001 - open

[groundzeroes]

🧙 WHO: Rei Amayado & Anyone
⚔️️ WHAT: A research stint at the library, or Fear Cave Crystal Conquering
🕒 WHEN: Mid January
🗺️ WHERE: Camelot Public Library & Brave of Soul cave
⚠️ WARNINGS: none ATM. Possible later: language, vague hospital-oriented trauma mentioned (as part of the greatest fear trial)

Internet Trolls

[Camelot's public library is pretty fancy, in keeping with the royal capital's image. Full of traditional effects like ceiling-tall book stacks and modern amenities like a little cafe, it houses resources for any kind of patron.

While not usually one to step foot in a library, Rei is currently situated at a table tucked away between some of the stacks on the main floor. Using the extant troll quest as explanation, he has commandeered two laptops from the circulation desk (and from some very grateful librarians-- that lewd-spamming troll has been making their lives pretty difficult), and is busy typing on one while the other stands by with an auto-refreshing feed of some kind.

He's also got several books pulled from the shelves and stacked in a few piles beside him. AOL: A Founding History and FaySQL Queries for Mere Mortals are probably programming-related in some capacity, but some others are more broad: Dark Magic and its Nomenclature: A Dissertation on Language, On The Origin of Magical Species, Revised Hexes: A Primer... and it looks like there's a manga volume buried in there, too. He looks like a college student during finals week (although perhaps more well-rested).

Should you pass by looking for a seat, Rei will look up with a smile (and a wink if he knows you) and scoot his stuff aside to make room.]

Oh, 'scuse me.

Brave of Soul

i. outside
[Rei has made his way to Albion's White Cliffs, intent on entering the eerie cave said to hold the mirror-required crystals. Rei looks ready enough, though his familiar, a large hou-ou with trailing tailfeathers, is perched on a branch nearby with an expression that can only be described as disdainful.

That cave is dark, partly magicless, and most of all dirty. She is NOT going in there, moral support be damned.

Tossing the flashlight in his hand idly, Rei sighs up at the bird.]

All right, princess. You stay there. But if the crystals are nice enough, I'm keeping them instead of handing 'em over.


ii. inside
[The cave IS, in fact, very dark, and the ground damp and cold with seeping seawater; it's a perfect location for a test of nerves. Rei counts himself lucky that he picked up a normal flashlight instead of a magic-powered one; it very well may have shut off once he hit the magic-damping section. Rei is TOO OLD to spend any amount of time wandering around blind in a cave.

Should he encounter someone on his way in, Rei will greet them-- though his smile may be a bit hard to see without the flashlight on it.]

If two people go in at once, do you think the illusion will show some god-awful fear combo?

Comments

Brave of Soul. semi wildcard

[capitalismkills]

[Why was he here? He didn't remember the original reason, and he certainly didn't care anymore. Something about how it was required and Doppo was trying to make himself useful, he really was! But the caves were dark, he didn't have a light, and he was terrified out of his mind.

He hadn't stopped inching his way along because it was the only thing that was holding him back from a full blown panic attack. Doppo was all alone and his magic was useless and so was his mic, so when he saw a tiny speck of light coming from somewhere, he was overjoyed.

He shuffled faster towards it, eager to have there be at least another person around, despite how pathetic he was going to look. It wasn't until with a flicker of light Doppo's eyes rested upon his would be rescuer's face that he realized what he'd gotten into.

There was one, blessed moment of silence.

Then in the next beat Rei would hear an ear splitting scream and get a fist thrown directly into his stomach.]

amen......

[groundzeroes]

[Rei prides himself on being able to expect how other people will behave. He's pretty smart! He can control outcomes to suit himself! He's seen his fair share of garbage times, but by and large Rei can predict most things that come at him. Getting suckerpunched unprovoked in the dark by a panicking salaryman? NOT ONE OF THOSE THINGS

There's an ungainly oof at the impact-- and Rei staggers and drops the flashlight, which sputters as it hits the cave floor and plunges them both in complete darkness.

Swearing under his breath and crouching down where he last saw the flashlight's beam, Rei manages to croak,]

Kannonzaka???

[He's more surprised than hurt; while he'll certainly bruise, Doppo's wild swing was thankfully unpracticed-- but he is VERY MUCH SURPRISED.]

[capitalismkills]

[He didn't even feel the pain of punching someone incorrectly first, too wrapped up in trying to get away from whatever the hell that was at first. It was a ghost, an apparition, except it wasn't because he had just punched it in the stomach and it said his name-]

I'M SO SORRY!!!!!
Oh god, what have I done I-

[It was by the grace of whatever god still cared about him that he didn't run into the wall headfirst, merely flopping onto it as he clutched his hand to his chest.]

That's a real person...it's really him....I'm gonna die now....

[groundzeroes]

[Rei is ACTUALLY ANNOYED now. The disgrace of having to feel around for a flashlight on a soggy dirt cave floor, plus being the target of Doppo's insult-and-then-panic routine a second time (the first being their text conversation), on top of the physical discomfort from being struck, is enough to move him from his usual unflappable persona.]

