ic inbox

[gravings]

I need this now apparently

Comments

action; you need this post now, apparently

[lockedon]

[ The girl is already gone from lodestone area when he finally finds the time to check back in several days later, but that's for the best. She probably needs time to adjust and he has his hands full with other Kenoma problem children.

But invariably, that 25% feeling of responsibility returns to nag at him, so it's not long before he flags down a servant to locate the whereabouts of one Miss Gray. The Citadel may be large but the servants are (annoying) numerous, and it's not too long before one scurries back with an update. From there it's a simple matter of navigating the winding hallways until he spots a familiar hooded figure. ]

How are you feeling?

[ If she's in her room though, he'll at least knock first.... ]

[gravings]

[ When Eustace finds her in the halls of the Citadel, Gray looks quite a bit better than the last time he saw her. She's adjusted easily to the fashion of Achamoth, swathing herself in layers of grayscale with a large hood to match. Her pace as she makes her way through the hall is slow, bordering on aimless, her gaze low as she avoids the eyes of the servants attentively studding the way. But when she notices Eustace, her hood tips up, eyes lighting with recognition.

Though it's only been a few days, it feels like she's fully started a new life since she last saw the big-eared sir. She wouldn't have been surprised to never see him again -- though that would have been silly too, with how Aions are expected to work together. When he stops in front of her, she dips a small, hasty bow. ]

The effects of the potion have already passed. Thank you...

[ Her emotional feelings are a whole other matter, but she doubts he wants to hear about that. ]

Um, how did things go after I left?

[ How went the Aion-hunting... ]

[lockedon]

[ Ah.....polite as always. Though it's relieving to see a spot of color back in her cheeks and her eyes looking more (a bit more) confident than when they'd first met. His shoulders drop a centimeter, the rest of his posture relaxing in kind. He brushes the question aside with a short answer, eyes never leaving her face. ]

It was fine.

[ Narrator voice: it was not fine.

But she doesn't need to know the details of his scuffle with one of the Pleroma just yet, not when she probably has a million other things on her mind as she adjusts to life in Achamoth. Speaking of which— ]

Have you gotten all your questions answered?

[gravings]

[ She catches the miniscule loosening of his shoulders and wonders if he was really that worried. If he was, she wonders further if that meant he wasn't completely sure that she would be alright in the end. Because the potion's effects are more unpredictable than he let on? Or because she seemed especially weak? Unconsciously, her mouth nudges into a tiny, wry smile. Already he reminds her of her first teacher, the big, stoic gravekeeper who taught her most of what she knows. Actually, this big-eared sir is much more emotive. It makes it easier for her to face him without using her hood as a shield. ]

All of the questions I've thought to ask. There's a lot I still don't know... so I thought maybe I should see if there's a library I can visit.

[ Some of the magi in the dorms she lived in had computers, but she was never able to take the leap from books to the internet. Maybe that's working in her favor now; she can't miss what she never knew. ]

Would you be able to point me in the direction of the nearest one? ... If you don't mind.

[lockedon]

[ Sometimes it pays to be old-fashioned and to prefer books over new-fangled tech.

He could point her in the direction of the library, but given the size of the Citadel and his own task list for the day (which had included a trip to the library anyway), it seems more productive to just lead her there himself. ]

I can take you there.

[ Though it appears his manners are still somewhat lacking....he doesn't wait for agreement or acknowledgement before striding off, expecting that Gray will automatically follow behind. ]

You'll find plenty of information on the Regent [ 🙄 ] as well as the history of Achamoth but not much on the history of Aions, if that's what you're looking for.

[ Then again, maybe he'd just happened to pick all the wrong corners of the library to start his own search in. ]

[gravings]

[ Manners, who needs those... Weirdly, a complete lack of manners feels more comfortable to her than an overabundance of it. Maybe she's spent too much time bearing witness to the aggressive politics of the Clock Tower.

After a split second of surprise, she jogs to catch up with him, her much shorter stride quick by necessity but unlabored. It's generous of him to show her the way... or, maybe, he just has a lot of time to kill. ]

Nothing on the Aions... I wonder why?

[ She wasn't thinking of anything in particular she wanted to read about other than a nebulous "everything," but it sounds like the topics have already been narrowed down for her. She knows of the concept of censorship, of course, but she wonders if she should even speculate about that out loud. There are ears literally all around them, after all, and she gets the feeling that she shouldn't do or say anything that might throw her loyalty into doubt. ]

Since they treat us... the way they do, I thought there would be documentation. Or old stories, like in mythology.

