| Without warning, the silvery light that appeared to bring new people from other worlds and old items from home appears once more, and this time it lingers, forming portals as tall as an average human near each of the three Ingress shrines. The location does not appear to be a coincidence; this time, the portals are translucent, revealing the destination on the other side. Instead of taking Avagi's residents to the future, it will take them to another world.
If they step through the portal, travelers will find something far different from where they've been living this last month: Kaittos, a peaceful world containing one large land mass and a scattering of lived-on islands across a clear blue ocean. On the mainland, a large city-state occupies the central region and southern coast and resembles what some travelers from some versions of Earth might know of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Bustling and lively, the city is clean and well provided-for due to the temperate climate and the bountiful natural resources found on its northern side; orchards, farms and forests extend into the distance, butting up against a small mountain range. The technology level is low compared to Avagi, with carriages and candles in place rather than cars and electric lights, but the craftsmen of the world have managed some very impressive mechanical feats.
Kaittans, the local residents of the world appear somewhat humanoid, but the bipedal race has hooves rather than feet, silvery skin and three eyes with vertical pupils. Although there is no sign of any other sentient species in the world, the locals are nonetheless excited to meet their guests, rather than suspicious or afraid; for some reason, they are not surprised that aliens exist, merely that they are here.
In the weeks to come, the stabilized portals will provide a respite from the more confined lifestyle aboard Avagi. Travelers are warmly welcomed and encouraged to explore the land. Some things they'll find include...
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With all their material needs taken care of, the civilization on Kaittos has come to highly value cultivation of the mind. The city itself is full of what can only be generalized as culture. Theaters, art galleries and sizable libraries can be found on every tier, but what they offer is not contained by their walls. Street musicians appear on every other corner, artists are easily found sketching at beautiful viewpoints or interested passersby, and people are as likely to find themselves pulled in to participate in a scene or improvisational performance as they are to witness one. Public debate and rhetoric are also valued, with credit given for style and clarity as much as substance. At the center of the city, a large conservatory teaches lessons in many fields to anyone who cares to study.
This love of culture is so encompassing that visitors who wish to acquire items or resources will find that culture is also the main form of currency. To get something, they will have to give something. Those with skills that fall into traditional arts and culture could offer a piece of art, a music lesson or participation in a debate with other philosophical scholars, perhaps. But visitors will also find that the locals have a deep hunger for information and wish to learn about other worlds; if they can offer nothing else, sitting down with a scholar to record a tale of folklore or an adventure from their own. Lessons in whatever skills they possess are likely to be eagerly sought after, although the aptitude to learn them may not be there.
For those who wish to gain resources or make purchases, a bartering economy does exist to a degree, but it is difficult to break into, as there is little that the locals would truly need from their visitors. The exchange of knowledge is much more prized. Keep in mind, though, that while the Kaittans are not ungenerous, they have an eye for value—the more precious something is, the more travelers will have to offer to earn it, and individuals have their preferences. What might be just the thing desired by one could be pooh-poohed by another.
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While many on Kaittos see food as the fuel that keeps their bodies going so they may better cultivate their minds, others see cooking itself as an art. This is especially prevalent in this section of the city, located deep in the heart of the city, where chefs toil over new recipes and experiment with new ingredients, serving meals free of charge—unless you consider sitting through a lengthy survey afterwards to be a payment, of course.
Although some meals are unpalatable or even dangerous to human bodies, most can be enjoyably consumed. However, around one in five chefs make extensive use of a particular herb that is incredibly delicious—and somewhat addicting. Those who begin to develop a dependency will visit again and again, and the more they consume, the more they may not want to leave at all...
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Spoken of in hushed voices, this section of woods is regarded with great caution. A space of around ten acres is home to many natural springs that form natural pools between copses of trees, many of which hang dropping branches with deep blue leaves over the surface of the water. If asked, the locals will say that this place is where some very old Kaittans—which are an extremely long-lived species—who have decided they've studied everything available in the world and mastered every skill they can, go to "renew" themselves. They prefer to speak of it in vague terms, as specific discussion of this choice is seen as something of a faux pas. If greatly pressed, it is possible to learn the details ahead of time—but difficult.
The truth is that the water of the springs, when mixed with a chemical secreted by the fallen blue leaves, represses memories of those who drink it. Not to the point of complete amnesia; a sip might do away with the recollection of a particular book that was enjoyed, while multiple glasses might hide the memory of a longer period of time. However, there is no control over what is forgotten, or how much is too much. The Kaittans who grow too frustrated with what they view as stagnancy drink to forget so they may have the joy of learning all over again, but the lack of control makes it a risky choice—and some continue to return to drink after they otherwise would have, as they have forgotten what they wanted to forget.
