ꙮ Well, it’s hard to say “afternoon”, here, even if most of you are quickly getting an intuition for what day and night feel like in Samudra - the clouds grow dark, the sky that breaks through them grows darker still. Much earlier this morning, some of you gathered together in a work-cellar in Ripple to show off the Liminal Library to Caion, and some of you have been rather busy since then, haven’t you? But Samudra is a place that takes lunch seriously - or, at least, Ripple’s Rest is, and it feels like half the settlement has piled in to the Whisker-Clan refectory in sprawling, organised chaos. ⁂
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- Aurelius
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← Active ScenesAfternoon, at Ripple's Rest
#full cast session
#chapter 3: samudra
ꙮ It seems like there’s always some kind of stew, here. Dinner? Stew. Supper? Also, stew! Lunch, apparently. Although it’s lighter - there’s a pleasantly-salty soup with pieces of seaweed and profoundly anodyne white cubes in it, there’s a -baffling- variety of flatbreads and crackers and odd spreads to put on the crackers, some sweet, some savory, some spicy, some a combination of two of the above. You don’t really catch the names of -any- of them, but they’re all delicious.
ꙮ There’s a table that’s been politely blocked off for the seven of you, including Caion, to have lunch at without being absolutely swamped on all sides by intensely curious and friendly Kushtaka, although -all- of you get lots of friendly waves and more than a few curious stares. 🙧
mumbles mostly to himself while filling a large bowl up and carefully balancing various breads around the rim, “(They sure do have a lot of grains for a place with so little land…)”
ꙮ There’s something like a stage, on the other side of the refectory from where all the food gets served out (and the constantly milling throng attendant to the serving stations, on both sides), and there’s a Glass-Ship crew playing, at this point, instrumental music - there’s a guitar and a fiddle and a flute and it sounds surprisingly like home to Wolf and Salme, at least.
ꙮ Most of the crackers definitely aren’t -wheat- crackers. Hard to figure out exactly what they are, though.
is an artistan when it comes to the cracker and flatbread spread- he swoops an arm out to nab a cracker, zoom over to a topping, subtly flick or scoop some onto the flat vessel, and then have it arc back to his plate in one motion. (Sometimes the cracker makes it to his mouth instead, in which case there’s another looping action.) Eating actions at the table only pause when it comes time to have a few spoonfuls of the pleasantly salty and simultaniously anodyne white cubic soup, and for when there’s something to say.
can’t honestly say he’s missed the taste of home, having so thoroughly forgotten it, but the sights and smells activate some kind of sense-memory of his childhood here and his tail develops a mind of its own as it starts gently thudding the floor in anticipation. As before, he carefully takes a little bit of everything Caion didn’t, determined to not let such a bounteous spread go to waste, his tail thuds starting to keep time with the music.
comes down from their room with Ĉasid in tow, with a leash so the little hunter does not escape again. They get a small bowl of food for the cat, and several of each type of cracker.
definitely has Preferences and they’re interestingly traditionalist - you get culinary influences from all across the Sea, in Ripple’s Rest particularly, but there’s some Kushtaka mainstays and Caion largely sticks to those. (Partially because he -liberally- steals things off of Archie’s plate if it looks interesting or novel in a way that would be fun to try.)
settles in with a bowl of the salty soup–with extra cubes, it looks like–and a nearly architectural pile of crackers and spreads, and digs in eagerly, having taken to Samudran food like a fish to water. He is, somehow, for those who are familiar with the concept…sunburned? Only lightly, and the Almachadtans would call it “light-burn,” while Salme might remember that he happens to be one of those supremely fortunate people who find it nearly impossible to durably burn in sun–mostly, he just gets slightly red for a day and then immediately thereafter turns a darker shade of tan. But how he got sunburned while on Samudra…? Who can say.
ꙮ Someone manning the food stations catches a glimpse of Ĉasid and a) demands to be able to give them a scritch between the ears but then b) gives Unua a big old chunk of fish to give to the kitten.
Unua is happy to let anyone pet Ĉasid
is happy to be pet. Ecstatic, really. To say nothing of their reaction to the fish, which is mostly ‘rapid devourment’.
stands outside the door of the refectory, having arrived last. “Hope over fear,” she mutters to herself. “Walk bravely along the untold path. Sing–oh, fuck it.” And she pushes open the door and walks through. Sometime, between morning and afternoon, she’s changed clothes. The coat Archie made for her hangs over her shoulders, held in place by three chains of intricately-knotted azure-and-pearl ribbon. Underneath the coat, she’s wearing a loose, translucent blouse gathered at the wrists that leaves her collarbone and shoulders bare. She’s saved from immodesty by a light blue band that covers her chest and midriff. She’s traded out her practical pants for a dark blue skirt that looks pleated at first, but when she moves it becomes clear that it’s different panels of heavy, silken fabric. She’s wearing sandals, and when she shifts her weight to one hip, the panels of the divided skirt part and it becomes clear the sandals lace rather high up her leg. Her hair is pulled back into a low bun and braided with azure ribbon and strings of pearls. She’s wearing earrings, delicate carved abalone in the shape of a bird in flight. She walks over to food swiftly, not meeting anyone’s eyes, and fills her plate.
Sorry, there’s a third thing Awoken stops eating and starts staring for.
grins radiantly into his miso soup but says nothing.
glances up to greet Salme–then finds himself with his mouth hanging open, spoon held in the air halfway to his mouth, dripping soup gormlessly back into the bowl. Then, with a wicked grin, he looks at Awoken and Aury’s faces in turn.
nudges Caion’s side gently to get his attention and does his best to lock eyes with Salme just long enough to flash her an approving smile and nod.
turns, flicks her eyes around the room quickly enough to find Wolf, and goes to sit beside him. “We have to make sure they know all Almachadtans can bring it,” she says, so only he can hear.
