, he wasn't going to relinquish fault from such an "abrasive" action.

...What if she needed them, though? That point was clear enough. If she's to be trusted in the slightest, then at the very least, he could see if it were a desperation call... ]

What does "your job" even mean, anyway? You said we're "fighting to save your world" and that we're all "warriors of the Light," but that could mean just about anything.

[ A beat. ]

Not to mention that you seem to have taken things from us as well... [ Just how she managed to take that from him was, frankly, quite scary. He puts his hand on his chest. ] Don't you realize how suspicious this all is?

[ there's a pause, at the question. ]

It's hard to explain, but we all have a job, in this universe. My job is to ensure that balance is maintained in the universe . . . and I can't do that. I'm trapped here, for whatever reason. That part isn't your concern, and I'm not asking for help on that front. But I do need help with trying to get done what needs to get done elsewhere.

[ there's a pause. ]

I'm a powerful mage -- a witch. Bringing you here takes a great amount of my power and energy, and some things just don't work in the Temple. It's a place of peace, so -- I don't really like weapons around here, because causing a bunch of strife here doesn't really help my mission. And human nature is human nature, and I try to stop the fighting before it starts. Magic and other types of things don't really work here, either -- that part is probably my fault. My powers are a little -- everywhere.

[ she pauses, again. ]

It is a lot to ask, but I'm afraid I can't do much about it until I prove myself to all of you. That's not going to happen for some time.

[ This would've been a lot easier if she had just pretended or something to have poor intentions. At least then he wouldn't feel like his displeasure towards her was wavering. It felt to him like her hands were tied, and that could mean literally. If she was withholding information, she'd make a good liar, and all the answers she did provide, Rean aligned in agreement with. However, he got the same feeling he did from her with one of his classmates; Rean hadn't known the ins and outs of the seemingly apparent various witch clans out there, but they had their secrets and reasons. He could understand that. Rean had a bit of a stubborn streak to him, though, and couldn't just take her word at face value. He'd be a fool to. ]

...Then I hope you understand that I'll have to keep my eyes open. [ His once cold words had become washed with some remorse, as if he wanted to say he was sorry for having to do so. No matter what, he was needed in Zemuria. Whether he liked his situation back home or not. ]

There's not even a guarantee we'll be put back in our respective worlds even after we help. And if your powers are as "everywhere" as you say, then how can I be sure that you could even spare us that?

It's a little hard to explain, but as delighted as I am to meet you, having you all of you here is causing a . . . buzzing? It's like a constant nagging in my ear. I think it's the overload of magic. As soon as I can send you all home, I can -- both because it's the right thing to do, and because it's mutually beneficial to us both.

[ she brushes a loose piece of hair out of her eyes. ]

There's no easy answer here, other than I'll have to earn your trust. Which is going to take time! And that, unfortunately, is something we're going to have to figure out as we go, if you give me the chance.

[ She could understand the situation she placed us in, and how trust would have to come in due time. Rean remained skeptical, but...he wanted to believe that she was doing the right thing. She's just trying to do her job, and it unfortunately involved dragging others into it. He couldn't shake off the method and suspicion completely, but...it was enough to at least give up trying to resist for the time being.

He grabbed the wrist watch and placed it where it belonged. ]

...Could you tell me a little more about El Minha? We'll be needing somewhere to stay if we're going to be heading out there to help, right?

There's plenty of lodging in the city, from what I've seen. You won't have to worry about anything like that.

[ assuredly ]

El Minha is a monarchy, ruled by King Kathashun. He's young -- a baby, really, to me, but he's human, so likely twenty seasons or so? [ astoria isn't super sure, but she doesn't appear to be lying. ] He's recently inherited the throne and his father wasn't exactly . . . loved by the people.

There's a lot of resistance in the city to the Crown by a group of people called the Syndicate. They're criminals, for the most part, but I don't think they kill people. It's hard to get a lot of information when you can't quite go there, you know? I know through the whispers in the universe and sometimes the little proverbial birdies get lost in the shuffle. But the Syndicate has a pretty good grip on the city, and the King wants them gone. And their heads. Probably.

[ Resistance, royal families, strong political opinions...all things check out for an experience Rean had already acquainted himself with. Unfortunately, he wouldn't have the help of the royal family he knows to mitigate any political pressure on the people...that being said, Rean thought to himself that, if he was going to be there, he shouldn't involve or lean towards one party or another. ]

I'm not there to solve any diplomatic problems, am I? I don't think I have the right to take sides, considering I'm practically an alien to them.

[ Either way, even if he were to take sides, he would definitely have to hear more from this "Syndicate" group...Rean figured if the crime rate has increased, one couldn't get much better than to look into the "criminal" group. Astoria mentioned they don't get their hands dirty, so if the King turns out to be not so benevolent...they could very well be facing an issue that was similar to the Erebonia Civil War. ]

I can agree to helping the people who need it, and those who are affected by their circumstances, but I can't say I'll get more involved than that.

The people are El Minha are what truly matters, right? Helping them, for as much as we are able, is all I can ask of you.

[ this is her first shot at doing this with other people, so . . . she's willing to let them take the lead. they're the ones risking themselves, after all. ]

Does that sound fair?

[ He's acting like a spoiled child, he knows, but the circumstances grant him at least some leeway for his behavior, right? If he thinks of this as just another mission for the Intelligence Division, he didn't have to like it. He just had to perform.

He would review what others were talking about with her, but as far as he was concerned, he had to send the message that he still isn't the happiest camper. ]

Fair as it's gonna get, probably.

[ He shuts the feed off from there, before glancing over the flowers and giving them a deep sigh. ]

( ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ) ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛɪᴅɪɴɢs | ( ɴᴘᴄ ᴘᴏsᴛ )

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