Scene Archives

steps into the gym, well past the middle stretch of the day. She had encountered Caion coming from the common room of their space, a serene look on his face and something she could only describe as a caged animal look in his eyes (which was interesting to see in a Naiad). He’d directed her to the gym, which was set higher up in the 36th tower–half polished reflective surfaces, half sea crashing below, weights made of coral and crystal and all sorts of exercise equipment she has no idea how to use and couldn’t begin to address the function of. She looks for him among watery naiads and few sprightly kushtaka and humans and metahumans that should be more familiar but seem stranger, almost, than the peoples that don’t live on Almachadta. A Naiad wearing a thick belt that seems to be made of systems of pearls that cluster and uncluster, releasing a pulse of burning gnosis with each contraction, nods to her when she walks by. She nods back, because what else is she supposed to do, and walks faster. She’s looking for Aurelius. Where is he?

has found an unoccupied corner in one side of the room that’s mostly exercise mats that aren’t in use, and seems to be going through a handful of difference stances with his - well, actually that’s not his spear and appears to just be a long stick of roughly the same length as his spear? But repeatedly cycling through a few different motions with it all the same.

approaches, and watches him move through the motions, admiring the skill and control on display. She makes sure she’s within his line of vision, and waits.

doesn’t stop just yet, but does nod his head towards her. “Was there something else going on I forgot about…?”

shakes her head, even as a small indent forms in her brow. “Just missed you.”

: “Have you always been this needy, or do we just bring out all kinds of delightful hidden traits out of you…?” His tone is very obviously teasing and not judging.

: “Oh, I’ve always been this needy, though you really bring it to the fore,” she says. “I’m mostly used to hiding it. Playing a role, you might say.”

: “Mmm. Well, I suppose I ought to help alleviate that then.” He punctuates his sentence with a forward thrust, holds for a second, then disappears the staff as he pulls it back and turns to face Salme.

: “Been almost a week since there’s been a Rite, had to find somewhere to move around for a bit before I went stir crazy though.”

: “Hmm… a little over, actually. No wonder.”

: “I mean, you can keep going. The view’s nice. Or, if you want, we could spar?”

: “I’ve been here for a while so… could go either way, really. Although I can’t imagine you’re the sort of person that carries a practice sword on you. And this probably isn’t a good place for flinging around gnosis, fun as that might be.”

: “(I don’t think this is a good place for fun, generally speaking),” she murmurs, but then adds, louder, “no. I don’t carry around a practice sword, and even a low-stakes Rite would probably be disruptive. I’m also probably not a very exciting sparring partner anyway.”

: “I didn’t … I guess I should, but I didn’t realize you enjoyed the Rite so thoroughly,” but it makes sense, when she thinks back on it.

: “I’m not even sure if enjoy is strictly the word I’d use in so far as… well…” He rolls his eyes, then holds up his left hand as he reaches for one of her wrists with the right. He then brings her hand up to his palm before letting it drop and lets go with a nod, before holding up the other hand as well. “…It’s very difficult to imagine ever going a week without being involved in one. So it’s strange, to spend so much time just… waiting around, these last few days.”

lets him do … whatever he’s doing with her hands. “I hate it here too,” she tells him wryly. “Though, considering the Beast, and who part of you was, the unease makes sense.”

: “Come on I know you know what a punch is.” He clams his hands together once, then puts them palms out towards her again. “I mean it’s not my favorite place either but it’s not that bad.”

tilts her head at him, a bit of a sideways smile tugging at her lips. “A moment.” She did come prepared, and she’s wearing a slightly more practical system of shimmering ribbon as a top, a long, loose pair of near-translucent pants that just happen to darken into opacity at the appropriate places, and a pair of much simpler sandals that she slips off and leaves tucked next to the mats. Her hair is braided up into the crown braids, and she’s foregone the earrings. She does some simple, loose stretches as she comes back over. “It’s not horrible. There are beautiful things but you’re being so careful it’s almost like you’re not even here half the time.” She forms a hand into a fist–perfect form, but it is very much aping a form, and aims a punch at him–while also sweeping her left foot forward and tangling it behind his ankle, trying to throw him off balance.

lets the fist hit his open hand - gets knocked a bit forward by the foot. “There really is no dial on you, is there? Just off or full throttle. I was thinking of something MUCH lighter than a real fight. Just, you know, throwing some jabs.” He shakes his head, sounding bemused.

freezes and looks up at him. She straightens. “I … was too, but I also wanted to make sure it was at least kind of a challenge. I can throw a punch but not very well.” She steps back and bows. “Sorry. Let me try again?”

laughs.

