― TOWER INCARNATE .

the o⠀n⠀l⠀y thing he could sense is a splotch of crimson in his sight and the taste of iron in his mouth. his limbs were ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ unresponsive... ⠀ ⠀— he must have died.

[indomitableblackdragon]

"Oh I have already! As much as I love to brag about anything pretty good getting second opinion on 'em is just as important." After all nobody else was going to just take the word of one boat for granted. The more people that talked about them the better.

"So come on what else are you doing today that's gonna get in the way? Nothing, exactly!"

[shardsword]

INSISTENT WAS THE POLITE WORD, one that doesn't leave his lips as she seems rather boastful, sitting with whatever these drinks were. arms cross over his chest, observing her and whatever goals she might have. though the more he stares, the more she seems face value: merely wanting someone to test these concoctions. ❝ Second opinions? You intend to sell these? ❞ logical, though at least it gave more reason than just wanting to watch some stranger drink it.

❝ Were I to, what's in it for me? ❞ were it any of the hunters ushering him forth, he would do it freely, but when it came to unfamiliar faces...

[firehrt]

⠀⠀⠀❛ ⠀Oh. … Well, that's disappointing.⠀ ❜⠀SHE ⠀has to assume that were this the Grim Reaper, they wouldn't bother to lie about it. Nor would they boast, though. The general impression is that this Reaper simply... is. Dubious claims to island-dwellers' souls notwithstanding, of course.

⠀⠀⠀Her posture doesn't slack despite the false alarm. She isn't entirely unconvinced the man of the hour isn't just waiting for either of them to let their guard down, assuming he exists. ⠀❛ ⠀You must admit — you cut a figure I would describe as fairly Reaper-like. At least, by the local definition.⠀ ❜⠀

[shardsword]

LOGIC LEAVES HER WITH EASE, something he can't exactly refute, whether it be mere physical or spiritual. many have found their ends at the tip of his blade, much like lingering souls whom await their escort by a reaper -- were any to equate him to something, it would as a god of violent death, making one depart through a swing of a sharpened sword. ❝ Is it truly that disappointing? ❞ why, he could hardly fathom, especially when many might be grateful, even without knowing the dangers of his existence.

❝ Many things will imitate what it is they speak. All these locals say are vague, perpetuating their terror and paranoia, ❞ he retorts, having heard well of their spun tales, hence his arrival here in hopes they were real. ❝ And were I this Grim Reaper they fear, what is it that you planned for? To take it down? ❞ only the subtlest hint of hope tinges his voice as he asks that last question.

[callibee]

blade👁

[shardsword]

❝ I'm not meant as your entertainment. ❞ or really anybody's, especially when it came to fate an the laugh it offers to his very existence. why she had called him over was beyond his knowing, truly, granted it was an array of drinks that sit upon the table. she had said something about combining them to try, last he recalls, but why should he? ❝ Taste them yourself. I have no reason to do it for you. ❞

@indomitableblackdragon

[shardsword]

❝ You shouldn't wish to learn from me. ❞ whether in terms of a blade he had been training with just moments ago or something more mundane, only misfortune would truly find its way to those who interacted with him. and with how young this one seems, he finds it would be ill-suited to subject him to something as that, given his presence. ❝ Is there no other to have as your teacher? ❞

@ostentumm

[shardsword]

❝ Hmph. So you think I'm the fabled Grim Reaper they speak of? ❞ nothing too far-fetched, given the looming essence of death and rebirth which clings to him. in the end, he was merely a monster in some despicable guise as a person. for one to mistake the man skulking about as such, well... he could hardly blame them. ❝ I was here seeking it myself. Nothing more. ❞

@firehrt

[shardsword]

❝ Talks of this 'Halloween' and other holidays or celebrations... this city tends to focus on its more trivial matters. Aren't there more important matters to be worried of? ❞

[hydrofloraison]

⬖ "So you were here too, Bladie." Kafka spoke with the intent to mislead, even though Blade would likely see right through her lie. The Stellaron Hunter was playing it off like she had randomly bumped into him, but considering it was the dead of night and no one else was about it was obvious that she had tracked him down herself.

It wasn't all that difficult to do when you described a man of his unique appearance and disposition. The city wasn't that big.

"Have you been enjoying yourself? Made any friends?" Stepping out from the shadows she gave a playful wink before tossing in a more serious query. "...How is your condition?"

@shardsword

[shardsword]

LIKE A WHISPER FROM THE DARK, her words tug at him from the shadows themselves — they were always like this, in a way. and in suit of her capabilities, it's hardly surprising that she manages to find him, even amidst this strange city. between them all, there would always be some subtle essence of respect, one earned from their very hands. she would not be met with anything less, even with herself stripped upon entering, just as he had.

❝ Making 'friends' would serve me little purpose here. ❞ and with no certainty of the condition which she pries of, it would only prove to be a liability, were it to rear its monstrous head without restraint. ❝ As for the mara... ❞ there was no reason to avoid such a cursed name, the condition itself willing to sink its fangs deep into him and any other it infects, no matter the reason. still, if she were asking of it, then that means whatever stabilizes him wasn't connected to her tether.

