sentinel

to be affiliated Hokma of Library of Ruina

[excubiara]

"Yes, truly, leave it to this island to reinvent Abnormalities." The 'joke' was delivered plainly as the being with a clock face looked up at him expressionlessly. It's ichorous canine body seeming to ink out everything it walked on, albeit the ink disappearing into the ground.

"...I suppose this one is mine, then." It made no noise, except for a tick, tock, tick, tock.

[bibliothecaires]

Angela folds her arms her arms when Hokma brings up the Library. "It appears that our abilities here are immensely limited, but if we were given at least a page upon arrival then surely we should be able to regain more of our powers if we appease whatever authority rules over this place."

A reluctant sigh escapes her shortly after, slightly annoyed with her own conclusion. She listens intently to him still as he adds on to what she mentioned prior, nodding with each key point. It's true that their circumstance puts W Corp's Singularity nearly to shame; all the more reason to get their bearings and adapt as best and soon as possible.

She skims through the religious text in her hands, her finger stopping on the passage she kept note of. "You're correct, but what's caught my attention is the claim that devotees can hear either voices of the fused deity this church worships. While it could be an asinine connection, I can't help but think of the Distortion Phenomenon, and..."

Angela trails off, the mere thought of Carmen leaving a tang of unpleasantry in her.

[excubiara]

"Mm." His wordless agreement to her unspoken trail - at this point it was not difficult to know what she was thinking, and whom she was thinking of. After all, the ordeals that had occurred on the Floor of Religion were not lost on either of them, nor their conversations regarding her creation and everything that had transpired since.

A fused deity, not uncommon, of course. Deities comprised of multiple parts, peoples, concepts, had existed throughout time, and so there was little reason for this place to be different.

"I do not believe the connection is asinine. In fact, considering similarities and differences between systems is astute." A compliment, though less rare these days, was rare from him nonetheless.

"I would consider that to have been the point of our respective Floors, our level of knowledge. Such connections will likely be what preserves us, here." In such a theoretical place, a virtual unknown, and something beyond the perpetual nothingness of traveling around time itself or a sleep-wake cycle or a death-life cycle - well, there was truly little else to suppose this place would be other than:

"A convergence. A fused deity. Connections between people. Instead of between what lies within the self, it would simply be the conceptual nature of eliminating the space that lies between worlds. However that may be accomplished." He was, after all, an engineer and not a theoretical physicist.

[excubiara]

Seeing the ocean again was oddly nostalgic. Given the places they could apparently end up, however, he was unsurprised to find himself with a dreary backdrop - continued nostalgia, if only due to the typical dreary state of any beach in the City. It felt something akin to fate, although likely simply a cross between punishment, atonement, and some measure of providing a similar enough environment.

Green eyes surveyed the building in front of the trio, and only served to dishearten him given their distinct lack of personal combat resources.

"It seems we find ourselves at disadvantage and advantage both." Gesturing to some of the broken crates outside of the facility, he indicates the manufactured food. The advantage being that resources seemed plentiful, with more to come within the facility.

The stark disadvantage seemed to be the large claw marks that had torn the crates open, seemingly leading back into the facility.

"While we three are used to such things, it is doubtful that we will have easy access to any of the measures within the facility that would typically let us control our situation."

That, and...

He was truly uncertain about how this little 'family vacation' may turn out.

"Now would be the best time to discuss our plan going forward, Sir Ayin, Angela.""

@bibliothecaires & @sccdoflight

[bibliothecaires]

She lets out a soft chuckle at his remark, her eyes lingering on the sword before looking back up at him. She's soon left in awe when he shows her his E.G.O. page before giving an affirming nod. "I, too, am in possession of a page. It doesn't offer much offense, unfortunately. Better than nothing, I suppose."

Angela's smile wavers when Hokma mentions the other Librarians, "You're correct. It looks like it's the two of us at the moment." She softly exhales and gestures over to the book that remained in her seat. "I thought it best to familiarize myself with this world's texts as quickly as possible. Truthfully, it's like learning about the City all over again. Despite the differences, there are also some striking similarities."

