[hello rock guy. ryn's checking out what they can see of the dorms, already changed into a different outfit-- long-sleeved, high-necked dark grey robes and gloves, leaving only his face and ears uncovered. in this thread we don't show skin, apparently.]
...nothing too enlightening, so far. Have you seen anything?
rynlan is lingering around the island while they wait for the ferry, a drink in hand; may as well take advantage of the bar while they can, after all.]
...well. That's that, apparently, but-- both of them?
[You know what's a really huge mistake? Walking into a House of Mirrors when you've already got massive self-image problems! Zelgadis stands frozen in place in front of one of the mirrors for what seems like a very long time... then suddenly spins on his heel and turns to leave, walking right into Rynlan. (Sorry -- this is a lot like having a brick wall walk right into you.)
All around them, there are only more mirrors. Which way did they come in through, again?]
[rynlan is already a noodle And he's underweight even for that. he absolutely stumbles when zelgadis walks into him; he recovers, though, a hand planted on one of the mirrors to steady himself as he exhales.
his ears are pinned back, but they already were. that part is not zel's fault; they're experiencing a mutual form of suffering here.]
If you're looking for the exit, it's not that way. I don't know where it is.
[Good evening, Rynlan. If you're in the dormitory on the evening of Wednesday, you may see Zelgadis walking in the hallway and... looking different.
There are feathers stuck to his clothes, wedged in his needle-like hair, just. Everywhere. He's covered in some kind of filth that's hard to identify -- it's translucent and crusty and smells oddly sweet.
He looks over to see that he's been spotted, and faces Rynlan with a tired expression.]
[A little while after the announcement, Zelgadis is at McNaldo's, apparently gathering some food into a paper bag with a big happy face on it. His clothes look clean again! No more rips, either.
From somewhere out of view, a tiny voice can be heard going mew! mew! mew!]
Stop.
[It does not stop. He finishes packing the bag and turns to go... when he sees Rynlan. He just sighs by way of greeting.]
[Zel's at the bonfire by the shitty bar, drinking a shitty beer and staring into the flames. The kitten's there too, entertaining itself by scratching at some of the wooden seating.]
[Hey Rynlan, you might find Zelgadis at the aquarium! He's leaning against a wall like a cool anime character while the Blue Eyes Black Kitten is up on a ledge by a large tank, staring in fascination as a school of fish passes by. When one little fish draws near, it paws at the glass and attempts to give chase, before giving up once it drifts away from the glass.
Apparently, this is the easiest way in the world to entertain a kitten with absolutely no effort. He'll take it.
Zelgadis glances over at Rynlan and gives a nod in greeting.]
[hello zel. when he comes across rynlan, he's somewhere outside with a drink he took from one of the bars, but he doesn't seem to have had much of it yet.]
[Some time after the trial, Zelgadis is outside in the Subnutica park, sitting on a bench with a guitar in his hands. He's playing a melancholy little tune. I'm sorry he's such a stereotypical anime sadman.
The kitten is also here, sometimes hiding under a bench, then suddenly darting to another hiding spot, as if stalking something.
Zelgadis pauses to greet Rynlan when he sees him.]
[hey, what's up, everything sucks. he takes a seat on the bench, though his own cat's not with him. the fact he smells a little like weed still is probably why.]
[Hey Rynlan, we're probably just vibing somewhere when these two suddenly get dumped in the memory-hole. A memory begins playing on the screen immediately.]
MEMORY: THE GREAT SAGE
"I hear the voices of happy children." Dressed in robes of red, Rezo approaches while you sit, watching the villagers. "What they truly need now is food and water so they may live another day. The meager miracles I work with magic are of no help in that regard. I am sorry for always causing you hardship because of my blindness." He smiles apologetically.
You can hardly believe your ears. This great man... a man who can cure any ailment, who dedicates his life to helping the less fortunate, would humble himself before you? All you did was drive a few bandits away from town... and frankly, you're not even that good of a fighter.
You're quick to dismiss the apology. "All we want is to help the weak however we can."
"Even so..."
"Leave the dirty work to us. Rezo the Red Priest just needs to be a symbol of peace, a great sage that guides the unfortunate to happiness." You rise to your feet, standing to face him. "It's not only food and water. People always need a bright future to continue living for!"
"Zelgadis..."
"We're proud to be of service to the great sage, Rezo the Red Priest!"
