[Nexus] Riverside VIII: A New Side

[Halae]

[Approaching the Court of One]

"you said a part of the individual comes to light right? I think learning about yourself is a good goal," though she doesn't say it, she thinks to herself plus, places like this generally have valuables inside.

And with that she walks towards the mists, her tail swishing from side to side as she wonders what sort of tests could look into a person's personality. It just sounded preposterous.

[AmberVael]

[Approaching the Court of One]

For a time, Ormirrah simply walks through the mists, but then a transition takes place. She can't quite tell when it began, or how, but at some point, when she looks down, she finds that the mist at her feet is a cloud, and that she is walking in the sky. Looking up, the ground is far, far above... or perhaps below? It's hard to tell, as everything appears to be upside down.

To either side, there are pathways of clouds similar to her own off in the distance, and very vaguely, she can see people walking on them. Maybe she could call out to one of them...

"Who seeks the Court of One?" The words shiver past her, a green glow carried on a whispering wind.


[Radiant Ocean]

The seller of grapes is a slender woman with light green skin, white hair streaming around her shoulders and barbed, whirling yellow tattoos showing on her bare arms and across her face. Her eyes are narrow and slim, pointed in a way that matches her elfin ears and angular features. Her chest is covered with a twisted white cloth that leaves most of her torso uncovered, and she wears a white skirt to match it.

Her smile and the devious look in her eyes is familiar...

"Perhaps a fragrance from one of your memories, or a song, if you are willing to sing. A moment's warmth from your skin." The green lady suggests.

[Halae]

[Approaching the Court of One]

Ormirrah shudders slightly from the sound, a sort of involuntary motion as the words move past her, "Ormirrah Cosidus, Half-dragon." she doesn't move on just yet, waiting for a response. These clouds are freaking her out.

[The Bushranger]

[Radiant Ocean]

Naethalee considers that for a moment, then raises an eyebrow and softly chuckles.
"My singing is something best left to the imagination, lest I shatter every window within earshot the first time I strike a high note. Memories I can certainly provide though...or warmth, most certainly."
And she nods her head respectfully!

She is, for the record, in her usual ensemble of clothes; specifically, a rather tightly-fitting black bodysuit, with a comfortable skirt of the same color (needed thanks to the...dexterity-optimised cut of the bodysuit) and a pair of thigh-hgih leather boots that double as scabbards for her swords.

[happyturtle]

Westside Markets

Pet gives Vita a bit of a smile. "You can ask anything you wish. And that's an easy question. Love." He says, as if it meant everything. After a moment though, he gives a sad sigh. "Unfortunately, my former religion taught that anything non-human, should be killed or used against one's enemy, and that any thought otherwise, was absolute heresy and punishable by death." He tells her matter-of-factly. "I really did love Razorfang at the time, and I still do. With all my heart and soul. The choice was surprisingly easy for me considering I had once been thought "Pure" by my order. After all this time, they'll still try to kill me if they catch wind of where I am."

But it wasn't an easy choice, or it wouldn't have taken so long. At least, Rugal made it sound like it took time, Vita observes to her brother.

Maybe Pet wants to remember it his way. Felis suggests.

"Were you a priest?" Vita asks.

[Lost_Deep]

Moth Park

Boink! Copi keeps her eye on it, and after it bounces off her a second time it should come to a stop as Copi gets it with her telekinesis. It will float in the air a bit, and then move back over next to Mintbalm. "There we go, a fine, simple demonstration. Round things are a bit odd: I have trouble rotating them. I feel as if I am missing a particularly obvious solution that will make the usage of telekinesis much easier, but without insight as to any such solution I simply use the method I have found. Please don't ask me to explain it; I know what I'm doing but there are no words to properly portray the details of the method."

...

"Upon thought on the matter, there actually are. All the same, any explanation I give would probably be rather long-winded."