(Of note to those of the psychic persuasion: memories affected by the spring water are not utterly obliterated, but merely deeply sublimated. It is possible to retrieve them, but it would be a challenge, especially if the placement of the memory gaps are not obvious.) |
| While Kaittos’ architecture and culture includes plenty to admire, a few points of interest stand both literally and figuratively above the rest. Three large pyramids tower over the landscape, shining the brilliant metallic blue of a local ore. Over the coming weeks, these structures will be adorned with temporary murals and hangings—apparently, a yearly celebration is approaching.
What kind of celebration? The kind, fortunately (?), that visitors are welcome to join in! November 23 marks the anniversary of what they call the Great Awakening: a visit by a powerful spirit that opened their people's awareness to worlds and cultures outside their own. For the next few weeks, the temples offer welcome to anyone who wishes to participate in their trials. On the day of the Awakening, all who succeed will experience a remnant of the spirit's gift. While descriptions of the process vary, all center around heightened awareness: of each other, and of worlds and places far beyond their shores. Those who decide to make this attempt may choose which temple—and which trial—they would face.
Trial of Life
A test for warriors and scouts, this trial is not recommended to the casual. On entering the temple, participants will find themselves in a maze of obstacles and passages, struggling for survival against dangers both mobile and environmental. To succeed, they must pass inside with no more resources or weapons than can be carried in two hands, and survive for a period of five days. The attackers and hazards within the space are phantasms generated by the temple: solid enough to harm or kill, but prone to re-appearing even once a region should be cleared.
Needless to say, extensive warnings will be given to those expressing interest in the trial. Most who attempt do so in groups, and teamwork among participants is readily encouraged. Those who need to leave early are welcome to do so, but fleeing does count as a failure.
Trial of Communion
The inside of this temple is divided up into a series of open booths. Participants are assigned a station, and will be approached by members of the local population with various disputes that require arbitration. The purpose of the trial is twofold: to assist others with their problems, and to test those making the attempt—in patience, debate, and their skill at resolving conflict through the use of words.
No authority is granted to those taking this test. None of those who come before them are obliged to listen. The participants will be presented with conflicts that have been saved up through the year, and required to work out a solution. This can include anything from property disputes to marriage arguments to literal children's squabbles. Breaks are allowed for food and basic rest, but otherwise, those taking the trial will need to spend five days in continual discourse for the sake of others. Those who give up on any problems brought before them or resort to violence in solving them are considered to have failed the trial.
Trial of Healing
The third temple presents no dangers, whether to one's life or to one's sanity. Instead, it serves as a medical center. Those stepping inside will experience a strange peacefulness and sense of comfort—one the full-time staff confirm has helped many patients to recover. While this temple is open throughout the year, the weeks preceding the Awakening are nonetheless a time of gathering: when healers of all disciplines will come together to assist those in need.
While doctors or healers are welcome to share information with their peers, no special skill or training is required to attempt this trial. Instead, participants are asked to spend a period of ten days doing whatever work is required to assist the sick. While most of the ailments brought to the temple are longer-term in nature, it also functions as a triage center for those harmed in the Temple of Life. |
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thisavrou_log2017-11-09 08:50 pm
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[He ought to be running scared of them by now. Did they not trigger some manner of...of panic or dismay or disgust, or something that caused him to stop responding? Did they not annoy him into a state of absolute irrationality? Is that not all they are best for? Why is he trying now? Are his standards that low for himself?]
[Were it any other moment in time, were it in the wake of any other thing...]
You don't mind the fact that, as I've just stated, I tend to irrevocably tarnish those in my general radius?
[Or does he already believe himself broken?]
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Eddie laughs, but it's one of those weirdly gentle laughs, the kind that breathes its way out rather than shakes its way out. A good, nice laugh without a single edge of mockery to it.)
I think I can handle it. And hey, we're friends, okay? So if you mess up, all you need to do is apologize and it'll be okay. I mess up too, I make mistakes.
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[There's such an ease with which he says it. We're friends now. Despite the scope of his fears and his anxieties regarding the world, there's something so very - Asriel about it, and perhaps that's what wrenches at the pit of their stomach. Perhaps that is what makes him so very difficult to deny at face value.]
[He laughs, and it's as genuine as he is, devoid of the sharp splintered-glass edges that too often color their own fits of mirthless mirth.]
I cannot say I understand these feelings anymore. [And they can feel safe in admitting it, because he has admitted to uncertainty as well.]
You are a peculiar child, Eddie Kaspbrak. Though I cannot claim that to be a bad thing, at present.
[Chin up, Eddie. That might've been the nicest thing they've said to anyone here.]
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Eddie just shrugs, still grinning toothily in his way.)
It's cool. You don't need to get it. Just feel it.
