ic inbox (kenos)

[gravings]

I will definitely put something here this time

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communion; mid to late october

[gravings]

[ One week after the stint with the tree and the spores and the sacrificial memories........

A lot of things happen at once. First off, Gray's shard starts to feel warm. Second off, she begins to see visions of Lord El-Melloi II being uncharacteristically warm and nice to her, which is highly distressing. Third off, she begins to feel emotions which aren't her own even when she's on her own, and she has a distinct feeling she knows whose emotions they are.

"Try speaking to them, Lady. I believe in you," Lord El-Melloi II says, smiling nicely, which spikes Gray's anxiety. But she takes his advice nevertheless.

She reaches out to both Mordred and Eustace despite knowing full well that letting them interact might spell disaster. It'll be better if they're all on the same page... she thinks. ]

Mordred... Mr. Eustace. Have either of you felt, um, strange lately?

[ Vague...... ]

[lockedon]

[ being stuck in a group chat with mordred.....truly his worst nightmare

Thankfully Gray's the one sending out this communion, else he never would have picked up. But if she has a good reason for lumping all three of them into one (metaphysical) space, then he's willing to humor her.

Especially after how the past week or so has gone, his usually restrained emotions more prone to agitation and restlessness than usual. ]

Gray.

[ He doesn't acknowledge Mordred for the time being. ]

Is there something specific you're referring to?

[ He has a guess but he wants to hear it out of her mouth first. (Or Mordred's, if she wants to blab away like she usually does.) ]

[uproared]

[ Mordred makes the mental noise equivalent of a dog growling when she realizes Eustace is also on the line, but she picks up. Reluctantly. ]

If something's bothering you, spit it out. Just don't expect the mutt to be of any use.

[ She's only going to acknowledge Eustace if it means insulting him. ]

[gravings]

[ First things first. ]

Mordred... please don't call Mr. Eustace names.

[ A mild chiding. It feels a little bit like she's scolding Add. ]

But lately I've felt... sometimes a bit [obnoxious] brash, and sometimes very calm. It reminded me of you two, so I thought you might be related.

[lockedon]

[ It's fine, he will continue to ignore Mordred every time she speaks. Absolutely nothing can go wrong with this foolproof plan.

The feeling Gray speaks of does sound familiar though. A sudden restless burst of cocksure energy, followed by a fit of nerves that make him want to shuffle towards the nearest dark corner. It's not as though he hasn't felt either of these emotions before in his life, but never in such quick succession and never so strongly. ]

I've felt something similar. Did it start about [ vague hand gestures ] a week or so ago?

[ If so, then she's probably correct in assuming this is a problem all three of them are involved in… ]

[uproared]

[ Accusingly: ] So it's you two! I've been wondering where these stupid feelings were coming from!

Yesterday, I went to beat up an idiot who looked at me funny, but I suddenly felt nervous! Me! I've never been nervous in my freakin' life! And I couldn't even be angry about it later, because for some reason, it didn't feel like a big deal anymore! So I'm gonna be angry about it now instead!

[gravings]

[ As Gray listens to Mordred rant, ah, there it is — that bleed of anger she'd been feeling out of nowhere lately, which confirms without a doubt that it was coming from Mordred. Those bursts of feeling never had anywhere to go when Gray would feel them, meaning they would either dissipate and leave her unsettled or sit in her like so much carbon dioxide in a shaken can. Now that she has a source to the problem, all of that foreign, pressurized irritation finally feels like it has a place it belongs: with Mordred. (Eustace is safe, he's done nothing wrong.) ]

Mordred. Please don't fight people for no reason.

[ She still has time for a please, though... ]

I don't understand... Why are you always so angry?

[ She always kind of knew Mordred would be like this, but living out Mordred's Mordredness in real time really puts things in perspective. ]

wtf i never got the notif for this

[lockedon]

[ Eustace has done many things wrong in his life but at least he's not the one being accountable for everyone's problems now. Little victories.

That familiar upward spike in his emotions happens again as soon as Mordred's irritated voice comes through, which truly all but confirms that they are somehow all linked to each other for better or worse. (Definitely worse.) Gray seems to have taken charge well enough for the time being, and so Eustace is content to linger in silence while they both wait for an answer, though his annoyance towards Mordred is no doubt readily apparent through the connection. ]

communion;

[epiprocta]

[ Hello, Gray! You're about to receive a not at all alarming message!

Which is to say, there's a sudden nudge at her shard, like a finger jabbing into her side. Gen doesn't even wait for her to respond before simply dumping a low statement in her lap: ]

If I don't get back in touch with you within a few hours, tell Eustace and look into a bar in Psychagogia called Vive. A guy named Turek. S'related to that shard shit.

[ It's accompanied by a brief flash of a mental image: a blue-skinned, orcish man with pale eyes and a stern look on his face.

Then the connection cuts abruptly. Lovely! ]

[gravings]

[ ?????