[AmberVael]

[Approaching the Court of One]

"With what purpose do you come, Ormirrah?" Inquires the voice from a roll of sudden thunder. The clouds darken and tingle beneath Ormirrah's feet, and she can feel the charging lightning in them. "Seek you the Court, that you might address it? Have you a need that drives you here, as you have no other answers? Is it enlightenment that you look for among the mists, an understanding of the world you find yourself in?"

"By what measure shall I know you, dragon-child? Are you citizen of my realm, or a foreigner of fame? Are you a humble pilgrim, or conquering warlord? If I search the world for you, what will I find, and what will I discover if I peer into your heart and soul?"

A flash of lightning illuminates the darkening sky, erupting like a brilliant wall far ahead of her. "Who are you, that seeks the Court of One? What is the meaning to your name?"


[Radiant Ocean]

The elfin woman takes a step closer to Naethalee, and assuming she doesn't pull away, will lean against her. Still holding the bowl in one hand, her free hand reaches up to the half-drow's face, thumb hovering just over her lips. "Warmth then." She says with a grin.

If Naethalee doesn't resist, she'll feel a sudden chill take her as the heat rushes from her body and out into the woman's hand, a tiny flicker of flame pulling out from her lips. Smoothly, the woman pulls back her hand and palms the fire into her hand, and with a quick gesture, coils it into a copper ring that sits neatly on her finger.

"The cold won't last." The seller of grapes promises, sliding her arm around Nae's waist. Unlike the drow, the green lady is still quite warm. "But why don't we go inside, Nae? I think that's where you wanted to go anyway, wasn't it?"

[ApeofLight]

[Eastside Forum]

" There is nothing more for me to discuss here. The majority of this has been a waste of my time. Good day. " The Scaalanite stands, looks everyone over once more, and then stalks towards the door to leave.

[Halae]

[Approaching the Court of One]

Ormirrah is less disturbed by the lightning than she was by the clouds being her stable ground, "Orn is the draconic word for Silver, and part of where my name comes from, the other part from Mira, meaning 'prosperous'. I have a deep seated need to collect valuable things, a part of my heritage. As such, I've always been a treasure hunter - perhaps not the most skilled, but I know what I want." Her tail moves in agitation as she begins to walk forward. the unspoken part of that, obvious to the perceptive listener is, but is that all that I am? Is there more to me?

[AmberVael]

[Approaching the Court of One]

"You approach this place with such a desire? I have seen the desperate come beg for my aid, for they starve, the critic come looking for a glimpse of my art, but I do not think any have had this wish of yours." The voice observes, in the crackling judgment of electricity.

"Yet it is a desire easily granted. I spin gold from fancy and silver from moonlight- my hoards are vast beyond measure. Look above, dragon-child." The gleaming moon shines high above, but Ormirrah can now see a path of clouds leading up to it, though there are gaps and treacherously thin areas. "This celestial sphere is but a trinket in my collection, a work of purest silver. You may take enough from it that it will sate you, if you reach it."

[Halae]

[Approaching the Court of One]

Ormirrah was certain that whomever was doing this had understood what Ormirrah meant, and the unspoken point. A test then? A willingness to speak for who she is? That's... difficult. the half-dragon does ascend the path, instead stopping, "You asked me who I was, not what I was here for. Keep your silver and riches, I'm not looking for that."

Her tail movement becomes more aggravated, ans one hand goes towards her other wrist as she tries to think of a painless way to say this. Admitting something like this was never easy, was it? "I want to know about... myself. The... sort of person I am. If I'm really as shallow as I think I am."

[Shadowcaller]

[Eastside Forum]

Daeva hesitates as Jezebel speaks. "There is an... issue. I had preferred to wait but if no one have anything else to talk about I guess I could bring it up now." The three servants glances at each other before she speaks up again. "Among our ranks there is some worry about the recent change of Southside. The citadel have ended up right at the edge of Genesis new territory. Now with the recent expansion in Westside many among our numbers have started to worry that Southside is going to claim other areas of Riverside as well, including the citadel. Many who work here don't live here after all, they live in other sectors who they fear soon is going to be a part of Southside. No offense to you Genesis." The servant explains. "With the masks territory expanding as well many feel like they are being forced away from this territory. So my question to you two is, how do you meet these fears?"

