psychoshenanigans | GRATIA // PSL

Entry tags:

GRATIA // PSL

The first thing he feels is the cold.

It permeates everything down here on the lower levels. What little warmth humans have made for themselves is greedily gobbled up by the stone walls that surround them on all sides. Despite the stirring of people in the streets, in their homes, and around corners, this place feels like a grave. A similar sense seems to loom over the heads of most who make their way through this deep, dark part of the world, hovering around them like a cloud of inevitability. No one has been outright sentenced to death, but they may as well be.

Upon waking, Tek will have found himself in a dark, wet alleyway. Attempts to orient himself reveal that he has been brought, somehow, to an impressively large network of tunnels that all lead, more or less, to three or four larger chambers. There is far more vibrant life above him somewhere, far, far above the layer of caves he's in now, and there is also a very deep, sluggish form of life somewhere far below his feet.

No one is coming to get him. No one follows him in his immediate vicinity--the few stragglers hanging around doorsteps and windows don't give him a second glance, or even a first one. The place is crowded, but not busy. Everyone keeps their heads down. The people are all dressed poorly, in rags and robes and bundles that suggest a certain level of consistent poverty all throughout the level. The buildings in these tunnels look man-made, either built from scrap or carved straight out of the rock of the cave, but the majority of the actual roads and cave walls seem to have been formed with very little help from human hands.

The place is lit with lanterns and dirty-looking florescents suspended high above in the cave ceiling. The air is thick and stuffy, the smell of mold and mud prevalent over even the smell of human stagnation. It would not be hard to drag someone off, and he gets the immediate feeling that if he did, it's unlikely that anyone would come looking for them.

What does he do?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Now there is a flavor of magic that he hasn't picked up in some time. He doesn't mean to pause in what he's doing, but he can't help the way his curiosity is immediately captured by the whispers of energy and twisting smoke.]

Oh...

[At least he sounds more intrigued than anything dangerous like alarmed or confused. Tek had figured that he'd eventually discover some of the the things that Robin had hinted around about Tonic, but he somehow hadn't expected it to show up so unexpectedly.]

[A few seconds later, the smoke almost forms a pattern... Twisting rivulets running up and down, curling every so often into tight, darker circles before continuing and eventually disappearing into the air above. Almost as suddenly as it started, Tonic finally blinks and reaches forward, waving a hand through the hanging smoke and breaking whatever spell had come over him.

The feeling of magic settles again, receding gently like a tide out to sea. Tonic settles back down, though it's partly an extension of the sinking feeling he gets as he realizes that his already unbelievable day may have just become more complicated.]

I'm sorry, what were we...?

[Maybe if he just ignores it, they can all pretend it didn't happen...? Maybe it just looked like he had spaced out for a minute... He goes to run a hand through his hair, but is again distracted when he catches the glint of gold flake out of the corner of his eye.

He pauses, falters. Hesitates. But the truth is, Tek has done a commendable job of making a paranoid wreck of a human feel safe and assured through all manner of very frightening things. Several weeks ago, this would be buried if it was the last thing he did, but after today...

He glances back at Tek, unsure of his vision, but finding a strange confidence that the other might actually be able to help.]

Do you know what would be... Dark, but with small pinpricks of light in it...? So far you couldn't grab them.

Edited 2020-02-25 05:51 (UTC)

[Tek feels the draw of two different instincts while he watches his friend during this mysterious little display, but they luckily play very well together. One is the tug of utter fondness, finding the whole moment and the person in the center of it strangely quiet and beautiful. The other is the draw of a new, open vulnerability waiting there before him, and he can't bring himself to stay away from it.

So, when he slinks forward in the water, moving around a little to the side so Tonic doesn't have to turn so far, it's both a gesture of closeness and reassurance, as well as softly closing in on his prey.

Either way, he has a wonderful look on his face--subtly both intent and adoring.]

You mean like stars?

[Ugh. It causes an uncomfortable tangle of primal wariness, but the defensive, almost shy shrug of his shoulders is unwound as he tilts his head to stare back up at the monster beside him.

The more human part of him is relieved, maybe even a little excited--which comes through in his crooked smile. He can see the answer to his question very clearly now.]

...Maybe, yes? I've never seen real ones.

You haven't?

[He can't help but be surprised, even though it makes sense once he thinks about it. And once he does think about it, his smile suddenly widens as whole new world of how to continue forever ruining his friend's experience of the world dawns on him.]

So, the moon then...

[It's his turn to look surprised when Tek asks--because that hadn't even occurred to him as an option.]

No, never. Only in pictures.

[Paintings, iconography, but never hanging in the night sky. He leans forward again, stretching like a cat to get the last of any unintended tension out of his body, and encourage the man to keep talking.]

What's it like?

[For now, Tek will let him have this. He can ask him about the smoke later--when he needs another card to play--but, for the moment, he is more than happy to lavish his companion with more drama and mystery.

Looking sly and eager about it, he slinks closer until he's nearly sidled up beside him in the water.]

Well... that depends on when you look.

Ah, I've read about that...

[He can't help glancing over more of Tek as he comes closer, even though he's quickly trying to correct the utterly useless thing he just said.]

I mean--that makes me sound terribly boring--but I have studied it. I know it goes through phases, sometimes appears during the day, that kind of thing.

[It seems like a good time to lean over and bump shoulders with his friend, leaving a small scattering of gold behind where they've touched.]