: “And right back to off… Yeesh. The intent wasn’t to challenge, but to let you vent. Though if you really want to get into it…” Aurelius closes one eye and looks upwards with the other before falling into a stance, one hand loosely by his side and the hold held straight out in front of him and aiming something that’s not there with the higher hand. “…Definitely not…” Then shakes his arms loose before falling into a different stance, though it’s barely one at all. Both arms are slackened to his side, gripping blades that aren’t there. “…Probably overkill…” He shakes his arms loose again before entering another stance, this time his right hand held up in front of him at an angle, while the left is extended and ready to strike.

is still holding her body in a bow, but she looks up to watch the shifting stances, carefully cataloging them, and then she straightens. “I think I wasn’t clear,” she says, and there’s an undercurrent of frustration in her voice. “I don’t need to vent. I wanted to let you vent.”

: “Are you sure? Because you’re the one that sounds a bit angry and is literally mad at the world while I feel fairly relaxed.”

smiles slightly, and noting her careful gaze shifts into a few other stances. One is… similar to the spear forms, but seems to apply most of the grip to the back of the theoretical shaft than the mid point. And then into another where he leans forward, clearly holding something massive and heavy in both hands, before making a few practiced slashes through the air.

: “Oh. I’m frustrated because I–“ she gestures between them. “I feel like I should be better at this. Reading you. Caring about you. If everyone is going to constantly walk around getting a bug up their ass that you don’t deliver good news gently enough I don’t want to be another problem.” She’d look away in embarrassment but she’s too busy watching him, and watching the different movements.

: “What can I say, I’m a complicated guy.” He straightens up before moving onto the next one. Which. Doesn’t even really look like a stance, to be quite honest. More like one of those dramatic motions Awoken is won’t to do. Leaning to the side as a slight angle, with one hand extended forward as though holding a bow, but without the opposite hand raised to complete the illusion.

: “I think you do a fairly good job of caring about me, however.”

: “Hmmm,” she says, watching him. “How many others are you drawing on here? I don’t even recognize several of the weapons.”

: “Each of them was unique.”

: “Seven. Did that include the two whose names I know?”

: “…Jorule and Annarr? Or have I mentioned others…?”

: “But both of them, certainly.”

laughs, and says, “yeah, Jorule and Annarr. I didn’t know if naming them outside a Bubble was …” she shrugs. “Did you just show me their stances?”

: “Names should be fine. And yes, though Jorule’s is more -“ He slips back into his spear stance and goes through a few different motions, though they’re much less aggressive and seem more focused on blocking and then doing quick hits and sweeps with the wrong end. “- than how I usually do it.”

: “And then a few others on top of that.”

laughs and says, “yes, his style would look like that, wouldn’t it?”

: “You might be surprised to hear it, but he was generally the vanguard of his group.”

: “If you ever want to tell me about the others I’d like to know?”

pauses at that information. “No. That doesn’t really surprise me either. I think he, too, is probably a protector in his way?”

: “Hmm… the others are more fragmented. The memories don’t come in as clearly as Annarrr’s, much less Jorule’s. The forms though…” He rolls a shrugs, remembers one last one with a laugh and straightens up. His right hand is extended and the curls inward, almost as if flexing, then he moves his left hand up to occupy the space between his right arm, occasionally flicking his index and middle finger.

: “Yeah, that seems to be a pretty common through line, all things considered.”

: “Suppose I did not fall too far from the tree in that regard.”

: “Sometimes I do wonder if that’s part of what gets lost, with the Mask. How much of what we remember is stored in the body?” though she’s absolutely flummoxed by that last stance.

: “Ahaha that one was even less fair than the stances involving guns, you’d never believe it was possible to use a harp as a weapon.”

: “I’ve heard some really poorly tuned harps, so I would actually believe that. Though you were cheating, a little, I think,” she says, unbothered.

laughs even harder at that. “Ah, no, that’s true isn’t it…? Heheh.”

smiles at him. “My parents gave me a lyre. Didn’t teach me shit, but gave it to me. Came back a year later and asked me to play it for them. I don’t remember it well, but I remember it well enough–it was atrocious. I had strung it too tight. I thought it worked like a loom and all the tension should be even.”

: “If that had been a Rite I would have absolutely won.”

puts his hand over his mouth and just. Laughs longer.

listens to the sound of his laughter, enjoying it, even if she’s not sure if he’s just amused himself that much or if he found what she shared actually funny.

: “Are you going to turn out to be a great musician too? I might not survive that.”