Oh, come on. [His hand closes on the flashlight-- thank god-- and with a grumble he switches it back on again.] You're gonna die? I'm the one that got assaulted, here.

[Rei is also not going to die but he's making a point here ok]

Don't tell me you got impaled on a stalagmite in the dark or something.

[capitalismkills]

[His hand really hurt; so much so he was afraid he actually sprained it or worse. He didn't really go around punching people, and he was afraid that Hifumi and Jakurai were just going to yell at him.

Well, it looked like Rei was going to yell at him first. That was fair. The guy was sketchy but Doppo DID keep being mean to him.]

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please I really am. I don't know why I think you're so sketchy you haven't actually done anything, I'm so sorry I panicked-

[He was just curling himself up against the wall, not actually impaled on anything. The only thing hurt was his hand because he didn't have any dignity left to lose.]

Y-you just came out of nowhere, I thought you were a ghost-

brave of soul i;

[monostich]

[...He's pretty sure he's not supposed to have overheard that. What if he got mad over it or something? Isn't he worried about someone else finding out about his... His schemes and getting him into trouble??

...Should he say anything? Do anything? What if it's just a joke? He does not understand people who are people well enough for this.

So he just says the first thing that comes to mind that is not about the crystals.]

That's a very pretty bird.

[He wants to walk into the cave and never come out.]

[groundzeroes]

[In contrast to poor Kaede's inner panic, Rei is completely unruffled. What's he gonna do, tell King Arthur??]

Haha. Don't encourage her-- she's prissy enough as it is.

[The hou-ou clacks her beak at Kaede, turning her head from one side to the other to observe him.]

You here to go spelunking?

[monostich]

Isn't it a good thing to be encouraged?

[Is being prissy really such a bad thing... She's a pretty bird and deserves to be treated like a queen!!!

Anyways, it takes him longer than he wants to admit to realize what he means be spelunking - he really needs to like... get an encyclopedia from the library at some point - and he nods.]

We're supposed to try, aren't we? So I thought... That I would at least see what it's like.

[groundzeroes]

[Rei's familiar trills in agreement, shuffling on her branch. She likes this boy, Rei. Listen to him. >:( (Rei ignores her)]

Sure enough. Same here-- might as well check out all the fuss. [Rei's eyes sweep over him, making a brief assessment. Frankly, the kid looks like he just came out of a cave after a lifetime lived there, rather than preparing to head in to one.

Rei was going to go alone, but... this guy probably isn't a threat. And it might be worthwhile to see someone else do the trial, if they make it that far.]

Well? Care to go in together? Though I only brought one light, I'm afraid.

[monostich]

[It will be the only correct thing he says in this entire adventure, he's sure.]

Yeah... Yeah.

[He feels a bit like he's being picked apart, but maybe he's just gotten so used to that feeling he assumes that's what everyone's doing. Regardless, he straightens up and nods slowly.]

I'm... Sure it'll be fine with just the one. And there's safety in numbers, isn't there? So...

[...Not that he'd be able to fight anything, if it came down to it.]

brave of soul ii

[morns]

( the winter cloak the welcome squad offered isn't her style — too heavy, too much fabric — but Kate can't deny that it's warm and this winter definitely isn't. she has it pulled in as tight as she can get it, lifted slightly up to avoid dragging the bottom through the water trickling down the winding tunnel floors.

ugh, how much longer until she gets to this thing?

well, a beam of light at least lets her know that she isn't alone, and though it's hard to make out the face of the other person, that voice is familiar enough. )/i>

No idea. ( why bother coming up with extra scenarios that just give it more fuel? ) Wanna find out?

i'm gonna assume they'll eventually introduce themselves in the other thread LMAO

[groundzeroes]

Ah, Kate-chan. [Her voice, too, is recognizable-- that clipped accent makes her easy to pick out. Fancy meeting you here in this lonely, dark-ass cave.

Rei falls into step alongside her.]

If I'm honest? Not really. [A chuckle. Ah, the fetch quests they're running on behalf of some King Guy....] But if the fears are too different, I bet it could turn out hilarious. Say... one person has a fear of open spaces, and the other person's scared of being buried. Wouldn't that just cancel out?

agreed. also i'm gonna pretend i didn't fuck up my html there...

[morns]

( it's probably a good thing Kate knows fuck all about honorifics, because she'd hate that.

but that's besides the point, because she can already see several ways those two fears could coexist. )

Long as there's ground, you can be buried.

( it would be quite easy to simply have someone fall into their grave in a wide open space, with no chance of either ever being found.

an unsettling thought, but not the worst thing that could happen to her. )

C'mon. Let's get this over with.

( whatever this place has in store, she, at least, can manage, right? )

[groundzeroes]

All right, all right. [Rei shines the flashlight down the tunnel ahead of them, illuminating the opening to a wider area a short distance away. Hopefully(?) that means their wandering is coming to an end.]

You can hold onto me if you get scared.