: “…Oh…”
finally finishes his spoonful of soup, allowing himself a small, somewhat self-satisfied smile. “I did wonder if you’d take their outfits as a challenge…” he murmurs.
finally allows herself to look up, catching Archie and Caion’s radiating approval, and then looking at Awoken and Aurelius in turn. She crosses her legs, and the skirt falls away, and yes, those sandals lace all the way up to her upper thigh. How curious!
: “Theirs and yours, to be honest,” she says, looking down into the stew. “Showoffs.”
grins and leans slightly into Archie on the bench, just a little. He’d definitely been paying attention since the moment she walked in, yes.
looks distinctly amused. “Come now, mine is a pale shadow of that of your paramours.” He glances back up at Awoken and Aury and smirks. “Though I think yours can safely be said to be winning, I think.”
leans over to Caion conspiratorially. “(See, now I’m torn between my relatively fashion-agnostic nature and wanting to see what I could come up with that could get that particular face out of you),” he whispers, gesturing to Aurelius and Awoken’s barely concealed expressions of dazzlement.
starts to slowly come back to the present, hands empty but still leaning forward over the table, and he begins to straighten himself out by pulling at his coat cuffs, pulling in his chair a bit, sitting up straighter. “Sweet sparrow, your fetching visage has fetched mine heart and eyes. No abyssal emptiness could consume your radiance!”
: “(…Overall cohesive levels still kind of suck, but I’m not sure I really care about that point anymore…)” He coughs into his hand after a minute, and remembers how to look at people without staring. “I feel like waiting a day is cheating a bit, but… well done.”
: “Wolf, half of Whisker-Clan is already. Well. ‘In love’ may be a stretch, but Caion and Silver-Throat both want to climb you like the tallest tree in the village. You are, I repeat, a showoff.” She eats some more stew and then adds. “It’s cute.”
drops his spoon, then fumbles to wipe up the resulting mess. “Pardon?!”
: “It’s cute. You make half the people who encounter you extremely hot under the collar. I had to try to keep up.” And then she calls to Aurelius. “Look at the skirt!” and she lifts a panel and yes, if you look closely, in darker blue thread she’s embroidered the same three-flower motif that graces his robe. To Awoken, she just gives a serene, and pleased smile. “Thank you. Though I’m sure you’ll try.”
grins conspiratorially at Archie. “Should I be worried about the next time Ksenija’s in town? Maybe I should start working on the next version of my formal robes sooner rather than latter, myself.”
is turning nearly the color his coat used to be, all the way to pointed ear-tips, still just staring at Salme, blushing and baffled–the eloquent yeresh, for once, speechless.
: “Ahh… a subtler, lighter touch. Really though, you have… outdone yourself.”
did not catch precisely what Salme said that caused Wolf to have -that- reaction, and he hides desperate curiosity in a spoonful of miso soup.
: “Caion helped. Rather a lot,” she smiles at the naiad. If she could glow, she probably would be glowing. As it stands, it would be impossible not to notice her smugness and self-satisfaction. “I am glad you approve, Aavikkokettu.” She doesn’t mind the insinuation that she cheated, because she absolutely did.
gives Caion another sidelong glance. “You helped? Oh, you’re in for it now. You know not what you do.” A faux ominous glower quickly fades into a teasing smirk.
ꙮ There’s a very slight bit of a hubbub at the entrance as probably the first Pearl cluster most of you have seen hovers their way in to the refectory; by the hubbub it seems like they normally keep to their own business and don’t join the crowd, and there’s a bunch of people taking the chance to say hello. They’re vaguely humanoid in shape - a collection of pearls in whirling coils and catenary strands held together with an invisible force, wheels within wheels spinning and shifting in every available way.
beams, again, utterly shameless. “Oh, I know exactly what I do.”
turns back to his soup and crackers, nearly hunching as he focuses on his meal like it is, possibly, the most interesting and lifesaving thing he’s ever seen–and thus, for once, misses what’s going on around him.
it is good that Unua doesn’t blink, because it would give away that they are staring at the Pearl cluster, attempting to understand it
took at look at the raised panel and dabs at his mouth with a napkin, following it with a swig of fresh water and another dabbing- can’t have crumb-mussed lips- and he doesn’t notice the hubbub elsewhere.
turns to look at the Pearl cluster. “What an unexpected guest! I’m not sure whether to welcome them in or give them some space - it seems like they’re being accosted enough as it is. What can I say, can’t blame an otter for being curious.”
can, in fact, multitask staring in multiple direction at once. “…Pearl, I assume? Someone you know?”
keeps eating her soup, puzzling over the odd textures, and notices Awoken’s gaze. She shifts her leg so the panel–just how high do those sandals go?–but the gnosis-work built into the skirt protects her decency. She gives Wolf a fond peck on the cheek and slips over next to Awoken, a little predatory. She does notice the newcomer, but takes a moment to whisper something into the Awoken’s ear that only he can hear.
nods at the first question, but shakes his head at the second. “If I knew them before, I don’t remember them now. I’ll at least just go up to them and try to say hi. Maybe they’ll recognize me!” He stuffs one last cracker in his mouth as he stands up from the table, then decides that he’s already swallowed it so he may as well have a second, and then thinks there’s no harm in taking a third for the road, and starts heading over towards the Pearl, trying to catch what conversation he can hear from around the edges of the hubbub around them.