[He laughs a little because it does make Tonic sound like some sheltered scholar, but he finds it a little bit precious. And he can't wait to show him the real thing. In the meantime, he'll regale him with stories and pamper him with gold and oil--which he pours a little more of into his hand.]

And then you have weather on top of that, and the time of the year. In the autumn, sometimes you can find the moon looming down near the earth, enormous and red, looking like the world is about to come to an end.

[Tonic is excited to go back to being pampered. He glances briefly over at their various baskets and bottles again, as if he was about to consider what to play with next... But stops mid-thought to turn his head again and fix Tek with half a surprised look.]

Wait, that's real?

[Because that is a bet he would have lost.]

[Oh, how he loves to delight (or alarm) an audience. He adds to the drama of the whole thing by picking up where he left off in gently rubbing gold into the other's skin while he explains.]

Oh, it very much is. As are the times when it looks like a thin smile, or when it grows a glowing halo, or the rare times when darkness moves across its face as if being slowly eaten.

[Tek can tell that Tonic is taking him seriously. He pauses to give it a moment of deep thought.

These things sound fake, but they're being spoken about so effortlessly that they must be real. It's not as if Tonic has any way to refute them, considering that the moon is more of a symbol to him than a celestial body. The last one, though. Sounds menacing.

Not that the statement is in any way off-brand for Tek. He flattens out his shoulders again, a smirk sliding back into place the more he's given physical attention.]

It sounds even more mysterious than I would have thought. Do you like it? Or... Have any particular thoughts about it?

[Tek fails to fight off a little laugh at that. Such an alien question for something that is not only universal, but literally rules the existence of so many creatures that he knows. It's a surreal question to have to answer.]

Well... I basically owe her everything, so I can't help but have quite a lot of thoughts about her. You would have to be much more specific about it.

[...With the change of phrasing, he knows full well that the other man is leading him on like a fish on a line. Tonic will miss out if he pretends to ignore it, but if he follows, he'll be eating right out of his hand.

Lucky for both of them, this seems like a fairly low-risk conversation to have, and he is curious. It's not like he's got a whole lot of subtle dignity left to maintain anyway, after today.

So Tonic shifts just enough to rest the good side of his face on a loose fist and look ready to be educated (or at least entertained) by an answer:] Her?

[The game isn't only for Tek's benefit; it's something they can both enjoy playing. Especially for a topic as enormous and mysterious as the moon, it would feel wrong to just dump information without a little intrigue.]

Yes, of course... unless the moon has somehow been misguidedly labeled as 'him' in your pantheon?

[What a tragedy that would be.]

[Tonic fails to hold back what is something between a snicker and a cringe.]

Oh, we don't... [He shakes his head against his hand. He has the good sense to look like he knows he's going to be scolded for what he's about to say, at least.] Most wouldn't consider the moon to be a thing you could worship. It's just--an object in the story.

[Tek's eyebrows raise in an expertly unimpressed expression before he scoffs in derisive disbelief.]

...Well, no wonder this world has fallen to shit.

[Well, he can't take offense to that. Having it called a "world" is just poetic enough that it flies harmlessly under his radar, and Tek is rewarded with a nasty little laugh from the other man.]

Well, that and a couple of other things. [half his mouth splits into a wide grin, tugging a little at the other half.] Perhaps you could give me the basics, dear? Explain it as you would to a child.

The basics are that she is one of five prime gods, the most important beings in the universe but too far removed from the mortal realm to communicate with it any longer, and they birthed all of the many gods directly worshiped by mankind.

[He loves talking about this sort of thing, but it's the reactions he receives that he's really in it for. Just what does Tonic think of discussing the affairs of gods while being rubbed down in gold and surrounded in opulence?]

[Tonic has firm opinions about gods, of course... But he hums with interest rather than scoffing with disdain, so Tek's opinions may happen to fit into whatever that particular worldview is.]

And so, who are the other four?

[He's having fun asking questions, at the very least, and that's pretty good for Tonic.]

[Tek would have accepted any response (even if it turned out to be the wrong one), but he likes this. It's a good reaction. Tonic makes an excellent audience, even in this.]

Well... the sun is one, obviously. Then the earth, the stony shell that formed around the heart of the world. The fourth is the blanket of living things that wrapped herself around that. And the final one is pure chaos.

[When he gets a moment, he reaches out to hook that basket of rose petals with a finger and pull it closer to them. It gives him time to think of what to say--not wanting to offend his gracious host on several counts.]

Is this the common understanding, where you're from? [With a small laugh, he plucks up one of the petals to taste.] --Because you won't hear anything like that around here, that's for sure.

For those who care about what's written in the old texts, yes. It's generally understood that the gods can all trace their births back to one of these progenitors... regardless of how the knowledge might have gotten diluted and changed down the line.

[He doesn't care of it doesn't mesh perfectly with the greater story at large here. He knows he's right, and that kind of confidence transcends time and space.

It's still meant to be light conversation, however, so he tilts his head toward the flower petals.]

...Any good?

Mm, fresh. Want some?

[Without missing a beat, he holds out the basket to Tek to offer some, either as a snack or as the more traditional sort of decor option. He also shoots his friend a lopsided smile.]

I like it, darling, I just wouldn't go saying that sort of thing too loudly around the Priesthood. They get touchy.

[He takes a few petals from the basket to smell and play with in his hands, at the very least. He prefers his snacks to be a little more aged, and it's hard to fight the temptation to help that process along with a little of his magic.]

So I've heard. Though, I imagine there are many reasons I should steer clear of them, hmm?

[Like the fact of him being an abomination and whatnot.]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject