aterat | Pulse 001

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Pulse 001

Speaking Crystal

[Mid-morning, a familiar voice rings out over the crystals.]

Good morning, everyone! We trust you've settled in well! We'd like to meet you all formally and invite you to join us in the fountain square this afternoon! We look forward to seeing you there!

Who; The Aspects (Halcyn & Athony) and YOU!
What; The Aspects welcome their new summons to Aterat
Where; The Fountain Square
When; Thursday; Mid-day
Warnings; None I can think of. Will update if necessary

The Fountain square remains unchanged from your arrival, the multiple tiers containing archways all dim save for the one from which Halcyn and her counterpart, Athony, step at the appointed time. Around the fountain, though, have gathered artisans, performers, and salesman as well as recruiters. People are looking for clerks, delivery persons, and people to run small tasks for them. There are leatherworkers interested in hiring intrepid individuals to acquire more exotic skins for their trade and various other ways to earn coin.

And then there is a larger stall built into the back of a large covered wagon pulled by two oxen. It's set off a little ways from the others, either to set itself apart from the vulgus or simply to afford it room. Two people dressed smartly stand a bit apart from it and will encourage any passersby to come speak with the clerk behind the desk. Emblazoned across the side in intricate gold leaf are the letters "MGB" and the callers will inform anyone inquiring they are representatives of the Merchant's Guild Bank, and that they are willing to negotiate investment in any business ventures newcomers may be interested in...for a modest cut, of course. They assure the contract is thoroughly negotiable and urge you to speak with the broker in the carriage.

All business dealings cease when the portal on the highest level of the fountain activates and Halcyn and Athony step through. She is tall, lithe, with flowing red hair and an aura of goodness and life that overrides any attempts to read her mind. He has a darker aura, clad in deep gray armor with a gem-encrusted sword at his hip and a formidable shield strapped to his back. The murk around his mind is just as difficult to pierce, and anyone sensative to the flow of time would sense these two seem to exist as though apart from it.

They descend the dias to stand at ground level, equal to the gathered crowd, but when Halcyn speaks, her soft melodious voice carries as though its amplified, though there seems to be no source of amplification save for a subtle vibration of magic those sensative to it may sense.

"I'm so glad you all came!" She claps her hands together, clasping them before her before spreading her arms wide. "We have so much work to do, as I've told you all already. We have been tasked with the reconstruction of this world, and we simply can't without all of you. The reason why is complicated, but I can assure you we require nothing of any of you that you are not capable of." She motions around at the square and all those gathered here.

"The people of Aterat are eager to welcome you as well, but Athony and myself will remain around should you wish to speak more privatly. Again, thank you all for coming!"

With that, the gathering dispurses into it's former form, though the Aspects remain should anyone wish to speak with them.

Feel free to post top levels to meet and greet your fellow arrivals and to explore the offerings of this strange new city.

Throughout the city, not only today, but at random times, a new rhyme seems to have been picked up by the children at play, skipping rope or playing hopscotch, or dancing in a strange circle. There's a haunting quality to it, but maybe that's only because no one's taken notice of its existence before:

Traveler, traveler, what do you seek?
Riches and fame make oaken souls weap.

Traveler, traveler, watch where you're led.
One turn left, three turns right will take you to bed.

Traveler, traveler, try not to get lost.
The dwellers in the mirk may well be the cost.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Caelan made sure to attend the event, looking forward to hearing what their hosts the ‘Aspects’ had to say beyond their initial arrivals. Which, unsurprisingly, was of very little use to anyone other than those looking for an opportunity to begin building or pursuing a business endeavour.

He stood within the crowd, arms folded and foot tapping lightly as he listened. The bit about ‘requiring nothing that any of them were not capable’ of gives him pause for a variety of reasons. Not to be overly difficult or suspicious, but they hadn’t addressed that it didn’t mean that everyone would be willing, and that didn’t explain what some of the arrivals were expected to do. He, for instance, stole things that had already been stolen or helped fae out of bad spots. How was that going to help rebuild anything?