collects at least a little of his scattered dignity as Salme shifts over–and now he notices the Pearl. “Goodness,” he says, trying not to stare too hard. “And I thought the Lightdrinkers were impressive.”
for their part looks like they’re trying to (politely) escape the hubbub, with limited degrees of success. They keep making their way, slowly, in the direction of the seven of you, escaping small talk with the dignity and skill of a lifetime of artfully dodging friendly overtures. Finally - with a look of -immense- gratitude and recognition to Archie’s assistance - they make it to your table, and they wave a tendril-strand at the Awoken in recognition, and then do something that vaguely suggests a bow to the rest of you. “Good afternoon! I was curious to meet you all. I call myself Synthesis! The Awoken spoke quite well of all of you.”
hands scratch at the table, fingertips tinged with tenebrous gnosis as it leaves illegible marks into its finishing, and it isn’t until Synthesis is upon them that his focus is broken.
returns the gesture as well as he’s able. “We’re glad for your company! Please, join us.”
: “A– ah! Synthesis! Glad you could join us.”
stands just enough to bow to the newcomer, then re-seats himself, smiling. “Greetings! Any friend of the Awoken is a friend of ours, of course.”
leans one elbow on the table, smiles at Synthesis, and gives a little wave. “Hello.”
: “We met along one of the beaches- gladly, as I might still be conversing with nooplankton to this moment were it not for their intervention.”
laughs! “It makes me happy when people talk to the noöplankton. You were very generous with them.”
ꙮ Their laugh is strange - it’s a warbling polyphonic -resonance-, but it’s unmistakably laughter.
tilts her head at the Awoken. “Oh, were yours very concerned with whether they were fish or not, or were those just the ones I met?”
: “They were and weren’t altogether cognizent on their names, and truthfully I’m not certain they have any. Which they don’t seem to have trouble with, either, so it all works out.”
spins on a dime to gesticulate to Salme! “You encountered the noöplankton very concerned about fish ontology! How tremendously exciting. I have not encountered that one for tides. I was beginning to be concerned.” And then they look around- at Unua, at Wolf, at all of them, and they just bask in the glow of an incredible amount of New Information for a moment.
mouths ‘fish ontology?’ at Salme, with a very bewildered look.
quietly, to the Awoken. “(Oh, they must have adored you),” nodding at Synthesis. “(Though the lack of name is still annoying).”
adds, to Wolf. “(You know. Who’s a fish. What makes a fish. If they’re fish, or something else?).”
: “(Wait until you read the guestbook in the Liminal Library. That one’s even more mixed up.)”
considered Synthesis for a good long while, wondering if he’s supposed to be sensing something or not right now and looking a bit confused.
shoots a flicker of a concerned glance to Caion, watching Synthesis take in his unusual cohort. “How have you been these days?” He asks the question lightly, breezily, but with intention.
just blinks at Salme for a second–probably just processing ‘thing that might be a fish but isn’t sure it’s a fish and wants to know’ as a thing that exists in the universe–then shrugs very slightly and returns his attention to Synthesis.
vibrates warmly at Archie. “I am well. It is very, -very- good to see you. I have brought you and your friends two gifts, although. Perhaps they both will have to wait, a moment.”
: “…Hey you said you met this guy earlier, right Awa?”
: “Sure have.”
: “Was there a uh…” He mimes playing an instrument.
: “Oh, are they about ready to…?” He glances up at the stage; there’s been a few changes of personnel. “Remember when I said that there’s things that we -sing- about when we can’t say them? I wanted to show you what I meant by that, and they love doing this one for strangers.”
doesn’t immediately respond to Aurelius instead looking to Synthesis with a nod. “Yeah, this is the crew I was telling you about. Of similar ability and differing comprehension.”
: “(But I gathered you figured that out.)”
vibrates at Aurelius! “There WAS! It was tremendously exciting! I believe it was my own!”
: “Oh, okay. Huh. So only a mandatory proc once, and it doesn’t matter how many of us are around I guess…? Suppose that makes sense.”
looks confused, in a ‘quietly gathering information he doesn’t know what to do with’ way.
: “And yes-“ he turns to Aurelius. “You’ll experience it soon enough. And on demand, too- puzzle that one out, or sink it.”
lifts his eyebrows, glancing back and forth between Caion and Synthesis, equally confused.
grins.
gives Wolf an expansive, got-me-by-the-ass,-isn’t-it-fun? shrug, grins lightly.
: “(I didn’t mean ‘on demand,’ there is no pressure to do so, but it is really neat.)” he stage whispers to Synthesis.
: “Anyways, they’re about to start singing.” He gestures with a spoon at the stage.
leans back and entwines an arm through Salme’s closest arm, clasping her hand. “(Listen…)”
squeezes his hand and nods. “(Okay).”
looks no less confused, but turns his attention to the stage.
gets in a quick “And then I will have a song for you of my own! But perhaps somewhere less crowded.” And then they quiet down, because there’s very very few things they love more than music, and they’d never interrupt a performance.
ꙮ On stage, the Kushtaka performers - fairly clearly a Glass-Ship crew led by their own Irós - launch into a… bafflingly comical call-and-response song about, well:
- You hear — and your Star hears — a song, echoing from the stillness: What Swims Below?
ꙮ Something falls over the entire refectory, as they sing - like an incredibly light version of a Circle, affecting everyone at once.
mouths the last words in the song, a -little- wryly.
looks absolutely bewildered for about a verse and a half and then begins to burst into laughter, but has the presence of mind to cover his mouth with both hands and sleeves to avoid being overly disrruptive.
leans back in his seat, toe tapping…but he can’t not glance at Caion, a narrow-eyed and thoughtful look coming over his face as he listens.