(Was that so bad? Eddie could learn from himself, really, but most people were hypocritical in some fashion. It was almost impossible to avoid.
It's not an insult, honestly, mostly because it doesn't sound like a bad thing even before Chara confirms it isn't.)
Yeah, well you're pretty peculiar too, Chara. But I think that's okay.
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[Perhaps they've simply not encountered enough children liable to take that ACT as it comes. They are too far out of their depth and they've no way of reversing any of this without raising more questions than they'd prefer.]
I feel I ought to warn you that the last time someone declared me his friend, he died rather horribly.
[Which is why they blurt that last part out so gracelessly, as if that might make any of this easier for either of them to bear.]
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The warning gets Eddie to raise a brow and he gives Chara a most serious expression. Except it's a childish kind of serious, almost joking, but not quite.)
I think I'm predetermined to die horribly with or without you in my life.
(He's sort of making a joke, but the cruel irony was that he wasn't actually wrong. His life was destined to be short and miserable - not that he knew that, of course.)
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[Then a smile snaps evenly across, short and sharp and unmistakably amused.]
That's the spirit.
[So. First things first. In an abrupt shift of subject that might not seem perfectly logical, they move on.]
Do you carry a weapon?
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I try to be realistic about suffering.
(Eddie can joke about things, about himself, and actually he's quite snippy and has plenty of come backs when he's dealing with kids his own age. Adults were another story.
It might not seem wholly logical, but considering the subject content, it isn't shocking either. Eddie does blink though because him with a weapon?)
Um. Not unless you count my inhaler.
(Ha. If that wasn't an unintentional loaded statement- not unlike his death.)
Do you carry a weapon?
(He would not be remotely surprised if they did. They seemed the type.)
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[That's not much of an answer at all. As if in response, they cock their head before slipping something out from their pocket. It's a shiv, something improvised and pulled together with tape and glass and softened with cloth wrapped around the handle. It's exactly the sort of thing that he's probably always been warned would give him tetanus.]
[They hold it out to him regardless.]
I'd not recommend wandering around an unfamiliar world such as this unarmed. I was not exaggerating when I said there are plenty of things here capable of your destruction.
[Did they not make explicit that they were always the creeper on the network trying to intimidate him? Well, in any case, they may as well make it transparent.]
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(No, it wasn't an answer, but he gets one anyway. The shiv is at once intriguing to Eddie. He's never seen anything like it. It was a lot different than the small handguns they used on all the Westerns he liked to watch. It did unnerve him because it looked like the kind of thing a homeless person would use, so he doesn't instantly touch it.
But after their conversation, after Chara talking to him about his mom, Eddie felt that crisp sense of courage only his friends were ever capable of giving him. The courage to step out of his comfort zone. So he takes the shiv gingerly by the cloth wrapping and examines it close up.)
I don't even think I'd be good at using anything.
(Eddie believed Chara fully. He just felt like him fighting back would be useless. He has no memories of Pennywise, doesn't think about how he has fought awful things before. He holds the shiv back out to Chara.)
What would you recommend? (He might not have confidence in himself, but he won't deny trusting Chara on this, that he should have a weapon.)
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[If they're surprised that he takes their advice and accepts the weapon, they don't immediately show it. They'd expected at least a token protest, but even that much is foregone in favor of a genuinely intelligent question.]
[They tap their fingertips across their hip once, twice, in a short spurt of contemplative motion before answering.]
I'd recommend learning. [They make no movement to take the weapon back. They do, after all, have plenty.] There are plenty here that would have no aversions to teaching you to defend yourself - and if they do, then they clearly have not been here for very long.
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Eddie was more of a survivalist than he himself or most people gave him credit for. Even if his memories had been in tact, his confidence in himself would never be so overwhelming as to think he'd be useful with a shiv.)
I've had some people offer to help me train. (He agrees with that, remembering the few adults who had mentioned stuff like 'endurance' training.)
I...started biking a lot more. And running a little. (He confesses this quietly to Chara. Running especially he hadn't been allowed to do when he was still with his mom. He found he liked it quite a bit.)
I know it's not much but I guess it's a start. (The shiv remains in his hand and Eddie's mouth pinches into a frown.)
Aren't you going to take it back?
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[Just because they don't have weapons of an openly visible nature doesn't mean they aren't armed, after all. As if to prove it, they shift their weight subtly to ease the hem of their sweater up by a handful of inches, revealing the dark sheath strapped to their hip, tapping the hilt of the blade there with the tip of one finger.]
Consider it a starting point.
[Ha ha. "Point."]
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Still. He looks down at the shiv with skepticism.)
I feel like I'd just wind up stabbing myself accidentally.