He eyed their hosts curiously, Halcyn had a very open and welcoming aura. The energy she generated was pleasant despite the vagueness of her words. Made him wonder if there were anything hiding behind the smile, things she thought better than to say to everyone about all of this. Athony... Had an altogether different energy. He was serious, intimidating, and definitely protective. His chosen position suggested an intent to guard, perhaps a safety precaution for the odd chance that an unhappy arrival tried something.

Eventually, the selkie moved on. To admire (envy) the entertainers with their instruments again, to browse the wares being sold in hopes that he’d happen upon something useful, or to listen to the rather curious rhyme that the children had taken to singing. “How delightful... I know a person who would love this sort of thing, a cryptic little puzzle to mull over.” He listened to it a few times, committing the words to memory to consider properly later.

“Now what was that?” He murmured, head raising and tilting in the direction of a curious sound. The sound of someone else dragging his attention away from the festivities with some curiosity. “Good afternoon?”

Vincent was very good at being quiet. If he hadn't intended to make it obvious that he'd attended this event, he would have stuck to the shadows or the rooftops, just another shadow cast by the moving sun in the sky. He was here, though, on the ground, hanging back from the crowd, watching their hosts with suspicion, and watching the crowd just as cautiously.

It was the scrape of a metal-clad boot against cobblestones that had caught Caelan's attention, and the thin man with too-pale skin and flowing crimson opera cape matching his eyes flexed his jaw in annoyance before looking over at the uncertain greeting.

"Is it?"

Caelan looked the stranger up and down as he turned to face him properly. Now who was this fellow, looking like the doorman to the unseelie court? “Depends on how you look at it. Sun is out, and they’ve got decent entertainment. That’s good in my books.” He gestured lightly, his smile turning a little wry as he added, “Besides that, we’ve been here a couple days, and we’re not dead yet.”

He moved away from the crowd, joining Vincent on the fringe. “I could be wrong though, your expression suggests that your afternoon might be less than good.”

Something dwelled within him, something deep and dark, but it was held at bay, at least for now. He released a sharp exhale through his nose which might have been a scoff. "Yet."

That was the important part, after all. "It all seems too simple."

Caelan hummed a little at the ‘yet’ with a small chuckle, “And if it’s inevitable, might as well be ready and make the most of the time we’ve got, yeah?” At least that was his thought, why be gloomy when you couldn’t do anything about it anyway? Just prepare for the worst, be on guard, and try to make the most of the ride.

Of course, this one seemed too serious for relaxing. His expression finally sobered some as he raised his shoulders lightly, “Which generally means it’s more complicated under the surface, best to watch for the ripples and odd disturbance to prove it.” He folded his arms lightly, tilting his head slightly up at the stranger. “You got a name, or should I make something up? Most folks call me Caelan.”

Vincent was too serious, Caelan certainly wasn't wrong on that front, and he hadn't relaxed in nearly 30 years, but there was a first time for everything. The more he looked around this city, the more he realized it wasn't the violent, seething place his previous 'home' had been, but that was only slightly comforting. That he'd arrived here with someone he'd met in that other place was more so, and the fact that she'd become...important to him made it even more of a reassurance.

He looked over to the young man, blinked and then nodded. "Vincent." While he could be uptight, though, he could also make a joke occasionally. It was always a shocker. His tone didn't change when he added. "Most? Is that made up, then?"

Ah, Vincent. What have you done? Now Caelan knows you can be funny in your own little way. That tone he’d delivered it in just made it better in the selkie’s opinion.

So with a curious tilt of his head, eyes widening with recognition, he smiled a little more widely. “Well someone made the name up at some point before it was given to me, didn’t they?” He paused, folding his arms lightly. “But I say most because there are those who call me other things. Often but not limited to a pain in the ass, nuisance, pest, and trouble maker.” There was also Seal Boy. That was Sara’s pet name for him though, usually when she was annoyed with him.

He knew a few people who'd fit that bill. Many of them had become heroes. He wasn't going to knock Caelan's reputation on account of not being popular. Though, now that his secret was out regarding his sense of humor, there wasn't really a call to hide it anymore, was there?

"Mmm." He moved his faintly glowing red eyes over Caelan's form again then looked back to the square, arms crossed. "I wonder which I'll choose."

As it was, he was quite proud of having earned every single one of them. It meant he was doing his job, and doing it well.