‘s mood gets brighter and cheerier (and it was already so), and he’s got a foot tappin’ and his open hand clappin’ on the table to the beat!
ꙮ There’s a -moment- after the song as the refectory snaps out of it, and there’s applause and warbles of gratitude, especially from the youngest pups, and the crowd goes back to its lunching.
has to admit the beat makes her want to clap along, but she keeps herself still and also looks at Caion. Expression neutral enough but if you know her enough to read her, and most of you do, you can tell she wants to argue but is holding her tongue.
grins a little at Aurelius’ reaction, and laughs, too. Grins at the look on Salme’s face, as well, and Wolf’s. He never really thought the song was -funny- before and now he’s trying -very- hard not to laugh!
applauds as the song finishes–it really was an excellent performance–but his eyes are darkly thoughtful the whole time.
meets Caion’s gaze and gives him a similarly baffled expression. “I’ve spent so long focusing on the music of other cultures that I forgot the particular trends among contemporary music. But it seems… spirited?” He tries not to laugh, but seeing Caion’s own repressed laughter makes him fail spectacularly, thankfully masked among the conversations of the refectory.
applauds as well but, once she’s verified Caion is okay, she’s watching Wolf. She’ll need to talk to him later.
absolutely cannot -not- laugh once Archie starts, and ends up with his face buried in his sleeves, shoulders heaving with laughter.
: “D…does… does one of them play a Jug - I. I can’t.”
: “It’s great! Ohh, it made me want to dance!”
grins at Aurelius. “Really quite a lovely performance, I think. Enthusiastic and skilled, the preferred combination.”
: “Ah it’s great. It’s great. But it’s so… Goddess I can’t even.”
leans his head down against the table, waving a hand in defeat.
: “It’s -catchy-, right? It’s -supposed- to be catchy, that’s…” -he’s trying to get the thought out, and utterly failing, and he tries for a swig of sweet tea and that was a critical error in judgement that becomes a coughing fit and a no-really-i’m-fine hand held up until he gets control over himself, again, shaking his head. “Archie, I like your friends.”
Aurelius’ laughter allows her to relax. “Archie, I like your boyfriend. I think we should take him along.”
meanwhile, was doing -something- as the song played - spinning and whirring, wheels within wheels. Listening, if you’ve known them well enough to be around when they hear a new song they’d not heard before.
smiles wide. “I’m glad you’re enjoying each others’ company so much!” He learns from Caion’s mistake and reaches for something a little more solid to eat.
actually blushes, slightly, at that comment from Salme, and flashes her a grin.
looks over to Synthesis. “Was this one you knew already?”
ꙮ The lunch rush -does- start to wind down, after that performance; Synthesis was one of the last stragglers to filter -in-, and it’s not like they’re eating anything that’s offered here.
: “I have never heard this version of it! You and your generation had not given them their current names, the last I heard this performed. And my recollection of songs is. Sharper, now, than it used to be.” They vibrate, whirl, curiously, somehow at all of you. “On which note, I do have a song for you of my own, and a gift. And I believe the Academician Primus would like to welcome you all to the Academy, as honored guests and research assistants of a respected scholar. The road is not long. Does this sound agreeable?”
looks to Archie, not knowing whether or not this is agreeable
glances at Caion at the mention of the ‘Academician Primus.’
: “Of course! (This song was what I was expecting, not the bounding dance number we were just witness to.)”
shifts his waving hand into a thumbs up.
nods agreeably.
: “I’ve been meaning to bother Solei - the Primus - about a few things. And I owe them a thank you.” He glances towards Archie, briefly, and smiles. “I’ll join you, if that’s all right?”
nods to Caion with a smile. “I believe our business here is largely concluded, for now, and it won’t take long for us to return here if we find we’re mistaken. I should briefly find my aunt to thank her for her hospitality before we go, it should only be a moment. Would that be alright?”
nods! “Of course.”
ꙮ Silver-Throat is… somewhere, nearby, but the level of horribly-busy-and-getting-ready-for-a-big-day that means she trusts Caion and Archie with the group’s well-being, and conveys her apologies and regards, with an especial note towards Wolf thanking him for the dance and implying she’s going to make sure all of Samudra learns the steps.
focuses hard on the feeling of hugging her, the warmth and gratitude of the embrace, and hopes that thinking these thoughts so hard will make them reach her, even if he can’t. “Shall we be off?”
raises her eyebrows very, very high at Wolf when Silver-Throat makes the dance steps comment, but doesn’t say anything.
makes a quick detour back to the soup pots and manages to fill up a large thermos with miso soup before regrouping with the others.
is not precisely -synchronising- his eyebrows with Salme’s, maliciously. But would the world be any different if he had been?
blushes faintly and very pointedly doesn’t look at Salme or Caion when he receives that bit of information, but otherwise maintains at least the seeming of his dignity.
does take a moment to nod appreciatively at Aurelius’ thermos ingenuity.
ꙮ One of the Kushtaka is -super- interested in Aurelius’ thermos and almost holds up the entire endeavour out of sheer whisker-twitching curiosity and golly-I’ve-never-seen-one-of-those-for-storing-FOOD-in-how-brilliant and Caion very carefully shepherds the six of you and Synthesis out of the refectory before it can become a diplomatic incident.
does knowingly Wink at Wolf but also says nothing, and as they leave the lunchtable, he’s not actually stuffing pockets with pilfered leftovers
ꙮ The road is, as advertised, not long. There’s no Swifts other than the little one that peeks its snoot up from out of the pocket of Caion’s it had apparently been curled up sleeping in, but you don’t really need one - even though this is one of the largest -islands- in Samudra, it’s still extraordinarily -walkable-, at least the short-enough arc from Ripple’s Rest to the ingenious bridge connecting the island to the Academy towers.