The scaalnite is ignored, if he wanted to leave he could. Celestel throws him a glance however and as the others are busy speaking she moves closer to the westside representatives. Her two bodyguards following behind.

Exbourne Manor

"Stars... what happened?" Astrana exclaims as she looks around the room. How in the world had that amount of ink ended up there? Must be something at work here.

"Are you okay?" She asks the little girl.

[AmberVael]

[Approaching the Court of One]

"A person's actions and nature are intertwined. When one acts, they define themselves to the world around them. Each step, the smallest breath, is a shout of defiance- 'I am not of you, I am not like you, see what I do.' To live is to strive in opposition to all things, and in opposition, your identity is shown in the absence it leaves in the world."

A deep rumbling sounds, and the bridge of clouds leading up to the moon crumbles away, its cracking and destruction lending a new sound for the voice to ride on. "You have made a choice, and your actions have spoken. What think you, of what has been said?"

[Halae]

[Approaching the Court of One]

Ormirrah frowns, "That I'm self centered. Maybe i could have used that money for charity if I had gotten the chance. If I'd given myself the chance."

Resist temptation and she rags on herself for it. Ormirrah may be being a bit hard on herself here.

[Lost_Deep]

Exbourne Manor

"I'm not hurt. But..." She looks at Cynthia and then back at Astrana. "There is obviously something weird going on here. I hope that maybe tomorrow after I finish my work I could talk to someone about it."

[AmberVael]

[Approaching the Court of One]

"If I promised to hand that silver to you, in exchange for your servitude, would you accept my offer?" The voice inquires, the hiss of faint rain in the distance. "That you might use it for these purposes you have now seen, would you sell yourself?"


[Eastside Forum]

"Does it matter where the citadel lies? Cannot the people in it move where they wish, do as they desire whether on one side of a line or another? I was active in Eastside once, spread my power and influence through it before- yet heard no true objections from the citadel at that time. How will it be different for you now, whether you are in East or South?" Questions Genesis.

"But know this- I move only where I am needed and desired, and my hand only covers those in need of shelter. When you are in peril or need, look to me then, for my aid and strength. When you are prosperous and at peace, I will come only at your request. It is not my desire to conquer, but to uplift and liberate."

[Halae]

[Approaching the Court of One]

Ormirrah frowns again, "If I were to accept, what would I be in for? What would you ask me to do?"

[Slii Arhem]

Moth Park

Boink! Copi keeps her eye on it, and after it bounces off her a second time it should come to a stop as Copi gets it with her telekinesis. It will float in the air a bit, and then move back over next to Mintbalm. "There we go, a fine, simple demonstration. Round things are a bit odd: I have trouble rotating them. I feel as if I am missing a particularly obvious solution that will make the usage of telekinesis much easier, but without insight as to any such solution I simply use the method I have found. Please don't ask me to explain it; I know what I'm doing but there are no words to properly portray the details of the method."

...

"Upon thought on the matter, there actually are. All the same, any explanation I give would probably be rather long-winded."

Moth Park

Mintbalm purses her lips in thought. Why would rotating a ball be difficult? Is it the shape, or something else maybe?

"Maybe... you shouldn't focus on the shape? Like if you tried to rotate it from the center point without taking the edges into account, you could spin pretty much anything that way, like it was stuck through with a spit you were twirling between your fingers. Or, I guess if that doesn't work, you could hold it up with a cup made of telewhatsits and spin the cup. Friction would make the ball spin with it, right?" Mintbalm is definitely smarter than the average pixie, and math has always been her strong suit. Geometry goes hand in hand with that, and is probably what she finds most interesting to study when she's thinking up new ways to use pixie dust.

