The tailback of timorous souls | OTA

[callada]

characters: Rosinante, OTA
location: Church, elsewhere?
date/time: 7/7 evening
content: After the dubious honor of being the first to die, Rosi also is the first to be revived in the church.
warnings: n/a for now

There's a crash out on the rocks; a rattle of glass and metal, caught just wrong on sharp granite, and then cold darkness overtakes him.

And for a moment, he thinks perhaps he dreamed it, for there is the oddest sensation of waking from a deep slumber. For a moment he thinks he still feels icy cold. But there's no wind over the water, no sharp ache in his chest. The church is comfortable and lit. How did he get here? Why is he basically just lying at someone's feet? Who-

"Uh, sorry. Hello."

A few minutes later, if you weren't present for him being tossed out the trap door, he'll just be sitting on the floor with legs bent at the knees and lantern beside him. Death is never pleasant and he needs a moment, plus it sounds like there were people looking for him. They shouldn't have, but so it goes.

Comments

[paletteswap]

"We seem to be able to understand each other well enough." While he's curious about how it functions, he cares more about the current situation and that they can communicate enough to pool their resources and work together to get out of here.

"He likely would, though what I'm more interested in finding out is why these functions were created now. They've said we're not the first group to arrive, that there have been others. Yet previously they did not have a map? They were unable to translate each others' words? Did they not ask for such things or did he refuse to provide them for some reason?"

[callada]

"Maybe the reset undoes more than just the people here. Maybe it undoes his work. Retrieves the torches, unmakes some buildings."

That is profoundly disturbing. As far as magic goes, he doesn't like it one bit. It's like wiping memories, but of places. Or maybe it's more akin to time travel. Both concepts that seem pure and utter fiction and his mind just refuses to accept them as real. More and more, this place doesn't feel like it could be real. Perhaps it really is all some bizarre dream in those last seconds before his mind fully goes silent. At least that means it will end soon, so there's some comfort in that.

[paletteswap]

Well that's a level of unsettling that Kuai had not considered. "Reforming the sands of time."

He sounds distant as he says it, thinking about the fight before he died, a fight against a titan who had the power to manipulate time in such a way; to unmake people from history, to reset the timeline until the outcome was to her liking.

Oh he does not like the idea of that happening here. "That would explain why he was able to create them so quickly. They already existed in a previous timeline, he simply had to retrieve them."

[callada]

"... That's an explanation?" He smiles and shakes his head. The things these people say, sometimes! How do they come up with it?

"Maybe you're right. All I have are guesses with too little real information to support them. We'll have to wait and see, unless we find something out there in the woods."

[paletteswap]

"True. No use in speculating." And he doesn't like the road that's leading down either.

"When do you think you'll be back from your excursion with Lord Cao Pi? When should we set out?"

[callada]

"We won't be gone long if all goes as planned. No more than two, maybe three days. Any time after that should be fine."

And then he'll be dead, but how is he to know that? Hopefully the trip does go according to plan, also. Based on what little he's heard of the creatures in those woods, they may not take kindly to intrusion. But neither do pirates when in their infested home territories and he's handled his share of those. These creatures don't have guns, can't transform themselves into liquid, can't shatter the land and the air with a throw of the fist. He'll figure it out.

[paletteswap]

"Very well, I'll get things prepared." He turns to leave, looking back at Rosinante. "I don't want to have to meet you in here again, so be careful when you're out there."

He does think that the man can take care of himself, he's more concerned with anything accidental that might happen. Especially when their life force is in a highly breakable object they're forced to carry everywhere.

He's concerned, genuinely, but he doesn't know how to convey that without sounding condescending.

[callada]

"You too," he replies. Also not condescending, surely. It's good-natured sarcasm, complete with a hint of a lopsided smile despite the situation they're in, and he gives a nod of farewell as Kuai turns to leave.

Nobody here is immune to this place's dangers, and just because he made one simple mistake doesn't make him any more prone to death than the rest here. That's something he's fairly sure of - and he'll do his best to stay alert.