ꙮ They’re still at least a bit away in the distance, still, though.
: “Oh. Aurelius was super excited about taking the bridge. This’ll be fun.”
: “…I heard the song, again, by the way. Just before lunchtime.”
: “Oh? Which one?”
: “I am not scared of walking over the bridge. But it is objectively horrifying having it spawn over a samudran ocean. And I am willing to accept the hand you are clearly about to offer in faux reassurance.”
is addressing the Awoken, but speaking loud enough that everyone can hear. “The one I’ve heard, particularly repeatedly. That I think… belongs to all of you?”
looks at Synthesis with interest. “Can you sing it for us? What you remember of it?”
: “Ohhhhhhhh, that one.” He chuckles, somewhat ominously. “I suppose that’ll make the air a bit more humid for some of us.”
tilts his head, clearly very curious.
doesn’t interrupt, but she dances over and gives Aury a quick kiss on the cheek before paying attention to this. “A song that belongs to … all of us?”
-sounds- like they’re smiling, even if they don’t have a mouth to be visibly smiling with. “I actually… was inspired by its melody, and by. Words that came to me in- what you would call a dream, perhaps.”
: “First one we ever heard, I bet.”
: “It is the first of the two gifts I have for you, if you would like to hear it?”
: “Yes, please!” He gestures with his open hand.
nods. “We should be grateful to! Thank you for this gift.”
nods, smiling a little.
hovers along with the rest of you, walking along the road, some of their pearls whirring and spinning in the intricacies of their own mechanism.
begins to sing, with many voices all in close to, but not precisely unison. “The worm drives helically through the wood / and does not know the dust left in the bore / once made the table integral and good / and suddenly the crystal hits the floor.” ⁂
ꙮ (( God DAMN it Pellucid ))
continues, accompanying themself, expanding in scope. “Stray mana finds its paths in subtle ways / massless eddies in a trail of smoke / the names of lovers, light of other days / perhaps you will not miss them? That’s the joke.” ⁂
sings on: “The universe winds down; that’s how it’s made / but memory is everything to lose / although somehow the colors have to fade…” ⁂
lets the music swell, briefly, and then. Something changes, in their voice. “Do not believe you’ll get the chance to choose.” ⁂
: “Regret, by definition, comes too late. Say what you mean. Bear witness. Iterate.”
- You hear — and your Star hears — a song, echoing from the stillness: Against Entropy
alternates glances between Synthesis and Awoken a few times, his expression particularly hard to read.
nearly staggers at those last lines, reaching out to catch himself against Unua’s shoulder, and when he looks at Synthesis again it’s with a quiet, searching intensity.
: “Ahh… what a remixture of the familiar, inexorably colored by your essence.”
: “It’s beautiful!”
keeps her eyes trained on the Awoken, expression also hard to read, though she’s searching for … something.
: “Not… sure that’s the word I’d use, but. … You said it came to you in a dream?”
grips Caion’s hand and squeezes it harder than he’d quite meant to.
: “‘Complicated’ is a satisfactory word for the feeling, I imagine.”
: “I am glad that you think so!” They hover along, very much… in their own world, mulling over their own performance. “For several lumens now I have been hearing songs and melodies I have never heard before, and could not have ever imagined.”
nods, slightly.
squeezes Archie’s hand back- gently nuzzles his hair as they walk, even, to hell if it slows them down a step or two.
: “Was…the shared song the first one you heard?”
: “Yes!”
also turns to look at Salme, and goes “Hmm?” with a headtilt at her trained eyes.
: “I played it for the Awoken and he seemed to recognise it.”
shakes her head. “I was just curious what you’d think.”
: “And you first heard this song…slightly more than seven days ago?”
: “It’s a beautiful progression. One that could not be made without what came before, and could not be made without Synthesis’ essence.”
: “Well, or it’d be very, very unlikely- with enough otters chained to pianos hitting random keys, maybe you’d get the same prior melody, but who has time for that?”
inhales sharply, for the auditory-emotional shock has dissipated enough for his singer’s brain to kick in–and as soon as it does, he recognizes the song that Synthesis’ song is made from. “That song..? But how did you…”
: “And you have heard twenty-three unique melodies?”
wanders over to Aurelius, grappling a little blindly for his hand. “(How do you keep your thoughts in the moment while you’re here, Aury? Can you–)”
nods, again, to Unua. “My own capacity to track time is. More suited to beats and measures than tides and lumens. But yes.”
takes Salme’s hand and squeezes it.
: “Hold on, I think I know how to…”
closes one eye and tilts his head backwards, staring up into the sky in search of… something… for a few moments… And then.
: “…This one, right?”
: “I theorize that some of the songs I have heard have belonged to you. They-“ -they immediately start -playing- the song, themself.
: “And before the first time you heard this song, you had never heard any strange melodies like it?”
blinks a few times.
is, silently, entranced, and hasn’t let go of Archie’s hand.
: “Yup, that’s the one.”
nods to Unua, but obviously doesn’t say anything, until the song ends, at least.