[lockedon]

[ Swapping out the complicated politics of one gloomy-ass HQ for another.....RIP Gray. Though there's only one acceptable political (and religious) view in Achamoth, so maybe it'll be a welcome break. ]

There might be, elsewhere.

[ If only the Regent would let them out of Achamoth....he's starting to get restless. There's only so much he can learn from within the walls of a city heavily steeped in fanatic cult worship. Already nonreligious by nature, Eustace has quickly found the city to be more than he can take most days. ]

But the city of Achamoth concerns itself primarily with the Regent, and us Aions are seen as simply extensions of their power.

[ Or so the texts seem to imply. The waters are murky on the subject, and all he's really learned is that the Regent had been the one to bring them all here. Which is suspicious as hell, but unlike some parties he's not about to start broadcasting his suspicions aloud for everyone to hear. ]

[gravings]

[ Achamoth really loves its Regent... A regent is usually a stand-in for a higher ruler, but the Regent seems to be center stage in reality. And if the books in the library are mostly about them, they've been around for some time in that capacity... Who is the Regent, really? Even a real name would do a lot to dispel the mystery surrounding them.

... Speaking of names, ]

By the way, what should I call you? I said so much about myself last time, but I realized I don't know much about you...

[lockedon]

[ Just kidding, he will NOT vanish without a word this time, as is his wont every other time he's been asked for his name. That 25% feeling of responsibility really pulling its weight here.

He will, however, let the conversation lapse into silence as they walk down the hallway and turn a corner, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the air. Finally: ]

Eustace.

[ Eustace and Gray, proud members of the No Last Name club. Also, that appears to be it from him. Hm. ]

[gravings]

[ It wasn't the name she expected from him, but not everyone can be gloomy, monochromatically-fashioned girls named Gray. Actually, it feels like a remarkably normal name for a somewhat abnormal person. ]

Mr. Eustace... Um, what did you do before before you came here?

[ He asked her, so this is her right to ask as well!! ]

[lockedon]

[ How does one explain being a trained hitman to a child without making it sound completely terrible? With a lot of effort maybe, but he doesn't have the verbal finesse to massage it out to begin with. Hmm. ]

I went on assignments given to me by my superiors. Not unlike what the Regent has us doing here.

[ That's....vague enough, right? Not technically a lie but not the full truth either. Maybe she'll be satisfied with that as an answer. ]

[gravings]

[ Ah. So that's why he seemed like such a professional retrieving her from the shrine. If he's used to oddjobs, he must have a pretty strong head for any situation. ]

And... what kinds of books do you like reading?

[ Since it sounds like he did a thorough job of going through the library... ]

[lockedon]

[ The answer to this one is harder, not because he has to finesse any words into a reasonable sounding answer but because he genuinely doesn't know. Past his work assignments, training, the constant clean-ups of Zeta and Beatrix's messes, he'd never thought much about picking up a spare book here or there. All the reading he'd engaged in had been mission briefings or old histories regarding the Society, tucked away in some high-up shelf.

Their footsteps echo some more, uneven click clacks, as they pass servants scuttling through the halls and closed doors. ]

I don't really have a preference.

[ Is that a cheater's answer......? Or just a really boring man's answer. Doesn't matter, the next corner they turn will lead them to....the library! Conveniently placed and timed for all my RP needs. ]

This is it. There should be servants inside able to help you find what you need.

[ Since apparently his own visit is being interruped by a call from Ciel.... Ganba Gray, you're on your own now. ]

[gravings]

[ No preference? Is that actually possible?? Before Gray can grapple with the answer, Eustace is already on his way to abandoning her. She can't blame him. But before he can get too far, she blurts out a hasty: ]

Ah, thank you, Mr. Eustace!

[ He really is nice, if socially unwieldy. She knows the type a little too well. She watches him go before tip-toeing into the library for a hearty dose of Regent propaganda... ]

delivery; early june

[lockedon]

[ Some days after the Presenting of The Brush, Gray will find a servant scuttling to her room, politely knocking on her door before bowing and holding out a box with a note on top for Gray to take. (And then scuttling away once the delivery is made.)

Inside the box is (as you already know) a selection of macarons from a fancy bakery in Achamoth. The note itself is predictably short, penned in a clean but slightly slanted script. ]

Thanks again for the brush. It works well. Misa picked out the macarons. You can thank her if you like them.