[AmberVael]

[Approaching the Court of One]

"I put no limits on what I might ask of you." The voice replies. "You would no longer be your own, yet countless might be given a chance and choice they would not have had without such a sacrifice."

The clouds grow, the white mists spread out below her feet- but Ormirrah may also feel that her balance is more tenuous and precarious than before, as if the clouds were not quite as solid, and that gravity was reasserting itself.

[Lost_Deep]

Moth Park

"I have yet to find a proper method to directly affect the matter itself, so I instead use the cup method. However, the telekinesis itself does not have friction, and until I can figure that out I am forced to use a much more inefficient method of shaping the ball enough to rotate it simply. Obviously, this in ineffective for things that don't like to be shaped or shouldn't be warped. For example, doorknobs."

The ball wobbles in the air a bit as Copi tries to get it to turn. it doesn't, really.

Mintbalm might notice that Copi does not gesture with her body when she uses telekinesis. Her arms do nothing more than they might do if she was thinking.

[Halae]

[Approaching the Court of One]

This... was not a decision to make on a whime, but the clouds breaking apart agitated Ormirrah further - this had to be a quick decision, or she might not have the chance to make one. A simple image of a homeless man and woman sitting next to each other on the street occurs to Ormirrah, something she'd seen while wandering riverside.

"Yes, I accept!" She fears what this might mean for her, especially with the quickness of the decision, but at least she can help people, right?

[AmberVael]

[Approaching the Court of One]

The clouds break beneath Ormirrah, and the force that suspended her in the sky simply ceases. With nothing to support her, Ormirrah falls, plunging towards the ground below. Air rushes past her, everything flying by strangely- the world twists, even color and shapes ripping around her until she falls into a deep black void, a chasm lit by precisely spaced lights.

She doesn't land. Instead, the fall simply stops, ceasing as if it never occurred. A wide, dark and circular room is before her, the shadows vaguely warded off by dim electrical glows at its edges, yet it does nothing to unveil the center, which is steeped in darkness, a darkness that churns and writhes as a living thing.

"You speak of greed, yet when generosity passes you, you find regret. When you complain of your selfishness, you find reason to cast all you own aside, that you might aid another." The voice speaks from the darkness, masks blossoming out of it, hanging in the air. Each mask is of Ormirrah's own face, with a different expression and emotion tinging it, countless of them dotting the black shroud. "Your confusion on your nature is plain, dragon-child."

[Shadowcaller]

Moth Park

As the two are talking with each other a woman comes walking up to them from behind a tree which there is no way she couldn't have stood behind. Mintbalm will likely recognize her, Copi, not so much.

"Uh, hey!" She says with a wave, apparently not recognizing Copi either. "...what are you doing?" A truly brilliant way to start a conversation.

[Halae]

[Approaching the Court of One]

Ormirrah screams when the clouds break and she falls, and is panting heavily by the time the masks of herself show up, "I... people say... I'm not good at introspection."

Despite the heavy breathing, she's at least doing a good job of keeping her voice level after what must have been quite a fright.

[AmberVael]

[Approaching the Court of One]

"So it is with many, it seems." Observes the voice from the shadows. "They believe they know what will satisfy them, but chase after the banal and unpalatable. Thinking they see their flaws, they attack them with sharp knives, but only pare away what they needed. Believing they know who they are, they speak lies and weave hollow facades, clinging to them until they are fastened to their faces. Life in this world is a tragic parade of masks, is it not?"

The glowing yellow lights from the walls crawl from their places, etching weird designs and circuits on the walls as they continue to pulse, their shine growing a bit brighter the more they spread. The darkness sinks into cracks on the ground, still present but retreating, and forming patterns and breaks in response to the advancing light.

"Your desire is a difficult thing, Silver Scales. Even I hide behind a thousand layers and masks, discarding one to pick up the next. Court of One, Queen of Rings, Genesis, She Who Made Herself, they are all but facets, gleaming crystalline shards in a mist. Who can truly know another, when we all wear masks? How can we know ourselves, when we change with each passing moment?" The masks in the darkness ripple, swapping positions, some fading and some altering to underline the point of the fey within the blackness.