: “Yeah, okay. And uh. Sorry if that caused some forced resonance…? Not sure if that was deliberate or not on your part.”
tries to keep her breath steady and focused on Aurelius’ hand. Aurelius‘s hand. And the fact that they are on Samudra and it feels like spring, or maybe high summer, and that they are doing, moving forward.
brightly: “That was a novel experience!”
grumbles, but good-naturedly, at Aurelius. “You know, it seems somewhat like cheating, to just be able to make music happen like that.”
smiles to Synthesis, determined to keep the mood light. “You’ve heard my song, then? In full, and with words you understand?”
(“Whatever events were set into motion have larger ripples than I previously thought.”)
briefly gives Salme a concerned look. Not… worried? Just concerned.
: “A little, though I was all out of piano at the moment so…”
laughs, a little wetly.
: “Not that it cannot occasionally be useful…” He gets a bit of a faraway look for a moment, then glances over at Salme, at that sound. He quietly wanders closer, and briefly gives the back of her neck a gentle squeeze of reassurance.
leans into the touch, grateful, more centered, present.
: “Anyways, I was thinking about things, after I met the Awoken yesterday.” They hover along, amiably. “And I would like to give you something I made, that could travel with you, and play the songs I have heard, and hear new songs as -you- hear them. I know I have been able to hear all of the songs thus far but I am concerned that you will go somewhere out of earshot of me! So it is not entirely, but I hope sufficiently, out of the goodness of my own structure!”
turns to Synthesis and whispers, not-stagelike. “(I’m sort of on the far end of opinion regarding that. Don’t worry, they’ll be okay.)”
also, to Archie: “I cannot understand a word of the songs I’ve heard! Other than the one the Crew just sang, of course.”
: “And my own, whose words came to me unbidden.”
: “Oh, like an auto playing piano or a music box? That’s cool.”
nods with a touch of relief. “How odd! But truly, you’ve been so generous with your gifts today.”
ꙮ Where “my own” is Against Entropy, to be clear, because Synthesis is often not clear.
: “You cannot understand the lyrics?” Wolf asks, curiously, still staying in arm’s reach of Salme. “Interesting…Synthesis, may I try something?”
gestures curiously at Wolf. “I am always willing to be party to an experiment for the sake of greater clarity!”
: “If I sing this, like this…” He takes a deep breath, and sings: “YA buv lovtsem, ya buv zdobychchyu, lis znav mene, ya znav lis…” The melody, to all of you, sounds perhaps vaguely familiar, but it is not necessarily one that any of you have heard before. “Do you recognize that song?”
: “Yes!” They vibrate, excitedly. “There is also another song, that is like that one, but without any words at all.”
playfully mutters, “Technically, that would be a melody, then.”
slowly finds her tension unfurling. She watches them talk, rapt.
smiles, almost shyly. “Yes, there is.” He clears his throat, rubs the back of his head. “Now, if I sing like this…” He takes a deep breath, and sings again, and he is very clearly singing the same words, and yet… “I’ve been the hunter, I’ve been the hunted…the forest knew me, and I knew the forest…”
: “Woah.”
peers at Wolf and looks like he wants to study him in a LAB but he keeps his mouth shut at great personal effort.
nudges his shoulder against Salme’s, eyebrow raised in silent question.
: “Is that what the words -mean-?” They vibrate even more excitedly now. “That is amazing. And that -resonance-. How fascinating.” They start whirring and spinning, relentlessly.
looks, if anything, somewhat more embarrassed, glances over at Aury and catches his look. “That, um. That, I believe…is the first two lines of my song.”
: “Yup.”
: “It is a very lovely song. I enjoyed hearing it.”
: “(Absolutely not thinking about things your bird has told me)” she whispers back. “(Trying very, very, very hard to not think about the bird.)”
considers. “Could you guess, Synthesis, which one of us whose song you’ve heard and which ones you haven’t?”
tilts his head slightly to meet her eyes. And then, very slowly, he raises his free hand and mimes it opening and closing a mouth a few times, before sticking his tongue out at it and shaking it loose.
: “When I met the Awoken a song started playing that I think must have been my own. It is very strange to have a song and to not have known about it. A good kind of strange.” And then a beat, and they look towards Aurelius, kind of specifically. “Would you like to hear it?” They look at Salme and spin their wheels a bit, thinking about her question. Rotating it, if you will.
: “It’s a great one!”
: “And, ah…hmm. I, for my part, have had the ability to glean the meaning of ancient songs through the Greater Song for a very long time, so it is perhaps not new to me. But as far as I am aware, all of us six can understand the meaning of the songs we’ve heard. I assumed it was something in the songs themselves, but…” His brow furrows, then he shakes his head. “I would be deeply interested in your song, yes, if you would be so kind.”
: “Yes, of course.”
laughs a little bit more at the hand puppet, and relaxes a little bit more. She realizes she doesn’t know signs she should be looking out for, but she doesn’t seem to be causing any disturbances.
has been, surreptitiously, keeping an eye out, and gives Salme a brief Reassuring Look and an encouraging smile.
smiles at Caion, warmly, relieved.
vibrates very curiously at Wolf and looks like they’re tilting their entire -self- to the side. “Curious. Curious. I asked Awoken not to tell me what the words to my own song mean! I will ask the same of all of you. It is a puzzle I wish to examine in its fullness and entirety.” And then, as the Academy’s towers draw closer, they start to sing.
- You hear — and your Star hears — a song, echoing from the stillness: Onkyang Ngatso Nyamdu Chenrezig
half-closes his eyes to listen, and as he hears the words, his face slowly and steadily falls into his best yeresh-ly mask of calm and dignity.
still has her hand twined tightly with Aurelius’, and as she comprehends the words, she slides a sidelong look in his direction, considering. But she remains quiet.