[ It's also signed, just in case Gray has made a habit of gifting hair-and-ear brushes to all of her Kenoma acquaintances and has no idea who this is from. ]

[gravings]

[ 😭 ]

communion... gotta get this in before the next event

[comelately]

[ after his unexpected (and unceremonious) shard-based contact with Misa, Johnny has learned that it's apparently possible to reach out to any Aion with Communion, not just the ones on his side. The specifics of it aren't clear to him, and he doubts they ever will be; however, no one has shown up to assassinate him and/or take over the Pleroma hideout yet, so it must be safe enough. Since that conversation, his thoughts have drifted, occasionally, to the girl he met and accidentally caused trouble with in Venera. They didn't see each other again after that - understandably, seeing as Johnny was out of it for he-doesn't-even-know-how-long with the illness for most of his time there. Did she make it out alive, even...?

Only one way to find out. After mulling it over for a few days, he decides to try, giving her Shard a distant buzz. ]

Gray...? Is this working? It's Johnny, from Venera.

[gravings]

[ Gray feels the wiggle of an unfamiliar line being cast at her via communion, though she gets the vague feeling that it should be familiar to her. When she takes her shard in hand and opens her mind to whoever is reaching out, she's surprised to hear that it's Johnny; she didn't know either that it was possible to hear from someone of the "other side."

She has to concentrate a little harder than usual — because of distance? because he's with the Pleroma? — but she does her best to establish a good connection with him. Her "communion voice" is reminiscent of a soft tissue landing gently on one's face, and now it lands on Johnny's face. ]

Mr. Johnny! Yes, I hear you. Is everything alright?

[ Never mind that they're supposed to be enemies... ]

[comelately]

[ "Mr. Johnny." Cute. The connection is tenuous, but she may be able to feel a little twinge of amusement at the moniker. ]

Yeah... I'm fine. I was just, you know, wonderin' how you made out in Venera. Things got pretty dangerous towards the end there...

[ as he speaks, he becomes aware that this might be weird, seeing as they are, indeed, supposed to be enemies, but he also finds that he doesn't care all that much, ultimately. The division of their group still feels arbitrary to him, and the Pleroma and Kenoma are alien entities even now. ]

[gravings]

[ He may feel a bump of surprise as she listens to him. Though they did have a... memorable time investigating in Venera, she didn't think he'd care to think of her afterward. She wonders if his deeper intent is to collect information from someone who seems like an easy target — she can't see why else he would bother with her — but she doesn't know if he's the type to put a lot of effort into snooping in that way. ]

I made it out alright... though, um, I did end up speaking with the entity that caused the disease.

[ That probably isn't sensitive information... she thinks. ]

[comelately]

[ it's not news to him, evidently, sensitive or not. ]

I heard a bunch of you made some kind of promise with it... Didn't know you were one of 'em, though.

[ the specifics of whatever deal was made with the entity are unknown to him, too. ]

You all better not have made some crazy deal with that thing. Did your boss get mad at you for not taking it back with you?

[gravings]

Oh, no. I wasn't part of that group. My companions and I only talked to it for a bit before it went away. And... I wouldn't want to make a deal with it if I could help it.

[ Despite being an Innocent herself, she would have immense misgivings about making a pact with such a creature. She can't see much good about becoming its champion, no matter how well-meaning it was. ]

As far as I know, the Regent wasn't particularly upset. Maybe... surprisingly so.

[ The Regent was pretty laid back when they spoke to her... ]

[comelately]

Huh.

[ apparently, Johnny also considers it surprising. Then again, he hasn't met the Regent. You can't get a whole world listening to you (or shaking in their boots) if you're not good with people, he presumes; maybe they're good at making people feel comfortable, only laying into their subjects when they've convinced said subjects they deserve it. ]

Well, that's good. I thought they might... I dunno, put you in a dungeon or something for failing.

[gravings]

[ She thought that too... honestly. ]

The Regent's been alive for a very long time. I think small things don't bother them so much anymore. They seem like a, um, bigger picture kind of person.

[ Maybe even slightly, surprisingly nice?? If still intimidating. And then the Regent's address happened... ]

[comelately]

They'd better be, with what they're trying to do.

[ slightly disparaging. He's not down for destroying the world anyway, but doing it on a whim would be even worse. ]

Well, anyway... I don't trust that guy, so I hope the other Kenoma are taking care of you. [ a beat. ] I got real sick in Venera, but I'm all right. That Eustace guy helped me out. You know him?