metamorphosis.

affiliated kafka of honkai: star rail.

[whisperins]

kafka — stellaron hunter, spirit whisperer.

a wanted criminal across the galaxy. there is a sizeable bounty on her head— dead or alive— but she couldn't care less. in fact, she thinks it's a compliment.

works with the stellaron hunters to fulfill elio's will, making sure the future he envisions comes to reality. but, alas, she's stuck here.

she's a dangerous woman. a master of manipulation, unfazed and unable to feel the emotion of fear. a silver-tongued siren.

no, seriously, being able to get others to do what she wants is mere child's play to her. no one can tell what she's thinking.

no one really knows much about her, save for how she likes collecting coats.

basically a wine aunt, when she's not busy committing crimes. enjoys classical music and scented baths, too.

[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

[whisperins]

❝ it's good to see you too, bladie. ❞ she greets him with that infamous grin. she doesn't need a good look to know who stood at her side. with the likes of silver wolf, blade, and sam— she was far too used to their company to be swayed.

her smile fades, however, once she arrives at his inquiry; her tone growing impassive, unamused. ❝ i hate to say, but even i'm not sure if this in the script. ❞ and a part of her is skeptical whether this was an an-lib in the grand scheme of things. yes, elio often left them to their own devices, but he always intervened when he had a new role for them. yet, as far as she knew, their superior could not reach them here. for now, it seemed they were stuck waiting in the wings for some kind of cue.

when her comrade voices his mind, or rather, what isn't in his mind— kafka takes a small pause. ❝ — wait... so it has no grasp on you here? ❞ her arms cross in a similar fashion, eyeing blade from head to toe. for as long as she's known him, she's had to restrain the mara that clawed within him. for even that to be out of the picture, it colored her impressed, just how capable their captors were. ❝ strange is an understatement. it seems there's no limit to what they can take away. ❞ their weapons, their powers, and it seems even the curse that has plagued blade for so long...

which makes her wonder. ❝ what's your plan now, bladie? if this part's truly in our hands, what is it you will do? or— want to do? ❞

[homuras]

☆ Kafka: A Dramatic Irony ☆

[chitraps-deactivated20240605]

@whisperins

✪ "What's your game here? Or were you waiting for an invitation to show yourself?" Himeko's gaze narrowed. It was late at night and the navigator had been walking through the park alone to get a better look at the city's stars when she'd felt a presence. A pair of eyes on her. She was being observed, and it didn't take long to pick up on who. She was smarter than that. "...Kafka."

"I can't imagine a Stellaron Hunter would have any need of a simple navigator in a destination we cannot depart from." While speaking of destinations and departures her golden gaze was pointed up at the stars once more. "And I'm not exactly interested in having you poke at me for your own amusement."

[whisperins]

❝ what, a girl's not allowed to say hello—? you wound me, himeko. ❞ kafka greets the other with a series of chuckles, as she steps into to the light. for them to cross paths this way, it was more than amusing for the huntress. ❝ are you not relieved to find a familiar face in such a strange place? most people would be over the moon, no? ❞ some might even find it comforting, but perhaps in himeko's eyes, kafka wasn't the most welcomed of faces.

❝ so the astral express crew's in town, too. what predicament we've found ourselves in. ❞ she thinks aloud, pacing behind the emanator before responding to her earlier remark. ❝ trust me, i've been around— there are worse places to be trapped in. in your case, i imagine you miss your pretty parlor car, if you're out stargazing. ❞ she folds her arms over her chest. ❝ i suppose you do seem like the type to enjoy such mundane little things. ❞

[whisperins]

i'm gonna be updating kafka's abilities + canon point in 2 weeks time!!

