Exploration Event: Neverwere

[lifeaftr_mods]

EXPLORATION EVENT: NEVERWERE

Who: Everyone!
What: Your wildest dreams come true!
When: May 15th to May 18th
Where: Ziziphus, those still on Ensō...and Mu
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Then Know That My Life Was Just a Killer Dream
You can find most of the information you need in the OOC info post! In the meantime, feel free to use this log as a catch-all for your dream worlds, as well as detailing your efforts to free one another. Whether they're on Ziziphus or Ensō at the time of the dreams' capture, your character is free to access as many dreams as you like, as the interlocking mental landscape allows for that sort of crossing over apropos of nothing. And time, of course, is very fluid in dreams - many days, months, and years can transpire in a matter of mere minutes.

Will you fight your way free from Ziziphus's vines or Mu's thrall, or are you content to die in your sleep?

Remember to let us know if your character dies during this event!

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] May 15th: The vines make their move, ensnaring characters in ideal fantasy worlds
[ ♆ ] May 17th: The Storyteller will make contact with those they can, as well as issue information and a potential solution
[ ♆ ] May 18th: Those that have not freed themselves from the vines or from Mu will suffer a death

---

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[scourgingstars]

Oh, it'll be fine. [Ardyn shrugged, twirling a wrench around in his hand idly as he spoke.] I've mastered the precise art of 'I've ten minutes before a meeting and still need to take a shower'.

As for this poor thing- [he tapped his empty hand on the airship] I think I've just about got it.

[piercetheheart]

Well no wonder your hair's always a mess. [More teasing. But at the assurance that the airship was nearly back in working order Gladio smiled, stepping up beside the king to peek into the engine.]

You're wasted in the citadel, sir.

[scourgingstars]

Oh, it's an awful shame, isn't it? [Rolling his eyes with a dramatic sigh, Ardyn leaned over to examine his work as well.]

I could have been the best mechanist in the kingdom, were it not for the crown. What a pitiable waste.

[piercetheheart]

Best mechanic in Eos. [It's said with a grin swiftly followed by a flicker of confusion that furrows his brow. Cindy? Who... but Cindy is the best mechanic... He reaches up to rub at his forehead, meaning to dismiss the strange thought but somehow it just doesn't seem to want to go.]

[scourgingstars]

...Gladiolus, dear, is something wrong?

[Ardyn reached out to lay a gentle hand on Gladio's arm; a warm human touch, and whyever should it not have been?]

Have you been sleeping well lately?

[piercetheheart]

[And for as pleasant as everything has been thus far it's the moment Ardyn touches him that the vague sense of wrongness swells to something hot and angry. He jerks away from the contact immediately, gaze settling on his ki- never his king.

No, no that's not right at all. How could it be?]

Shit... I don't- [Sleeping well? No, of course not, he rarely sleeps, barely naps. There's a reason, more reason now. He's not supposed to sleep. Why isn't he supposed to sleep?] .... think so.

[scourgingstars]

[Ardyn pulled his hand back with a look of genuine worry, as if afraid he'd been hurt under just that light touch.]

[Of course not, he'd never have...right?]

Perhaps you should consider getting some rest. I can arrange some vacation time for you if you need it, that...shouldn't be a problem.

[piercetheheart]

Vacation time... yeah maybe...

[He could go down to Cape Caem with Iris. Cape Caem. The lighthouse swallowed in darkness, Daemons surging up from the coast, from all sides. Dustin yelling for Monica to get Iris out-

Daemons and darkness and somehow he expected to see all of that reflected in his ki -NO- this man's face.]

Tryna get rid of me? [Harsh and suspicious and is that really fair? Maybe? Maybe not?]

[scourgingstars]

Wh...what?

[Ardyn took half a step back; the natural reaction, when he was sure Gladio was about to pull a sword on him.]

[Why? Sure, he had a temper, but why did it suddenly seem so normal that anger should be turned on Ardyn of all people?]

N-no, I...you're not acting like yourself. [Wasn't he?] I just thought you might want some time to rest.

[piercetheheart]

Think maybe you're the one that's not yourself.

[Why did it feel so natural to be so angry at him? Surely the... the what? not King, certainly not king. Ardyn was not his king and never would be. He was something else, something monstrous, something...]