[You can hear in his voice how funny he thinks he is. Rei shut the FUCK up]

[morns]

( it felt like she'd been walking for some time before she found him, so surely that's where they need to go, right?

and as for that suggestion? )

I don't get scared.

( sure, there are things she'd rather not see. or think about. or have happen. things which seep into her dreams and ruin them if she stays in bed too long, but—

she'll be fine.

famous last words, Katherine. )

internet trolls )

[glossophobia]

[ He can't remember the last time he stepped into a library, at least not a public one, but he feels like no library in Japan could ever come close to the beauty and size of this one. The place is massive. Rosho wouldn't know where to even begin if he were just passing by on a whim. He could easily get lost, so he makes sure to ask a desk attendant for a pamphlet that includes a map, then requests the location for a particular subject.

Working at the school as a volunteer also kind of means he's become a student again, which is an experience he didn't know he'd enjoy so much, and so regularly Rosho finds himself reading up on and researching various aspects of studies that the courses at the school take. Today, he needs to brush up on the city's history, but personally he needs to continue doing his alchemist research. He might be improving a little every day but there's still way more he needs to get the hang of before he can consider himself competent in alchemy.

After picking up a hefty sized history book and two books for his own personal reading, he wonders if he should take the books home and read up in the inn room or take a seat at the library when he comes across a huge pile of books scattered on a table. Must be a student, he thinks, before he hears Rei's voice. Now this he didn't expect. ]

Ya hittin' up the books so you can learn to make an honest living finally, yeah? Or am I bein' too optimistic?

[groundzeroes]

[Oh, look-- it's Rosho! And neither of them are drinking for once. How nice.]

Your faith in me is real cute, Sensei. [GRIN. OF COURSE HE ISN'T] Though just for today, I'm harmless. Operating for the public good, even!

[First time for everything, I'm sure.]

[glossophobia]

[ He's not sure if he'd rather be drinking at the moment, tbh. Maybe that'd make Rei's presence more tolerable. Now he's just a strange anomaly. ]

Who are you callin' cute, huh? That's creepy. [ Rosho doesn't take a seat but instead steps a little closer, just to get a better look at some of the books surrounding Rei. It's an amalgamation of things but most of it seems to pertain to magic, though he's not sure what he needs two laptops for. ]

Are you even managing to learn anything while ya cram like this?

[groundzeroes]

Sure I am, sure I am! Though it's not really cramming. Just reference material. [...plus books for when he gets bored.]

[Rei taps the cover of the FaySQL book.] Things here run on different languages than back home, but the logic's mostly the same. So it's just a matter of knowing what I'm looking for.

[glossophobia]

[ Rosho glances at the gestured book, finally getting a better look at it before he puts his attention on Rei. ]

What exactly are ya looking for?

[ The magic books are easier to understand, but does he need the laptops for that? Must be part of the other books... FaySQL... he honestly has no idea what that is, but it's already to his understanding that Rei's pretty good with technology. Must be related to that, maybe.

He has no intention to be nosy, but honestly, it's sort of fascinating to watch him like this. ]

library (mis)adventures

[yumenope]

( of all the places to find gentaro, a library isn’t that suspect or surprising. whether that’s true of rei is an entirely different question. thankfully for the pair of them, gentaro is no mood to comment on the obvious or contrary.

no, today he’s on a mission. of sorts. his hair is pulled back in a small ponytail, wearing a long coat as his fingers dance across the bindings of the books he passes.

when the voice reaches his ears, his eyes shift to the speaker.

oh. hm. )

Hmmm? ( his fingers lift to tap his lips pensively. ) Did it look as if I was looking to sit? ( is that an open-ended question? maybe. he has a few books in his free arm. )

YUMENO SENSEI!!!!!!!!!!

[groundzeroes]

[So Gentaro got dragged here too, did he? Ramuda didn't say a word about it, the brat. Well, whatever. It's fine.

Yumeno Gentaro. Author, liar, and Ramuda's teammate... an enigma to most. Rei is almost fond of him, though, for reasons that have nothing to do with the man himself.]

Aren't you? [Rei rests his head in one hand, an easy smile on his lips.] Doesn't look like you can carry too many more books, either way.

those exclamation points are suspect

[yumenope]

( wow, rude. )

You’d be amazed what these arms can carry. Did you know I qualified for the olympic ring-toss?

( ????? )

Which is just a lie, of course.

( with a “pleasant” smile, he takes a seat despite his earlier statements, neatly setting the books down in a tidy stack. ) Doing some research?

😇!!!!!!!!!!!

[groundzeroes]

[Rei snickers a little at the outlandish lie-- yep, this is definitely That Guy.]

Of a kind-- as much as it pains me to just do as we're told here, heh. [His thumb runs idly up the corner of one of his volumes.] And yourself?

that emoji is up to No Good

[yumenope]

( oh please.

gentaro’s smile remains perfectly affixed as he lifts his hands up into the air. )

Planning treason, of course.

( there’s a lie somewhere in there.

his gaze drops to the collections of books near rei. ) I can’t quite make out the titles. Would you do the honors? ( instead of, y’know, asking if he minds announcing what he’s reading. )