[hackins]

" what is your age finally catching up to you?   i told you i was in the middle of a match. "    she rolls her eyes and pops a strip of gum in her mouth; instantly tuning out the gunner's complaints. she flips her visor on and looks around with a mild curiosity. the data was practically swimming around them, this place wasn't a real planet to her basic conclusion, or if it was it'd be similar to something that herta would make and that old witch is stuck on the space station so there's no way. also, herta sucks at cybersecurity measures, but these people are experts. she flicks the visor back over her bangs. time to break it for fun.  "   where the hell are we anyway? "    she sighs as she taps the middle of the air... nothing. huh?  w...where is her aether terminal?

the hacker swipes her finger upwards, nothing...  she pressed both of her fingers away from each other ; expanding? nope, nothing. one last try.  her fingers snap together to open a tear, so she can still make quantum-space tears. hah... fair enough. so... she got nerfed?  or at least, it seems like a part of her aether cartridge was confiscated, that's annoying. how the hell did they even find it? fingers curl into a fist. she finally tunes back in to kafka's whining as it finally seemed like useful information for once. silver wolf laughs for a bit.   "   aha... i didn't even try to slip by... if anything i got pulled in. "    she grumbles as kafka points out the looking at the crappy gun strapped to her waist and the not-so fashionable half-glove.   "   ugh, elio or not, this place is pissing me off. "    silver wolf says with a scowl on her face.  "  they're seriously picking on the wrong person if they think i'm just gonna take crap this lying down. " 

[whisperins]

❝ now you're listening. ❞ the jab at her age is easily brushed off. silver wolf always had a sharp tongue of her own— but if anything, it was like a child giving lip to a parent. but like many children, once they lose their toys, they get riled up. ❝ good to know your priorities are getting straightened out. ❞ the tip of her boot taps against the concrete flooring, a small sigh leaving her lips. ❝ and do you think i've been taking this in stride? if i had any real answers, we'd both be out of here by now. ❞ being trapped like this was pathetic as two stellaron hunters. most of the time, they'd easily slip out of prisons or hostile worlds. now here they are, like bugs in a spiderweb.

❝ they call this city spirale, on an island they call radiale. as far as i know, elio hasn't mapped this out for us. no ipc or stellaron here either. ❞ of course, kafka did some scouting, made some 'friends' who tried to give her what information they could. all useless. ❝ and get this... many who inhabit the island were also pulled in from different places, universes, timelines— you name it. it almost sounds like one of those video games you like so much. but i'm afraid there's no means to simply... leave this place. ❞

[somberdespair]

[roshield]

"My father was a very noble man. One of the best men I've ever known." If Clive were to be like a man, he'd like to be like Elwin especially. His father taught him many things before his cruel death, and he still keeps those lessons to heart. Chivalry, of course, was one of those lessons.

Chivalrous as ever, even towards strange women who would probably devour much more naïve men.

Clive doesn't lean back when she leans in, though he knows Torgal's fur is standing on his back with caution. He can feel her eyes inspecting him, though. He won't deny that she's right, though; he was rough around the edges, definitely a shady looking man. It certainly fir with the moniker of 'Cid the Outlaw' for certain, but it's definitely made some of the locals here have a hard time trusting him. What kind of man like him would want to do good?

( thankfully the natural puppy dog eyes seem to make people give him a second chance. )

"... You're not exactly far off, milady. But I'm sure you understand that a man has a reason for being a little... rough around the edges." The world is cruel and sometimes you have to match it. "Clive Rosfield. This is Torgal. It's... nice to meet you. I think."

[whisperins]

❝ oh, a daddy's boy, hm? ❞ she's getting a much clearer read on him now. ❝ if you admire him so much, you must be noble in your own right, no? i wouldn't say you seem like the knight in shining armor type... maybe a well-meaning outlaw? am i right on the nose? ❞ in that regard, maybe they weren't too far apart. well, one could argue for 'well-meaning' in kafka's case, however.

❝ well, you wouldn't be the first man i've met who's a little troubled. don't they say that pressure makes diamonds? ❞ or something like that. the ton yap on and on about how adversity builds character, makes a person stronger. kafka wraps her hands behind her back. ❝ you could be that diamond in the rough— and you know what they say, diamonds are a girl's best friend. the pleasure's all mine, clive. ❞

kafka takes a few steps back, circling around clive and his pup, noting the latter's wariness. it prompts a chuckle from the huntress.