Gen's statement is brief, but Gray's alarm increases dramatically with every sentence. If only she could be surprised that she's being given such a message; she can only be surprised that this seems to keep happening (even if it's only been twice). ]

Gen—

[ And then she's hung up on. She rattles in place like a jar of bees for a moment, thinking about what she should do, before deciding to skip a couple steps and go straight to "look into a bar in Psychagogia"...

If Gen gets in touch with her before then, then all the better. But he technically didn't tell her to stay away, so he can't be mad at her if she just so happens to be in the area. ]

[epiprocta]

[ Luckily for Gray, some twenty minutes later, she gets a second message. This one's much less alarming, but perhaps a bit more frustrating. ]

Never mind. It's fine.

[ Yeah that's ... it. That's it for now, said at a deadpan.

I'm so sorry Gray, you don't deserve this. ]

[gravings]

[ Bruh. Gray drops whatever it was she was doing (probably getting a weird look from some stranger for asking for directions to a bar) and breathes a sigh of relief. Her relief is followed quickly by (you guessed it) frustration, and after a couple seconds for her to collect her thoughts, she returns the message. ]

I'm glad... but you shouldn't go to these things alone.

[epiprocta]

[ Yeah, yeah, he feels that frustration. As the absolute minimum of consideration for her, he doesn't get annoyed at her for it since it makes sense this time. Though that doesn't stop Gen from making a noncommittal noise, the 'verbal' equivalent of a shrug. ]

If it's dangerous for one person, it's probably dangerous for two people.

[ Especially a younger girl, like, a full head shorter than him. There's a pause as Gen huffs an exhale; he sounds a little breathless, and Gray might get the sense that he's moving at a brisk pace. Not harried or panicked, but just heading somewhere with purpose. ]

Figured it'd be more useful if I could contact you if shit got dicey, and it worked out that way. So.

[gravings]

What if something happened before you were able to call for help? I wouldn't have minded watching from a distance... and I could've called for Mr. Eustace from there if I needed to.

[ She's trying to fight logic with logic, but it already feels futile. She could protect her mentor back home because he was fully aware of his limitations and submitted to her judgment. Gen isn't her ward, and he's the type to care too little about his well-being anyway. ]

Are you going somewhere else dangerous?

[epiprocta]

...

[ ... she has a point.

So he simply opts to ignore that branch of the conversation. ]

No, don't think so. [ At least Gray won't get the sense that he's lying about it -- Gen's cadence is simple and straightforward, without any of the complicated, sneaky feelings that come when trying to hide something. ] S'just that this guy wanted to see my shard for a second. Nothing ended up happening, so I should be able to handle it from here.

[ See? Totally reasonable? He didn't do anything insanely risky at all. ]

No need to worry about it any more.

[gravings]

[ She supposes he's trying to sound reassuring. ]

You can say that, but it's hard not to worry about you. Even on normal days.

[ If it sounds like a dig, that's because it is one. She's tolerant, but she isn't a saint. ]

Why did he want to see your shard? That sounds a little strange.

1/2

[epiprocta]

The hell's that supposed to mean.

[ He can't help sounding just a little irritable. It's not even like he's ever asked people to worry about him??? Right now was just a one-off exception. ]

[epiprocta]

[ Ugh, whatever. That brief prickle of annoyance fades quickly enough; he's distracted hopping a fence. ]

He like -- looked at my shard. Did something funky with his eyes while he looked at it, and he could tell I wasn't harmonized so I don't have any abilities. Pissed me off a bit, actually.

[ Bluffing's one of the few tools he has left in his arsenal at the moment, after all. ]

But if things work out, it might help figure things out in time. And net me some extra work for now, maybe.

[gravings]

[ Mention of funny eye happenings immediately pinches Gray with a spike of alarm, which transmits neatly over their connection. But all's well that ends well, she supposes...

Also she decides not to elaborate on what she meant with her last remark, as she feels elaboration isn't necessary. He's letting it pass anyway, and again: all's well that ends well. ]

Work? What kind?

bleeds my way into your inbox; communion

[lockedon]

Gray. Are you busy?

[ hi, guess who ]

[gravings]

[ her favorite furry... (sorry gen) ]

Mr. Eustace! No, I'm not busy. Did you need something?

[lockedon]

No. I just wanted to see how you were doing.

[ Followed by an expectant pause....for her to tell him how she's doing! ]

[gravings]

[ Oh......... well that's nice too. ]

I'm alright. It just seems like the people of Springstar like to celebrate a lot...

[ Slightly tiring, but better than war?? ]

Oh! I've learned how to talk to animals.

[lockedon]

[ ...................Okay, he wasn't expecting that one. ]

Talk to animals?

[ Like, for real? ]

[gravings]

Yes, it's a spell I learned... once I joined the Meridian.

[ ... ]

If there are ever any animals you'd like to talk to, I'd be happy to translate.