He waited though, expression curious as he waited to see how Vincent would respond. For a moment, he almost wondered if the guy was trying to figure him out before he turned to look back at the gathering. Oh, I like this fellow. Caelan couldn’t help but think to himself, a proper laugh escaping at his words before he loosened his arms to bring up dramatically. “My, such consideration! I will look forward to you choice eagerly.”

Still, his eyes roam back to the gathering himself now, so many people. All looking like they were either finding a purpose or simply making the best of the festivities. “What do you suppose you’ll be doing in all this, ya have any clue?”

If Holly had wanted to be sneaky this time around, the sound of her skates against the road beneath them sort've gave the game away. Luckily, she wasn't so concerned about creeping up on the now-familiar figure amongst the other city dwellers, this time around at least.

Skating right up behind Caelan, she gave him a playful jab in the side, and swept around in front of him.

"Afternoon, shady-harbour-guy!" Gliding backwards a couple of steps until she stopped, Holly gave him a toothy grin. "Place looks different in daytime, huh?"

Caelan recognized the approaching sound of someone on strange wheeled footwear fairly quickly, and given how he had only heard them one other time recently? He figured it was a safe bet that Holly was coming his way, and so he was fairly relaxed when she made her approach.

... The jab does startle him though. Kid, he’s got no blubber in this form!

He puts his hands (yes, they’re still gloved) on his hips and grins a little. “And how are we today, little-gremlin?” He too knows Holly’s name, but he’s happy to keep using the amusing nicknames if she was. “Enjoying the ‘festivities’ of the day?” Can you hear the air quotes? Because there are implied air quotes, the festive atmosphere was nice and all but this is clearly a gathering to reiterate the whole ‘rebuilding’ thing.

Deal with it, you skinny bastard! She's got fingers made for prodding!

She preens a little at the nickname, shoulders soon coming up in a shrug as her hands find her dungaree pockets.

"I'm good- kinda hungry, but good. You listen to the speech back there?" Rolling towards him a bit, she leaned forward another inch or two - for emphasis. "S'all a little culty, if you want my honest opinion. If they start handin' out kool-aid, politely refuse."

“I did, and you’re ‘honest opinion’ sounds about right to me, though I’m not sure what kool-aid is to know what to avoid?” He raised a brow, lowering his arms and glancing where he’d last seen Halcyn after their conversation. Oh well. He was wary of gifts from humans anyway, you never knew what intent might be behind them after all.

Caelan circles back though, to the first thing Holly brought up. She was hungry? Well, he wasn’t as responsible as most of his kind were, but even he knew that the young needed to eat regularly. Holly, regardless of if she were human or not (he was quite on the fence on that still) she seemed young enough to still be growing. “If you keep an eye out for this nefarious kool-aid we need to avoid, I can see about finding us a snack?”

"Oh, I'll tell you, but it is lowkey fucked up with a capital Fucked- so there was this old dude called Jim Jones who ran this creepy culty commune situation out the middle of butt-fuck somewhere, and I guess when things started to go downhill he had this whole bunch'a kool-aid poisoned and got everyone to drink it, promisin' 'em access to Heaven or somethin', I don't know the precise details, but it does make ya second guess every dude-of-the-cloth in aviators just a little more, y'know?"

No, Holly, he most likely doesn't. But either way, with a shrug she then added the only part of this reply that Caelan actually asked about; "Kool-aid's this fruity powder stuff that you add to water and it's bright neon red, although you can get it in other colours, but red smells the best easy pease."

Unable to stand or sit still for more than a minute at most, Holly casually began to roll this way and that, gently shifting her weight from one foot to the other mostly on the spot, about to get distracted by how the light was glinting off one skate when Caelan mentioned food.

Oops.

"Nah, I'm okay- I'm a pretty picky eater, I can find my own food later." Said nonchalantly as possible, like it was a regular occurrence for a child to just find their own sustenance in a strange city. "I'm gonna tag along with you if you're goin' though, I got nothin' better t'do and you're the only person I know, so."

Now Caelan is fairly good at following things, he can figure out the gist of what the girl was trying to say. He was pretty sure he understood what kool-aid was supposed to be, and what had happened with this cult she spoke of. There were a few points that he considered asking her about though, like what an aviator had to do with anything...?