"I do not desire your eternal service, Silver Scales- and my trove is already open to those who might need it. But here is the true offer I will make to you:" A silhouette forms from the darkness and sweeps the masks into her hand, the gesture casually weaving them into a fabric of faces and expressions. "If you desire to know who you are, then I can tear that knowledge from you. From your soul I may draw out a portion of your identity and give it form, that you might always see it and know it to be something true. If it pleases you not, you may throw it away as if it were trash, and leave it behind- but if you find it something to cherish, you may keep it close and nurture it, that it might become something still greater."

[Halae]

[Approaching the Court of One]

"Uh... alright." Ormirrah is a bit confused at this point. So she wasn't actually going into service? but apparently she didn't have to get any of the money - just direct people here? Interesting. "Yes, I want to see the sort of person I am."

[Earl of Purple]

Eastside Open Forum

"At the moment, I think there may be upcoming conflict in Eastside between the pre-established Church of Telasur and the expanding Masks. Whether or not it escalates into bloodshed, I can't say. Both are quite devout and determined to defend themselves, but... It could still be avoided. If it does occur, I'm preparing myself to take advantage of it to spread my own faith. Terrowin, the High Priest in Inside, who taught me Dalachrech's faith, was worried about persecution- he'd suffered the same for his beliefs for most of his life. When I founded the Temple, Terrowin urged me to keep its location secret, and I complied. It's slowed down conversion, and I feel it's no longer needed, but it has had the effect of preventing attacks on our faith or clergy. The Temple's location is in Northside, but it's near the central border with the other parts of Riverside and the laity is spread across all four districts." Defelent then turns to the leaving Scaalanite. "I hope you consider the points I have raised about increasing your contact with the people of Northside."

[Slii Arhem]

Moth Park

Mintbalm doesn't recognize Hannah's look, having only heard from her once, but the second she speaks up the pixie is sitting upright, a nasty snarl crossing her face momentarily.

She has to visibly calm herself, taking several deep breaths, before she can reply.

"I don't know why you promised me you wouldn't tell Kate about that, and then did, but it worked out in the end, so I'm not going to bring it up again. However, you still lied to me about it, so you had better have a really good reason for coming around here again." A really, really good reason.

[Lost_Deep]

Moth Park

Copi is visibly confused. Mintbalm was angry. ANGRY. What the...

Copi just kind of sits on the bench and looks confused. Let this play out, see what happens.

What could Mintbalm be so upset about that Kate was told? Kate didn't mention anything... of course, Kate doesn't mention a lot of things. More information is necessary.

[The Bushranger]

[Radiant Ocean]

The elfin woman takes a step closer to Naethalee, and assuming she doesn't pull away, will lean against her. Still holding the bowl in one hand, her free hand reaches up to the half-drow's face, thumb hovering just over her lips. "Warmth then." She says with a grin.

If Naethalee doesn't resist, she'll feel a sudden chill take her as the heat rushes from her body and out into the woman's hand, a tiny flicker of flame pulling out from her lips. Smoothly, the woman pulls back her hand and palms the fire into her hand, and with a quick gesture, coils it into a copper ring that sits neatly on her finger.

"The cold won't last." The seller of grapes promises, sliding her arm around Nae's waist. Unlike the drow, the green lady is still quite warm. "But why don't we go inside, Nae? I think that's where you wanted to go anyway, wasn't it?"

No pulling away for Naethalee, and she gives a small grin back in return - before gasping as the warmth of her body is pulled away, a shiver passing through the half-drow's athletic frame as the warm and sunny air provides no relief from the sudden - and, a part of her admits, thrilling - chill. Biting her lip to keep from having her teeth rattle from the cold, she leans against the grape-seller's body, both out of fondness and from a desire for warmth, and nods in answer to her question. "Y-yes, " she manages to say - and after a moment's collecting herself, to grin, once more.