Accursed...? [He had to say it aloud, soft and uncertain to see if it felt as right as it did in his mind.]

[scourgingstars]

[Ardyn turned white at a single word, any remaining sense of composure shattering like glass. That word, the name he'd been given by someone he hated, someone that he couldn't even remember right now.]

Don't-

[His voice was quiet, Ardyn staring at Gladio like he'd just pulled a loaded gun on his king.]

...ever call me that.

[piercetheheart]

[For a moment Gladio blinks in surprise, uncertain how, exactly, one word could cause such a visceral reaction. He didn't mean to hurt him, did he?

No, he hadn't. Gladio might have been mad but he wasn't a cruel man. Was he? Something told him that the rules here were different. That somehow it didn't matter when it came to Ardyn, all bets were off somehow.]

What are you?

[scourgingstars]

I don't...know. I can't remember.

[Ardyn staggered back a little further, hands raised to his head.]

Something I don't want to be.

let you decide if he can have it or not~

[piercetheheart]

Can't? [Doubtful, almost accusatory. No he just didn't want to remember.]

You don't get off that easy. [He couldn't commit the atrocities Gladio somehow knew Ardyn had without... paying a price. A price... The ultimate price...

Noctis

And this time Gladio holds up a hand, fully expecting Hyperion to materialize, to come to him here, despite not being a member of the glaive, not being this man's Shield. It doesn't matter, it's such an ingrained response to perceived threats that he barely realizes he's doing it.]

[scourgingstars]

What are you-?

[The sword didn't appear, but intent was enough to snap Ardyn out of his thoughts, staring at Gladio like he was expecting to see a blade swung at him regardless.]

...don't. You...can't. I can't die by your hand.

[piercetheheart]

[Gladio scowled, fingers curling into a tight fist over empty air. Fuck.]

Death's what you deserve. [None of this was real and somewhere he understood that this time the illusions were not Ardyn's doing but it was hard to set that aside.]

[scourgingstars]

You think I don't know that?!

[Ardyn snapped that in something sounding like frantic desperation, recoiling as if he wanted to just retreat upon himself and disappear.]

But you can't. You know that. Even here--even here it doesn't matter.

[piercetheheart]

[He's taken aback by that, startled and surprised. Ardyn didn't care. He didn't give a fuck about the people he'd murder, others he'd mutilated, millions of lives destroyed and he didn't give a shit about anything but himself.

So why...? What made him sound like that? Act like there's any regret in him for the things he's done. Was it the dream?

It's enough to make him hesitate a little. ]

Don't act like you're fucking sorry. [It was an insult to the memory of all those that have died by his hand.

He's right about one thing, though, and Gladio knows it. He can't kill him and if it did work. He can't be the one to do it either.]

Might not matter but it'd sure as hell make me feel better.

[scourgingstars]

And don't act as if you know anything, don't...

[Ardyn trailed off, raking a hand through wine-red hair gradually brightening back to violet.]

...it's all just a miserable lie, isn't it? All of this is just...one long taunting delusion.

[piercetheheart]

I know all I need to know! [And this time he actually takes a step forward, fully prepared to punch Ardyn square in the nose, even if he can't call his sword. But then he stops himself, whirls to stomp a few paces back, more space between them, less temptation to hurt him.]

Why the hell would you even want to be here? Your version of Insomnia involved an awful lot more fire and death.

[scourgingstars]

Because I just wanted to help people, you useless fucking behemoth!

[piercetheheart]

How the fuck is turning all of fucking humanity into monsters helping anyone!?

[scourgingstars]

You think I was always like that?! I wasn't born some inhuman thing, I didn't want any of this!

[piercetheheart]

[He heaves a few angry breaths, knuckles white with how hard he's clenching his fists, restraining himself from lunging at the other man no matter how useless.]

Then why fucking do it? If you didn't want it, why the fuck are you torturing everyone?!

[Because whatever he might have been, and Gladio doesn't like to think too hard about what he might have been in another time, that he wasn't always this monster. It's so much easier to hate him when there's nothing redeeming about him. But past regardless, no one's been forcing him to manipulate and mutilate and destroy everything good in the world.]

[scourgingstars]

Because I...can't do anything else. It's all I am now, decay and destruction and malice. Hurting others because I was hurt first and thinking that justified.