"Thank you. I am truly grateful to you." He reaches out to touch your cheek.
"D-don't mention it," you stammer, flustered. "In these times, doing great good also requires a little evil. And to that end, I'll just have to keep getting stronger!"
[... Perhaps the screen was distracting, but by the end of it, Rynlan may notice that Zelgadis's expression has darkened to one of barely-contained anger. He draws his sword and slashes at the screen -- though it's too late.]
[the slash takes him by surprise, ears twitching back briefly before they relax again, but-- rynlan glances over to him, brow furrowed slightly in concern. the reaction gives him some idea, but-]
...is that him?
[the man he'd mentioned before, who did this to him. who, from the sounds of it, made himself sound an awful lot different.]
zel also looks up. he's trying to see the appeal, with some effort... but Aqua, who's out walking with him today, immediately latches on to one of those big plants and starts climbing it.]
[hewwo... rynlan is in the home biome, today, settled on the edge of a fancy bed in the scene it's currently set on. there's another shape covered in blankets, here, but whoever it is, they seem to be thoroughly passed out asleep.
he glances up to zel, though, giving him a tired little nod.]
[Well, it's the evening and Zelgadis couldn't even bring himself to go somewhere to drink. He's just out on a bench somewhere, looking absolutely hollow and miserable. A pile of black and blue flower petals are on the ground around his feet.
He glances up to see Rynlan, and looks back down to his feet.]
... I don't understand what... why any of this happened.
[rynlan doesn't go far, staying on the island for now. filbo's shadow got a couple of good hits in, he's bruised and hasn't evaluated if anything is broken, and he just-- he needs time to breathe, to try to get the echoes of whispers out of his head.]
[There sure is a lot to do and see today! But at some point, seeking a quieter place, Zelgadis can be found back at the dorms, in the common area. He's sitting on a couch with his left sleeve rolled back, exposing a row of deep tooth marks in the stone arm.
He holds his other hand over it, and from the palm, a warm little ball of light glows softly over the wound. It looks like he's working a healing spell, though it's a very simple and slow-acting one. He's probably been sitting here like this for a while.]
[oh, magic... rynlan pauses where he is, just watching, but as he continues to work the spell he finally enters the room to quietly take a seat on another couch. hello.
he doesn't speak up yet, though, not wanting to disrupt him.]
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w0 sunday
...nothing too enlightening, so far. Have you seen anything?
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he turns to face him and shakes his head.]
It looks like there are supposed to be more people on the floors above us, but there's no access. No apparent exit besides that locked door, either.
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Week 0, Friday
Conspicuously, the big slash mark he put in it last night is gone.]
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[what the hell. he's squinting at the unmarked door.]
Well. Won't be liable for fixing it, at least.
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w0 saturday
If we never have to go through that again, it'll be too soon.
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I get the feeling that won't be the end of nonsense trials like that. This headache is just a prelude to many more...
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w0 sunday
rynlan is lingering around the island while they wait for the ferry, a drink in hand; may as well take advantage of the bar while they can, after all.]
...well. That's that, apparently, but-- both of them?
[WHY.]
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What in the world did we just see...? Have you ever seen shadow magic that can do that?
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Week 1, Monday
All around them, there are only more mirrors. Which way did they come in through, again?]
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[rynlan is already a noodle And he's underweight even for that. he absolutely stumbles when zelgadis walks into him; he recovers, though, a hand planted on one of the mirrors to steady himself as he exhales.
his ears are pinned back, but they already were. that part is not zel's fault; they're experiencing a mutual form of suffering here.]
If you're looking for the exit, it's not that way. I don't know where it is.
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Week 1, Wednesday
There are feathers stuck to his clothes, wedged in his needle-like hair, just. Everywhere. He's covered in some kind of filth that's hard to identify -- it's translucent and crusty and smells oddly sweet.
He looks over to see that he's been spotted, and faces Rynlan with a tired expression.]
... Need a change of clothes.
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[he stops short, glowing eyes wide. helLO?
oh yeah and he also has like. rips in his robe sleeves that bandages are visible under, with a small cut on his cheek. we are all fine here.]
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Week 1, Friday
From somewhere out of view, a tiny voice can be heard going mew! mew! mew!]
Stop.
[It does not stop. He finishes packing the bag and turns to go... when he sees Rynlan. He just sighs by way of greeting.]
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Found something it'd eat?