But she had said a lot of words in a very short time, and he was reasonably sure that every question he asked might lead to more questions. Whatever kind of world she was from, it was definitely different from his own.

The selkie raised his brow at her dismissal of finding something to eat, children in his experience weren’t generally meant to find their own food unless they were from particularly bad situations. So he’s not going to overlook the statement, not at all. So he’d take advantage of her intention to follow him around like a little duckling and see if he couldn’t figure out what she’d eat. “Well then you’re welcome to join me, I’m sure we can find something interesting to entertain in all of this.”

She could see that most of that just went in one ear and out the other, but whatever - he seemed to get the gist. And besides, Holly had learned to rely on other people to tell her stuff - like, if they understood something, or were mad or confused. No point in wondering and worrying herself. If Caelan had questions, she knew he'd ask if they were pressing enough.

At the acceptance of her self-invitation, she visibly brightens. Truth be told, while she was an independent kid, she also wasn't hugely used to being by herself. There were always security guys with her, and if there wasn't, Leo or Tony were instead.

She'd never been left home alone before, never mind a whole city.

"Cool- yeah, I bet there's a lot'a stuff to figure out yet. I mean there's gotta be, right? When people in charge tell you fuck all, there's always stuff to dig for."

Even if Holly was the independent sort, Caelan was far from it. He thrived on having company around, and someone to either entertain or be entertained by. This whole... arriving in a strange world entirely alone thing was not something he had enjoyed. The saving grace here was certainly the fact that there was so much strangeness and secretive things to be nosy about.

So he was happy to have the company and to provide some in place of her usual security guard or companions. Even if he was far from a security guard.

“They’re so very vague that I rather wonder how much they know themselves.” He responded on the subject of their hosts, thinking back on his conversation with Halcyn. “You hear that little riddle the kids’ve been singing?” Caelan added as he wove around the outskirts of the crowd and followed what he thought might be the scent of food being cooked. He was quite curious about what Holly might have thought of it, given her being somewhat closer in age to them. He had a feeling that it was worth mulling over, if only because rhymes usually came with some deeper meaning. At least they had where he was from.

"I bet they either know butt-fuckin'-all." She said with complete certainty and a nod as they walked - well. Walked and rolled. "Or if they do, they're keepin' a lot'a stuff back t'keep us from throwin' bricks at their windows."

Not that she'd be opposed to that anyway if someone asked; afterall, she was missing a lot back home by being here. Business stuff, derby practice, watching the entirety of 'Death Note' in a worryingly short space of time...

Urgh. She'd really been looking forward to that.

"Yeah, it's creepy- and kinda makes me wanna poke around some more."

Linking her pinkies behind her, she gives Caelan a very specific Look. "You know, I might be open to havin' some company if you get bored sneakin' around the Harbour."

This one, this one had such a unique way of speaking for a kid. He really liked it, it was far less drab and proper than some of the kids he’d known in his own world. He laughed a little, shaking his head a bit. “You could well be right, either way I expect they’d be vexed if someone threw a brick at their windows.” The selkie paused, throwing a glance in the direction he recalled seeing the aspects last, “And the grumpy one doesn’t even seem to have enough of a sense of humour for that, and it’s hard to say how much patient the Lady has yet.”

She definitely had a measure of it, hard to say how much, but he’d be willing to wager money on how little Athony probably had.

“It’s delightfully cryptic in my opinion, I’d certainly want to poke around a little more to figure out where they got it from. Usually those things’ve got some deeper meaning.” Caelan tucked his hands in his pocket, smiling lightly when he saw a few food stalls set up in the distance. He wasn’t sure what it was, and wasn’t particularly hungry himself, but it would do.

He tilted his head back to glance at Holly, meeting the pointed look with one of curiosity. “Well I’m not sure that it’s possible for me to get properly bored with the harbour district.” Specific reasons of course, more because of what was connected to the harbour district, “But I certainly could stand to have something to do to when I’m not ‘sneakin’ around the harbour.’ So that’s a gracious offer for you to make.”

Caelan | OTA

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:D

YESSSSSSS

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