❝ ... I'm not plagued by those feelings here. Not like back there. I take it's not of your doing? ❞ unlikely, given his arrival seems to have been prior to her own, the feeling alone different from her own help. arms cross themselves as he inspects her, subtle in deducing her physical condition. ❝ Since your arrival, have you found any trouble to you? ❞

[primulaceas]

Sylvia Plath, "The Rival." Ariel

[shardsword]

FINGERS RUB FABRIC GENTLY BETWEEN THEM, contrast to the earnest expression which rests upon his face. another outfit which has drawn his attention, reminiscent of the style which he wears, if not for a few, additional accessories that deviate from his more traditional xianzhou attire. to even stand here perusing them was strange, when the clothes which he had recently acquired been a loan, nothing of his own merit. only one thing causes his brows to furrow in the slightest confusion, not quite grasping it fully.

arguably, he was just as lost as he is now than he was when he first was pried from that haze. at the very least, he was nowhere close to how adept the woman with scales seems in her way through the clothing.

❝ These clothes. ❞ so he speaks to her, noting her own intrigue in an outfit a few places down the rack. ❝ Are they not meant to be tailored to our form? If it doesn't fit, then it matters little if the outfit would suit you. ❞

@crimsonharvests

[shardsword]

HOW LONG HAS HE SEARCHED? between the distant, twinkling stars, made up of such ephemeral life as the stardust itself. upon each fine, grain of sand which wash ashore upon the beaches, eroding away beneath the softest kiss of every wave from parted waters... or even within those ethereal mirrors of jade, reflecting across the fog of memories which roll over the sea, like a lighthouse which calls for him to follow. perhaps, even now, he has been searching for far too long, adrift in a river of life he does not wish to flow any longer.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀and yet, he cannot help but feel drawn toward the warmth of that bracer—

❝ Imbibitor Lunae... ❞ the name leaves his mouth like a long lost friend, familiar upon his tongue, yet distant like those who fate has torn asunder. a chuckle follows suit, too, low beneath the rumble of his voice. ❝ To think our paths would cross soon after our parting. This place... is a blot of ink upon the pages he writes, I have come to learn. So, then... ❞ he muses as he keeps his distance, deep ambers ever watchful of the other, as he's left to wonder why they might find themselves within the same planet by no intentional means.

❝ Do you think of this city as another means of escape? That these Stars can wipe clean the sins that haunt us still, even now? Here, there is no place to run. ❞

@imbibitor

[shardsword]

RUMORS WERE ALWAYS THAT — RUMORS. things which circulate without veritable proof, never to see the light of day. and yet they, too, hold sway over so many that trek near the underside, those minds that may flutter to it in passing, like moths to a flickering flame in the darkness. nor was he truly so different beneath it all, merely a man whom chases phantom images toward a place he can never grasp himself. only, it was never for lack of recklessness, displayed in full by what monstrosities lay bloodied and motionless in crimson, reflecting pools at his feet, nor the mock sword now aimed at the stranger who seems to have had his eye caught from the commotion. deep amber glows beneath the shadows of this place, silent in their assessment of this man, before his conclusions.

fingers twirl the hunk of wood, his grip remaining taut, ready for a moment's notice, as he redirects its aim behind him in his stance with a soft hmph. for now, there was little threat in his presence that he can discern, though that means it could not change within the blink of one's eyes.

❝ Have you come to find it, too? This Grim Reaper— ❞

@sorcerorkller

[shardsword]

HE TRUDGES ALONG IN SOME FAR-FLUNG HAZE, the structures of this city in all their dazzling array like some phantom image in his peripherals, as if it were nothing particularly unusual to behold. that is until the strangest sight of a familiar face awaits in the distance, buried amidst the crowd, much alike the specters which haunt his every step — were she not so abundantly real. should he find himself angered at this finding, he wonders? once more beneath an ever watchful gaze, planned from the beginning of their encounters, and meant to keep his very existence in check unless written within a script of nigh divine construct. or perhaps he should be relieved? to know that even here, elio's reach may still find its way like the vines which creep through a temple of decay, were all the stage and his actors the same.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀but maybe this city can already give what he wants—

❝ Kafka. Is this part of his script, too? ❞ she would know better than him, he rationalizes, arms across his chest as he halts his strides to the wayside where she stands. ❝ This city is strange. Entering it... those feelings. They don't plague me like back there. ❞ nor does he feel himself sewn to an unwanted life. at least, he can tell, not one like he has only known for so long now.

@whisperins

[shardsword]

i am dead tired currently so starters will have to wait until sometime in the coming days but! until then, consider this a call for a small starter from blade. may use themes of the spiralefes depending? CAPPED AT THREE, but castmates are welcome to like over if they'd like!

[freyzrc]

Day 134 Congrats to Jing Yuan havers today! Now I move myself into the Blade waiting room-