[he'll take the distraction for a moment, thanks... he looks very tense, ears pinned back and failing to relax back into position.]
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w1 saturday
...at least we got there. But- barely.
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... We found the answer, yeah.
Left a bitter taste, though...
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Week 2, Monday
Apparently, this is the easiest way in the world to entertain a kitten with absolutely no effort. He'll take it.
Zelgadis glances over at Rynlan and gives a nod in greeting.]
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[he watches the kitten for a moment, with a little smile-
and the siamese cat perched on his shoulder also watches the kitten, before pushing off his shoulder to hop up to that same ledge. fish tv? fish tv!]
I was thinking the same thing.
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w2 friday
What is it they say-- three's a definite pattern?
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At least we know when it's coming.
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Week 2, Saturday
The kitten is also here, sometimes hiding under a bench, then suddenly darting to another hiding spot, as if stalking something.
Zelgadis pauses to greet Rynlan when he sees him.]
... Hey. It's been a long day, huh.
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[hey, what's up, everything sucks. he takes a seat on the bench, though his own cat's not with him. the fact he smells a little like weed still is probably why.]
I didn't realize you were a musician.
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Week 3, Monday
You can hardly believe your ears. This great man... a man who can cure any ailment, who dedicates his life to helping the less fortunate, would humble himself before you? All you did was drive a few bandits away from town... and frankly, you're not even that good of a fighter.
You're quick to dismiss the apology. "All we want is to help the weak however we can."
"Even so..."
"Leave the dirty work to us. Rezo the Red Priest just needs to be a symbol of peace, a great sage that guides the unfortunate to happiness." You rise to your feet, standing to face him. "It's not only food and water. People always need a bright future to continue living for!"
"Zelgadis..."
"We're proud to be of service to the great sage, Rezo the Red Priest!"
"Thank you. I am truly grateful to you." He reaches out to touch your cheek.
"D-don't mention it," you stammer, flustered. "In these times, doing great good also requires a little evil. And to that end, I'll just have to keep getting stronger!"
[... Perhaps the screen was distracting, but by the end of it, Rynlan may notice that Zelgadis's expression has darkened to one of barely-contained anger. He draws his sword and slashes at the screen -- though it's too late.]
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[the slash takes him by surprise, ears twitching back briefly before they relax again, but-- rynlan glances over to him, brow furrowed slightly in concern. the reaction gives him some idea, but-]
...is that him?
[the man he'd mentioned before, who did this to him. who, from the sounds of it, made himself sound an awful lot different.]
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Week 3, Thursday
Seeing Rynlan, he glances over briefly, but says nothing.]
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[he pauses, blinking, taking in the different outfit (but mostly the fact he's actually wearing something different.)]
Felt like a change?
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w3, friday
rynlan's back at the library this time, hanging around here with his cat; he glances up when he spots zel, though.]
-feeling more yourself yet?
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and nods.]
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w4, monday
Oh- all right, maybe one place here is worthwhile.
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zel also looks up. he's trying to see the appeal, with some effort... but Aqua, who's out walking with him today, immediately latches on to one of those big plants and starts climbing it.]
You like this place?
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w4 saturday
...what a damn mess. Not surprised, really, but...
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... You all right?
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w5 friday
he glances up to zel, though, giving him a tired little nod.]
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then looks questioningly at the lump. hm. should he not be barging in here? good thing it's confidence week so he's not too bothered at the idea.]
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Week 5, Saturday
He glances up to see Rynlan, and looks back down to his feet.]
... I don't understand what... why any of this happened.
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[like she really did it. so- what the whole fuck.]
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w6 monday
ryn is in a hoodie, but that's not really keeping him warm; he's got his arms folded around himself, for now.]
Why did it have to be so cold?!
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You all right? Maybe we can find some warmer clothes around here...
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Week 6, Thursday
Hey...
You doing all right?
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[glancing down at his outfit, brows furrowed.]
-and I definitely can't wear this, where did this come from?
[hi zel sorry zel]
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w6 sunday
...Zel?
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[He's coming over and looking him up and down.]
... You all right?
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Week 7, Monday
He holds his other hand over it, and from the palm, a warm little ball of light glows softly over the wound. It looks like he's working a healing spell, though it's a very simple and slow-acting one. He's probably been sitting here like this for a while.]
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he doesn't speak up yet, though, not wanting to disrupt him.]
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