ꙮ The Towers: They look more than anything like they -grew- out of the ocean itself. Intricate, buttressed coral spires with huge crystalline windows, linked together with a spiderweb of bridges both close to the water’s surface and up in the air and even, you can kind of see, connecting the structures where they extend far -below- the water’s surface. There’s one relatively huge one, in the middle, and it looks like you can get from anywhere in the complex to it, or vice versa, fairly trivially; there are clear crystalline -tubes- running up and down its exterior and every so often you see something hurtling through one of the tubes at breakneck speed. An enormous, ingenious coralline bridge connects one of the closest towers to the shore - it’s built in pieces, floating on the water’s surface, with some sort of flexible material connecting the pieces, so that you could drive a cart - even a heavy cart, even several - right over it totally safely.
brightly: “I hope you liked it! I do not know where to begin attempting to analyse its structure. But for the time being, I am simply enjoying what it sounds like.”
ꙮ (( motherfucker Pellucid ))
: “A house is built stone by stone. Unless it comes formed like that, in which case, you lucked out.”
smiles gently at Synthesis. “It is a beautiful song, and I hope that you come to understand it someday.”
tries desperately to maintain his seen-it-all-before demeanor as the group begins crossing the bridge, careful to not look at the structures with too much wonderment.
does gaze about, enjoying the beauty of it, and she smiles at the Awoken’s words when he says them.
: “Anyways, before we get to our destination, the second gift.” They pause, and take a moment, to collect their thoughts and focus, and they extend one tendril, quite a -big- tendril, and it loops in on itself intricately and braids and splits and re-braids - and then they pull away from the construct, and it retains its shape on its own, an intricate knot of pearls held together with gnosis. They sound tired, but pleased. “Yes! Excellent! Please. This is… a fraction of me; I would have you take it with you, on your journey. It, like I, can play songs which it has heard, whenever you so wish.”
ꙮ One of you could reach out, take it - it’d probably even work from within the pocket dimension, even.
ꙮ And then the Academy towers await.
accepts the gift delicately and with a bow before pressing on.
: “You give so much of yourself to us- we won’t handle it lightly.”
just bows deeply–well, as much as he can while walking–to Synthesis, in gratitude for the gift.
looks… rather moved, and also pleased, and squeezes Archie’s hand, gently.
: “Thank you, Friend-Synthesis.”
: “Thank you for sharing your own song, Synthesis. And … there is joy, I think, in building a house stone by stone. Or pearl by pearl.” And she bows too and continues forward.
ꙮ The bridge itself is designed by and/or for people who are not especially thrilled about the idea of crossing a bridge traversing an iconically treacherous ocean. It is, carefully and deliberately, hard to see the ocean while you are crossing it; the walls are higher than they strictly need to be. (Unua can… probably see the ocean anyways, thought.) They are carved - or grown? - with intricate and eye-catching patterns that seem to lead your eye, and you, in the direction of the end of the bridge…
doesn’t really have two thoughts on the matter as he makes his way across the bridge, appreciating the near-fractal like-patterns, but moreover concerned and attentive towards their destination.
ꙮ And so it’s not long before you’re there, in the first of many towers of the main Academy complex, an antechamber with intricate ribbed vaults, clerestory windows that look like they might be wearing other, smaller clerestory windows as a hat, as a weird flex - it’s hard, even, to tell where the coral leaves off and the crystal begins, sometimes. Perfect, hexagonal symmetry, stretching high into the heavens and down below, under the water’s surface. And waiting for you in the antechamber: a Naiad of stylish and illegal gender, wearing an open jacket clasped in the front with an impossibly-intricate blue-and-silver motif embroidered into every inch of it, long flowing hair; their eyes are on Archie as soon as he’s in view.
tries not to gawk…too badly, but dear goddess bright, there is nothing like this on Almachadta, and he catches himself craning his neck to see every little detail.
: “You have come back to us, Scholar-Archivist, Scholar-Emissary. And you have brought friends. Be welcome, all, in Academy’s halls. I am Solei, Academician Primus. It felt correct to greet you personally.”
- You hear — and your Star hears — a song, echoing from the stillness: Dreams of Kinder Waves
makes a vague expression of honor and gratitude. “We are honored for your presence, Solei. Please meet my research assistants, Wolf, Salme, Aurelius, Unua, and Awoken.”
immediately draws himself back from his gawking to his best yeresh dignity, offering a silent, deep bow; hand-over-fist-over-heart.
bows, keeping their cloak over their weapons
sweeps her skirts out in a surprisingly elegant and theatrical curtsy.
jams his hands into his pockets, thumbs out, leaning forward on his leading leg, and he gives a nod towards Solei. “How’s it going, Solei!”
bows to each of you in turn- and they smile, welcomingly, to Synthesis, and beckon them in too. (They’d been hanging back, a bit.) “You are always welcome in these halls, old friend.”