For one, there's whatever beings or power is responsible in bringing them here. While she hasn't found much information regarding that yet, she couldn't help but equate it to the Head. Angela pulls herself from her thoughts and glances over at Hokma, "Since we're here, I think it would be safe to assume that others could possibly appear here as well. Although... Who knows when that could happen." And there's no point in hinging hope on the possibility either.

She picks up her book, flipping through its pages once more until she lands on her bookmark. "Their religion is intriguing, although the stories pertaining to it read like some sort of fairy tale. Some details are a bit... perplexing, to say the least."

[excubiara]

"The very fact that we have been handed piecemeal is a concern, but one that we will ascertain soon enough." He looks at the book she gestures to, nodding as she explains her rationale. His very own, he reasons, as she explains what she has found so bar. "There is also the fact that we can be pulled from the Library at all, or that it would not follow you." But she was right - the sprawling metropolis had more to distinguish it from the City in terms of physical appearance, but it was likely the same at its heart.

"Truthfully, there is some comfort in the similarities. That simply means that we can navigate under some preliminary assumptions - that being that we will likely be spared attention until we gain some modicum of power, or create enough of an issue to be worth more than this dimension's equivalent of Sweepers." He holds up one finger. "And two - as you said. If we are here, it would be rationale to assume the others may arrive." He holds up a second finger. "Three - were we able to move through multidimensional space, maintaining our physical forms as we were in the Library, then this is a technology beyond physics we have personally experience. Even W's Singularity can not accomplish nearly as much. In fact, it is more akin to an Invitation."

Placing his fingers down and his hand back by his side, he raises an eyebrow at the explanation of the religion. "Religion is often perplexing - fairy tales and rumors typically serve as the sources of it."

[excubiara]

Even for the most calm and collected, it was disorienting to wake up in a place completely unknown to you - even if it had happened at least once. Twice if we consider circumstances as unfamiliar - but certainly at least once.

At least, he considered, that he did not feel the same salient undercurrent of anger this time. Recalling his own studies - The Conceptual and Theoretical Basis for Multi-universe Travel came to mind - but noting that they were certainly lacking due to laws surrounding Singularities, he did, certainly, set to surveying his surroundings.

But all of the analytics thinking in the world could not have fully prepared him for seeing...

"...Sir Ayin?" A hallowed name passing from his mouth almost without a second thought, as though pulled from the very depths of his being. Another beat passes, and he thinks that, no, it certainly couldn't be - such hopes had been long crushed, and yet.

"..." His attempts to speak further are quashed by a rush of emotions, varying in degree and intensity, as he swallows them back. For more moments than the typically collected Librarian, the typically collected Sephirah, the typically collected scientist (although never quite wearing that easygoing expression he could make, not ever again, truly, as any pretense of ease had long since been quashed) could stand, he could only awkwardly stare as he collected himself.

Finally, he speaks: "...My apologies. In the myriad possibilities a 'new world' would bring about, I had not expected to see you." Censoring himself, his mind simply thinking (had not dared to hope for such a thing).

@sccdoflight

[sccdoflight]

Ayin is trying to adjust to it all.

The possibilities, namely -- that both Angela and Carmen are who he knew, and yet wholly different, having experienced things he knew not to come. The haunting by these ghosts, of both his past and not-quite-his future, sits in his mind. The how is a pressing question -- more pressing than anything else, or at least, he can not afford to let the welling emotions overwhelm rational thought.

He thought the surprises were over, or had dared to hope -- clearly, whoever ran this strange experiment of a city had other plans.

The voice is familiar -- the reverence that hangs in the tone, the reservation, the last voice he'd heard before he'd found himself here. How can he mistake it for anything else? But the face that accompanies it is not, and when he takes the other fully in, his brows furrow, giving the taller man (he had certainly not been this much taller than him the last time they spoke) a quizzical look-over.

"Benjamin?"

Ayin tests the name in his mouth, forcing himself to hold the other in his view.

[excubiara]

The questioning tone is...

Odd.

Surely he knew. He had to know, and yet the present reality was that he didn't, and so, of course, "B" - Hokma - would simply accept this. This was his own atonement for his own sins. And so a gentle expression graced his features, something only shown to few of his fellow Librarians.