: “You know, I hadn’t really thought about it. What if music was my calling, not fighting? Would it really be so awful?”

huffs out that fond but exasperated laugh. “No, it wouldn’t be awful. You could be a musician, or a fighter, or you could go decide to breed chickens to have oddly colored eggs. Whatever you want, I’d write it into a story for you.” She looks at him, “I just want you to want it for yourself.”

: “Breeding chickens to lay oddly colored eggs, now there’s a thought…”

shakes his head with a smile. “…You really think you’re bad at caring for me, despite this conversation coming so naturally to you?”

looks at him, and there’s a sharpness, though not anger, in her gaze. “Do you think it comes naturally to me? Or–well, that answer did, but. More broadly … I watch. I listen. It isn’t easy with us. You know that more than anyone. But. I try. I’m not sure that’s really anything coming naturally?”

adds, “or it wasn’t easy, not at first. Sometimes one of us still flubs it. Sometimes it’s really easy. I don’t know if that’s … natural.”

closes his eyes and exhales as he considered for a moment. When he opens them, he makes a flicking motion with his hand in her direction. “I think, despite the occasional bit of friction and misunderstanding, we are both… fairly comfortable being our unadorned self with one another. And, okay, clearly you are not looking to be puffed up right now so this one’s on me. But, I do, seriously, think that the trying comes natural to you. Getting everything right on the first try is hardly natural to most people. Messing up and needing to try again and again until they’re satisfied? That’s a lot more nature.”

: “Maybe not easily, as you said, but naturally.”

laughs a little. “I come down here worried about you and you end up giving me compliments. Absolutely ridiculous,” she says, but she’s smiling.

: “I’ll take it, though. Naturally inclined to throw myself at something until I succeed? Yes, I can concede that.”

: “Phew.”

: “But anyway, no I was just feeling kind of restless. Nothing’s really bothering me in particular. So you wound up catching stray compliments instead. It’s rough down here in Samudra.”

laughs this time full-throated and bright. “Are you sure?” she says, darting out a hand to poke him in the side. “You were almost deathly quiet when we spoke with the Academician?”

rolls a shrug. “What, and interrupt the two of you to tell the story worse?”

frowns. “Usually I have to be really annoying to get to the self-deprecation, you know.”

: “That wasn’t even self-deprecating! It is literally Archie’s job to give his report to Solei. And you are an honest to Goddess professional storyteller.”

: “I know, I just. I guess. I keep thinking of what you told me, about how people react to me and not to you, and I expected–when I said that thing to Solei, about them dragging their feet–I expected someone to be angry. I expected. I don’t know. Something other than for them to sigh and concede. And I know it’ll sound like I’m being self-destructive, or I want people to be mean to me, but I just want–“

: “You want them to treat me with the same kindness they extend to you?”

blinks, almost off balance, and then nods, a little dumbstruck. “Yeah,” she says simply.

offers a smile, before flicking her in the head. “I think part of it is that we don’t all have the same base line expectation of what… a neutral tone is. And. Sometimes I say a bunch of words that people recognize as words and not sentences with meaning because birds are creatures of chaos. It’ll level itself out in time.”

: “For what it’s worth though I had a fairly production conversation with Caion and Synthesis and no one got mad about anything! So it’s not as though the whole world is out to get me either.”

: “And no one else ever throws out of a bunch of terms without context or explanation,” she says dryly. And then sighs. “I think that’s the thing that bothers me, though. The assumption that we all operate from the same base line when we know that is not and cannot be true.”

: “It’s very easy to forget though, when you’re surrounded by the familiar. And me and Unua couldn’t be more different either.”

: “Though.”

: “If we really wanted to achieve balance in a hurry instead of naturally… we could always simply let the others on to what a gremlin you actually are.”

laughs again. “They’d never believe you.”

laughs with her.

tilts her head to one side, then to the other, stretching her neck. “Maybe that’s the other thing, though. Sometimes I feel like people see … someone I’m not. And I don’t know if it’s because people don’t expect that I can be anything else other than what I’ve shown them or–hm. I’m not sure that makes any sense.”

: “Which it seems silly to talk about how good a job I did crafting a story of the Sword-Saint and then complain when people buy parts of it but. I’m not uncomplicated.”

reaches up to rub at the top of Salme’s head. “I mean, you did put a lot of effort into presenting yourself a certain way initially. Though me and Awa have obviously seen a bit behind the curtain that others haven’t.”

: “Yeah, so did you. The only person who’s really been exactly who he is from the start is Sininen.”