(His eyes flick away from the shiv to the lift of Chara's shirt. He gapes at the blade and while he had said he wouldn't be surprised, there it was- surprise.)
....Thanks. (He frowns at the shiv, looking past it to himself.)
Uh. How am I supposed to carry this without cutting me?
(...He really isn't used to stuff like this, okay.)
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Waistband. Invest in a sheath and belt of some sort. Tuck it in your shoes. There are myriad possibilities, really.
[And that should probably alert him to the fact that they have more than a little experience regarding the care and feeding of weaponry of this caliber. Assuming that wasn't, you know, glaringly obvious before now.]
One can't take it off you if they don't know it's there.
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(It was already plenty obvious to Eddie, yeah. He didn't need any more confirmation, though all that certainly was it. Eddie looks at himself and awkwardly puts the shiv into his belt. He frowns at it, moving his leg up and down to see if it'd stab at him. At his hip, it didn't, but he definitely didn't want to keep it like that.)
Well that's gonna have to wait til I get something better.
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[But there, see? He's adaptable. Resourceful. Most humans are, assuming he is one. They feel reasonably safe in making that assumption; they could be wrong, but at the present time, they doubt it. Too much of him resonates with what they understand humans to be.]
One must be inventive if one wishes to endure in the long-term, after all.
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I'll try my best. Maybe I'll even look for a baseball bat.
(...That reminds him a bit. He doesn't know too much about Chara generally speaking- but he does remember those red eyes. So he cautiously tests the waters of his own curiosity.)
Do you know what baseball is?
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Yes. I am familiar with the concept of baseball. Though the only aspect of the sport of note is the fact that a bat makes a formidable weapon.
[A pause, before they add, almost as an afterthought:]
Particularly when one adds nails.
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(It's the first time Eddie's heard of such a thing and yet, he instantly brightens. Now that was something he could visualize almost at once.)
The sport itself is pretty fun. You take the baseball bat and you hit balls with it and then have to run around a giant diamond and make sure that the other team doesn't get you out with the ball if they manage to get it in time.
(It was a pretty poor description. As a rule of thumb, Eddie isn't very athletic, but he...Does really like playing games. He looks a little excited, maybe, but it's hard to tell since he also looks kind of nervous.
Eddie, you caaaan't! Your lungs can't handle it...!)
I can always show you if you want. How to play it, I mean. It's something to do.
no subject
[Their tone might be difficult to define, largely because they’re trying for the same crisp disdain hey so favor and ending up more in the realm of utter bemusement. He likes baseball? Of all things? Is that a boyish thing to do? They assume that it must be. The sheer unexpected nature of the offer is enough to withhold what doubtless would be some sort of scathing commentary.]
[Maybe they’re curious. Vaguely.]
Where would you assume one would obtain that number of interested players?
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(He wasn't about to say 'you seem otherworldly and demonic' because that was A) not particularly polite and B) not entirely true. Inhuman, definitely, but Eddie wouldn't use the word 'demonic' simply because for him, 'demons' meant something very particular. It was the same way in that he was reluctant to use the term 'monster' for Sans.
Eddie wouldn't say he liked baseball the way a lot of other boys did. He sure wasn't competitive, but the general concept of throwing around a ball, running around to get it, was just kind of pleasant to Eddie. It sort of reminded him of the things he wanted to be good at too.
His mouth opens and then shuts and Eddie looks a little embarrassed.)
Oh uh. I don't actually know. I always figure you can play most games by yourself or with only another person or two- even if it's a game meant for more people. I don't play with too many kids.
(Or rather, none at all as far as Eddie's memories were concerned presently. At least back home. Here, he had Laura, but that was still only one kid.)
no subject
Neither do I. Can't imagine why that would be. [Added with a sharpening smile, as if that might take the mortified edge off his admission. They can both be relatively friendless by way of children their own age, look at that. Only that isn't exactly true in their case either, now, is it?]
There is an impressive number of children here, all things considered. That impressive number being "more than two," in case someone happens to be taking a survey.
no subject
Which might be pretty naive of Eddie. He knew plenty of normal people were horrible. But still. Instinct was instinct and his gut never told him Chara was something to go running from.
He rolls his eyes and actually gives Chara a shove. It's playful and barely a touch, but there it is, something bold and oddly familiar. Like they've been pals for a while.)
Probably because you're a dumbass who tries too hard.
(Too hard at what, Eddie doesn't specify.)
I know you and I know Laura. Counting me, that's three, unless there's more I don't know about. I know a lot of teenagers though.
1/2
[The child’s expression blanks for an entirely long time after the initial brush of contact, slight as it is, before their shoulders snap into something taut and unyielding.]
[Its fair to assume he didn’t know. Unfortunately, that isn’t exactly their concern.]
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