"Yes."

He is, suddenly, even more self-conscious of the wooden blade hanging on his person, particularly when his hand grips it so tightly it could surely splinter in this current iteration of himself.

"I had not considered that I could find something worthwhile to the sudden mess we all find ourselves in." Nor joyful. But that part of himself is restrained. Kept hidden away.

"I am sure it is apparent that...Much and more has happened."

Not that he is fully aware of Ayin's time, particularly acknowledging that he is here at all. But that is something he would rather not discuss. That wrenching feeling.

[bibliothecaires]

@excubiara

This church is home to two deities still worshipped by the locals. There's a few details that don't sit well with Angela, such as the followers of this church hearing the voices of these beings in hopes of achieving enlightenment. It reminds her all too well of the musicians of Breman, the Church of Gears, and--

She shakes her head, attempting to clear her thoughts as she saves the page she left off. Sighing, Angela closes the tome and places it next to her as she rises from the pew. While she would devote herself to finishing its contents in one sitting, she's left a bit wearied after getting halfway through. She decides to pace around the church and examines the religious artifacts along the walls. She completes one lap, then one more before stopping back at her seat.

When she's about to resume her reading, she hears the doors behind her open and she glances over to see who will step inside. Angela only stands, her mouth hanging slightly agape when she sees her companion walk into the hallowed halls. She nearly gives into the impulse to rush to Hokma, but withholds and steadies herself. Instead, she walks towards him with a gentle smile, relieved to reunite with one of her fellow Librarians.

One peculiar difference, however, is that he's currently holding a wooden sword instead of his signature baton. "That is... A rather interesting accessory," Angela jests lightly. A rather fitting and welcome welcoming coincidence also to find him in this world's church. Perhaps he's here for the same reason as her? "It's good to see you, Hokma."

[excubiara]

It is quite likely they were on the same page, and the thought occurred to him upon arrival. She does, however, look quite surprised - only adding to his personal theory that there were very few of them there of the 'Librarians'. Being cast from the City had surely not meant this, but those were multidimensional theories for another time.

"I simply have not found a place to set it down." Accompanied by an exhale, he regards the wooden sword in his hand. Much akin to something a child would be given to play with, and surely something that would snap off the moment he decided to use it as a weapon.

"Luckily, however, I have also been given this." Briefly, he pulls the E.G.O. page for The Price of Silence from his coat, before putting it away, seemingly so that others could not see nor gauge what their current strength - or lack thereof, was. "I have yet to try it, but given the lack of other options, it seems to be our best possible defense."

That, and he was hardly sure 'lucky' was the word he would use for their situation going forward. "Based on your expression upon my arrival, I imagine there aren't any of the others." Although her being happy to see him, he concluded, meant that they likely remembered the same things.

"Still, it is good to see you as well, Angela."

[excubiara]

Even for the most calm and collected, it was disorienting to wake up in a place completely unknown to you - even if it had happened at least once. Twice if we consider circumstances as unfamiliar - but certainly at least once.

At least, he considered, that he did not feel the same salient undercurrent of anger this time. Recalling his own studies - The Conceptual and Theoretical Basis for Multi-universe Travel came to mind - but noting that they were certainly lacking due to laws surrounding Singularities, he did, certainly, set to surveying his surroundings.

But all of the analytics thinking in the world could not have fully prepared him for seeing...

"...Sir Ayin?" A hallowed name passing from his mouth almost without a second thought, as though pulled from the very depths of his being. Another beat passes, and he thinks that, no, it certainly couldn't be - such hopes had been long crushed, and yet.

"..." His attempts to speak further are quashed by a rush of emotions, varying in degree and intensity, as he swallows them back. For more moments than the typically collected Librarian, the typically collected Sephirah, the typically collected scientist (although never quite wearing that easygoing expression he could make, not ever again, truly, as any pretense of ease had long since been quashed) could stand, he could only awkwardly stare as he collected himself.

Finally, he speaks: "...My apologies. In the myriad possibilities a 'new world' would bring about, I had not expected to see you." Censoring himself, his mind simply thinking (had not dared to hope for such a thing).

@sccdoflight

[ramalakeven]