❝ i don't bite, most of the time. ❞ she assures the canine, before crossing her arms and meeting clive's gaze once more. ❝ tell me, what do you make of this place? some kind of cruel punishment for us prisoners, or maybe a getaway from harsh reality? any theories? ❞

[whisperins]

:)

[whisperins]

❝ i should let clive know that my own little wolf's in town, now. ❞

[whisperins]

@hackins

❝ took you long enough. ❞ kafka emerges before her colleague, tone a little less than enthused about her extended stay here. at least there was a familiar face her now, and she might just be her ticket out. ❝ you'd think elio would have given us this script earlier. last time i saw you, what— you were planning a trip to pier point? ❞

when she draws closer, however, kafka immediately notices something is off with the hacker's appearance. ❝ wait— what is that pathetic excuse of a gauntlet? ... oh. ❞ it dawns on her. it seems this predicament was now a shared one. ❝ not even you could slip by untouched... now that's impressive. ❞ she pays their captors a tiny bit of credit, before folding her arms over her chest. ❝ that means we're both stuck here. ❞

[whisperins]

@explosivedesire

❝ oh, what bright eyes you have. ❞ it slides off the tongue like reciting a fairy tale. her arms crossed over her chest, the huntress also takes into notice the weapon the other possessed. ❝ and a fan of artillery, are we? what is that, a rocket launcher? is it not a hassle to bring such a thing around? ❞

[danijaci]

I am so normal abt them >:### they literally gave birth to me

[roshield]

"You seem to attract a lot of people, Torgal..."

Torgal lets out the most simplest of 'boofs' in response to Clive's words, before the two of them look back at the woman before them. Well-dressed and almost unassuming, yet Clive felt like he was thrown into a spider's nest, for some reason. Almost like he was speaking to Isabelle once more...

"He was raised as a pup. He was separated from his pack, so my father took him in and gave him to me." Clive pats Torgal on the head, rubbing behind his ears. "So I suppose we had an easier time raising him since he wasn't fully grown."

She fired her questions off, though. Raised by them? That was silly, wolves probably don't raise humans. Did he really seem that wolfish? Torgal is a sweetheart... when he's not given the command to bite off someone's limb. And then her final question. Clive is a man, and such innuendos aren't lost on him.

"E.... Excuse me?" He can feel the tips of his ears reddening. "... You're a strange woman, aren't you?"

[whisperins]

❝ ah, an orphaned little guy. how noble of your family to take him in. ❞ she steals another glance at the canine. it impressed her somewhat, just how obedient and well-behaved the wolf was. the untrained eye could easily believe he was like any other pet or pup.

❝ a strange woman? oh, you're too kind. ❞ a few chuckles escape her lips. there were harsher words to describe her: slippery, sly, maybe— but the word he picked amused her, and his response spoke volumes about the kind of man he was.

❝ i only meant you must be a fierce, rough... around the edges kind of guy— scar on his face, sword at his back. ❞ she leans slightly closer in his direction. he wasn't far too removed from his companion, in her thoughts. the messy hair, the large build, not to mention those tragic eyes.

her lifeless gaze inspects him a bit longer, before pulling away. she rests her chin on her fingers, lips curling once again into that infamous smile. ❝ but perhaps i am mistaken. the name's kafka, and who do i have the pleasure of meeting? ❞

[whisperins]

@roshield

❝ well, you don't see that everyday. ❞ the comment leaves her lips with an almost genuine inflection in her voice. before her was a wolf, accompanying an equally puppy-eyed man. now, such canines were not the most typical pets. an amused hum is audible from the huntress' lips, deciding she might as well kill time and 'get to know' the other inhabitants of this city. ❝ humor me a little. how does one go about taming a wolf? i can't imagine that'd be an easy endeavor. ❞ perhaps for most people.

she takes a few steps closer to the pair, heels clacking against the pavement as she continues in her little, friendly interrogation. ❝ were you raised by a pack of them? is the little guy a sweetheart? or maybe... ❞ she eyes the swordsman from head to toe, smile ever-staying on her lips. ❝ are you just as much of a beast as he is? ❞

[whisperins]

i'm currently in the process of making tags + other bits, but i'll throw up this starter call! capping at 5 for now, with star rail castmates exempt.

[isolaradiale]

acting on prior reserve, here is kafka from honkai: star rail! her app could be found under navigation > app or /app.

Welcome to scenic Isola Radiale, Kafka!

You will be housed in CONDO 416.

You will retain the ability to use Midnight Tumult up to five times daily and will receive a wooden sword.

– mod pleiades.