: “You could probably argue Unua as well, but, yeah, fair. Put like that though, it’s maybe not so surprising people have the reactions they do? We’re still not all used to who we really are, for one reason or another.”

laughs at that. “Yeah. And some of us are still figuring it out.”

adds, after a long pause, “though. Sometimes I think. 216 cycles, and everyone saw the tallies and knew exactly what it meant. There’s something unpleasant, about that kind of grief being that exposed, and wondering if people think they know everything about you now, or really anything at all.”

rests his chin on top of his hand, on top of her head and thinks for a bit. And a bit more. And then finally lets out a sigh, and resumes patting about the top of her head after stepping back. “Hmm. That’s a tough one.”

: “Feels like I should have something deep and insightful for that, too. But.” He shrugs. “I duno.”

: “…Small comfort in knowing it’s not yet time to add your own tally to the list, and no one has any reason to think about what the entirety of your story meant or was worth just yet…?”

: “Yeah, no. Poor attempt, you’ll never make Scholar-Therapist at this rate.”

: “Suppose we can strike that one from the potential future’s list then.”

: “I like it when you talk about the future. Makes me feel like we could have one.”

: “Good. Because there is sure to be some exciting news coming your way… soon.”

: “Is that just a joke about time or are you threatening me with bird revelations?”

: “Ah, but that would be telling, and I don’t want to ruin the surprise.” He pulls his hand back to his lips, holding up a single finger in front of them.

: “I see,” she says. “Well. In the meantime, Aurelius, why don’t you explain whatever the fuck a gun is?”

leans back.

: “Are we really sure Samudra needs to know what a gun is…?”

: “Hard to answer when I don’t know what a gun is! But if you insist I will add it to the post-Samudra agenda.”

waves a hand dismissively.

: “You have crossbows, right?”

nods

: “So imagine that, except either much smaller or much larger, and without needing the bow part. Because it has been replaced by a hallow circular chamber that uses blasting powder to fling metal projectiles instead of arrows.”

stares at him for a moment, and her gaze slides away from him, like she’s focusing on seeing something that’s there and isn’t there. “Ah. I do see. Okay. That seems … do you have those on the Beast or is this a Bird Invention?”

: “I’m sure we have some on the Beast, jury’s out on how practical they are though. Bird ones are much more sophisticated and powerful.”

Nods. “There’s several in the Rite too. When you said it I could see it. Though, of course, I’m sure Bird ones are better.”

: “Huh, are there?” A pause. “Oh! Right, no didn’t even have to look hard. [Snipe], obviously.”

: “Yeah. And that’s mine and it never really … made any sense. [Hip Shot] too. Which, notably, does not say ‘hip knife-throw’.”

: “You could still shoot from the hip with a crossbow, but yeah, it’s definitely more of a gun thing.”

: “Huh maybe they’re better on Beast than I thought.”

: “I feel like you generally don’t want to carry a loaded crossbow around at your hip? I mean, not my weapon, maybe you know something I don’t, but that seems like a good way to have regrets.”

: “A spiritual hip shot. But fair.”

lets an oddly long amount of time pass, and then says, “I did think of … something. A problem I’d like to solve, I think, though I don’t know if it’s a problem that needs solving. Would you be willing to lend me your opinion?”

: “With a lead in that vague I can only say; yes, of course.”

: “I was thinking about. Not time, but space. How worried I am about losing some of you. How sometimes I have to be a Scholar-Archivist myself to find anyone here and. I didn’t know if it would make sense to have. A way we could all find each other?”

: “Or.”

wrings her wrist where she’s been wearing her irrica bracelet with her free hand. “At least, a way I could find you and Awoken. And maybe you two could find me.”

snaps his fingers.

: “That’s what I meant to ask Caion about, gnosis signatures.”

: “…I think we can work in a solution to that particular worry with the upcoming surprise though.”

: “…So look forward to that. In the mean time, however -“ He produces a highly details map of the 36th Tower, the passage ways through it, and the ways into the surrounding areas. “You can use this to help you find your way.”

blinks at it, and then grins up at him. “The cartogrix works here?”

: “Made a new one but yeah.”

: “Never leave home without a good map.”

: “Do you have a copy for yourself? Not that you would ever get lost.”

: “I’ve stared at it long enough that I can get by for a few days without it. If I do find I need it, though, I’ll simply track you down myself.”

’s expression goes through several different, intense emotions, before she settles on a quick smile. “Thank you,” she says, popping up to peck him on his cheek. “And. You don’t have to tell me what happened with Caion and Synthesis, but if you decide you want to, I’m working on the Bubble spell so we can talk anywhere.”

: “Sure. We’ll see if he can manage to resist bringing it up before Surprises reach deployment phase.”