: “It is not every day I get to welcome such an interesting group to the Academy. I’m very much looking forward to learning that which you have to teach us, and to share the Academy’s knowledge with you. By the Virtues, and the River Without Water, I welcome you: These halls are yours as they are mine.”
nods. “We have learned much and have still more yet to know and to confirm. But I come bearing a gift, for your eyes - and those of my assistants - only. Not that one such as yourself need be told this, but I encourage you to study it eagerly and with caution. I have some theories I would discuss with you in the proper circumstances.” He reaches into one of his jacket pockets and produces something that he carefully keeps out of Synthesis’s perception - a jar, with some strange substance in it.
adds, “Ah, and as a tip, it seems to react with extreme volatility when not kept in a sealed container. Please treat the sample with care.”
simply lifts an eyebrow at Archie and his…container…but doesn’t say a word. Peers at it curiously, though.
chuckles ominiously. “It’s the good stuff.”
peers at it, briefly and with immense curiosity, before giving Archie a nod of okay-now-put-it-back-in-your-coat-pocket;-you-clearly-have-a-protocol-figured-out. “I am… very -much- looking forward to comparing notes with you, Archivist. And with all of your companions.” Once the jar’s put away, they lead the group - and Synthesis - deeper in, over a much smaller and more normal bridge, and somehow the vaulting gets even more intricate, and if you look down, the floor is of coral -grown- in tile-patterns that would be impossible to calculate, never-repeating. “I assume you’ll be staying here at the Academy for some time, then? We’ve space available to you in the 36 th , I am sure you’ll find it to your liking. I have a concerning report from near Cloudset that I’m to meet with the Greater Circle about, so I’m afraid I can’t give you all a proper introduction, but my Archivist and Emissary should be able to show you around, I imagine?” A slight- and somewhat strained?- smile.
nods. “For some time, yes. Our thanks for the space. And please, do not concern yourself with my assistants, they are my responsibility and one I should be glad to accept on your behalf. I shouldn’t like to keep you overly long, is there anything else we should discuss before your meeting?”
shakes their head. “No, that’s alright. I’ll let you know if there’s anything I need, and… there likely will be.” A somewhat apologetic, and very familiar, smile.
returns it, though there’s a slight grimace as he imagines just how busy the Academician must be kept these days. “Then I’ll show my cohort to our new research space.” He bows, turns, and begins to lead the group out of the room and towards the ascension point of the tower.
gives Solei a single-handed wave has the group is directed elsewhere. “Good luck, boss!”
ꙮ The 36 th , as it happens, isn’t the thirty-sixth tower to be built, or anything like that - there’s some kind of ludicrously unnecessarily complex system for naming and numbering towers based on their position and angle relative to other towers, that then gets reduced through common usage into some particularly salient or unique number as part of its classification, and– the point is, everyone who isn’t Archie or Caion is probably going to get terribly lost, but luckily there’s always people bustling around in the halls that can point you in the right direction. The two of them have got you for now, though - and you’re led to a door in the wall that opens out into a little crystal sphere, nestled IN one of the transparent tubes you saw from outwith the Tower.
pauses on the threshold of this sphere, eyeing it…dubiously. “Archie,” he asks. “We are…very sure that this is safe?”
: “I’m always a little bit surprised that one of -these- has never caused a thoughtstorm for a newbie, honestly. But, they’re perfectly safe, people use them every day.” A reassuring smile, and he steps in first.
: “Do we… need to hold on?” His tone makes it clear that he’d rather not need to.
: “Nah! Academy Gnosis-work at its finest.”
: “Oh, extra excellent.” He confidently strides forward, facing outwards, viewing the environs through the transparency, hands on his hips.
looks a little uncertain, himself, for a moment, but crosses the threshold not a moment after Caion.
sighs, screws his courage to the sticking place, and steps in.
enters the sphere and goes to stand next to the Awoken.
does hold on. To Archie. Not because it’s necessary, or anything, because he hasn’t missed an opportunity to.
enters the sphere, staring out at the ocean
sighs slightly. “Of course, the downside of this space is that we’ll be visible to everyone outside the tower, which might make certain things more challenging. It could well be the point. But these can be darkened fairly trivially if needed, some of the botanists here work with plants that are highly specific about their light exposure.”
pretend that was Pellucid text RIP
ꙮ Once you’re all safely inside - there’s more than enough room for all of you, although Synthesis seems to have wandered off their own separate way for the time being to check up on old friends - the sphere takes off with a surprising Pop! and - you don’t FEEL it at all, you’re perfectly steady on your feet on the inside and do not, in fact, need to hold on, but it -wildly- rockets its way up the outside of the central tower with astonishing alacrity. From there, it’s another bridge to cross - this one fairly high up in the sky, with the same very high walls as the bridge connecting the Tower to the mainland - and then from -there- it’s a hallway, another hallway, and then a lovely common room with a bunch of very -nice-, brand-new-coral-smell (it’s a nice smell! Kind of like tart melon!) personal rooms branching off from it.
: “This is a strange way to build a train.”
laughs. She feels like a noöplankton trying to figure out what a fish is when it comes to these ‘trains.’
ꙮ Maybe I’m a train!
: “No, I don’t think so.”
: “Wait a minute.” Unua looks around
ꙮ Yeah, probably not.
: “Strange! I thought I’d feel the wind whipping through me, and it didn’t.”
only yelps a little as the sphere takes off–but he gives it a grateful pat, too, when he exits.
leans back on Caion for a moment, looking slightly embarrassed to be caught so off-guard by the sudden yet impossibly gentle movement.
is frowning at Unua questioningly, but she’ll leave it be, for now.
curls an arm around Archie, getting his thoughts in order. There’s a story he’s going to tell him, later, about when they first came to the Academy, and Caion was -terrified- of the spheres, and Archie was excited, and cajoled him on board… and he laughs, to himself, lightly, as they make their way to the rooms.
: “(Oh, but the urge to stand on these vaulted bridge walls and look down…)” he quietly remarks, after doing some mental math and figuring that he’d face too much opposition to doing so at the current moment.
hooks her finger in the back of the Awoken’s collar and says, “you can do that later. Pick a room for us now.”