[IC] TTG Chapter 5: Wrath

[Komodojoe]

Morgan

 

Morgan had stood for a bit longer than Hiroki did, but she eventually pulled out a chair to sit down, silently waiting for Swag's explanation. Well, at least that's how it started. It may have become apparent that she became distracted a few seconds later, probably still a bit shaken from recent events. It wasn't nearly as bad as it was before, though. She still felt bad about leaving Mommo behind, but from what Morgan took from what the God had just said, she had the choice not to tag along. That put her at ease. She wasn't forced to join them. She didn't have to fight. At least not yet, anyway. She wanted to learn more about what was going on before she made a choice. While she knows a bit from what she was told, she wanted something a bit more... concrete. And when she finally does, she can only hope everyone would understand.

 

The silent girl didn't notice that she had her gaze set on her hands resting on the edge of the table until she snapped out of it. She looked in Swag's direction, still being unable to make eye contact just yet. Despite that, however, she did her best to focus. She wanted to learn as much about this as she could.

[IntSys]

Tai

 

The layout of the building became slightly more bizarre as it unfolded before Tai's eyes. A dangerous doorway, and a safe one, like the first room. However, he was already set on his "strategy," if it could even be called one.

 

Something seemed to have gotten into his eyes, but it wouldn't disappear after he had blinked repeatedly. It was a bit worrisome, but more of a nuisance than anything else. It reminded him of the building's mysterious appearance somewhat, so he decided to wait and see if it'd magically come into existence, or at least move itself into the center of his eyes on its own so he could actually see what it was.

 

In meantime, he entered the doorway without the dangerous-looking symbol.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Grima

 

"No" Grima replied bluntly, placing her own glass down. The tea was fairly good, to be entirely honest. But it wasn't why she was here, "I'm here because I was asked to by Queen. I'm working to help a group of competitors of the recent tournament become stronger to... Well, deal with a threat that could destroy every single Plane. I can do it myself, but I'm extremely rusty in combat to provide more than a punching bag" she joked, before clearing her throat, "But... Queen gave me coordinates to this place to get more help in getting these people stronger. I'll be honest, I wasn't given an explanation on how, but he seemed to speak of you in high praise when I was around" Grima finished, now taking another drink of the tea. Technically the only things Queen told her was that whoever she was looking for was dangerous. So... Hopefully stretching a bit of truth wouldn't be so bad.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Nastasia

"Ohohoho! lf you think l'm taking a seat after that pathetic excuse for greeting you've another thing coming Sain." Nastasia left the name fall from her lips coated with a healthy helping of venom. Clearly she was no fan of the man. "Firstly, it's Madame Nastasia Susanna Sinclair to the likes of you. Madame Sinclair if you must shorten it, but l suggest you think twice about that." she said seemingly looking down her nose at him, though she was shifting around enough in her huff it was hard enough to really get a read on her past she was clearly unpleased. 

Nastasia made no moves to seat herself instead standing behind the chair her arms crossed as she stared wild eyed at the god in front of her. What a pathetic excuse for a god... she could scarcely believe him in any encounter though she had barely any. As most of her dealings were with Lain in the world of gods. She always found herself amazed he would manage to outdo himself every time. Nastasia couldn't help but notice how silent the room was when she wasn't speaking, and how her introduction was completely overlooked for the most part. Everyone here seemed downtrodden,disposed... under spirited. Disgusting...

"Besides speak for yourself Sain. l've already been briefed on the situation by those much more important then you, or so you claim. That attitude is why such is the case. You've the potential, you just choose to squander it. Do not push that onto our guests. l'm sure they are plenty capable or they'd not be here. Now, ignore that simpleton's poor assessments and introduce yourselves. He is a horrible host if that much isn't obvious, even a briefing is a matter where guests should be treated with proper etiquette and decorum in mind. He just lacks the knowledge of either it seems. Come now. lt is not a difficult matter. We are too fight on the same battlefield you can at least extend me the courtesy of your names."

[Shamitako]

Tai

 

Behind the curtain, Tai encountered a hallway. It was just as barren as the room behind him, but seemed to be devoid of that odd presence. There were two danger curtains on either side, and another normal curtain at the end of the hall. Considering the distance, it wasn't totally impossible that one or both of the curtains were connected to the same rooms as the previous two he'd seen, but he couldn't know for certain without looking.

 

Grima

 

The woman took a sip of her iced tea and sighed, the entire volume of her hair sighing with her. "I've told them all before, if they wish to label themselves as gods, then they don't need to ask the help of a mere woman." she said with a sorrowful shake of her head. 

 

"You know, my daughter hasn't visited me in years." she abruptly changed the subject, "Not even to ask for my help. Sometimes I think she's forgotten me. It's sad, really, to her I used to be more than a woman. Even when she knew she would become the strongest, she refused to believe it because no one could surpass her beloved mom.

 

"Of course, I knew she'd surpass me from the day she was born. That's why I named her Victoria." the woman paused and threw back her glass, downing the rest of the tea in one gulp. "But she never challenged me, isn't that curious? I was an idol to her. If she defeated me, the illusion would be shattered, and if I won, she would no longer be on the path of destiny.

 

"So I stepped aside and let her take her path to victory. My time as a beloved Princess was over, it was time for a mighty Lord to rule the land."

 

A gust of wind blew and suddenly on of the swords was impaled in the table. It was a short, straight sword with little ornamentation aside from the inscription in the blade, which was written in symbols Grima couldn't interpret. The woman was still sitting, she hadn't moved. "I don't know if Queen mentioned it, but I'm pretty dangerous when you get on my bad side." She said, her tone a clear threat, "Being Queen's envoy is a good way to get on my bad side. So you should make absolutely certain that this is what you want and choose your next words very carefully."

 

Swag

 

Although Nastasia spoke his name with the same biting tone as Sarah, Swag didn't so much as flinch. He let her go on her little tirade, and showed no reaction aside from perhaps a hint of bemusement. Nastasia was too self-absorbed to notice, but Hiroki and Morgan would pick up on the familiar sensation of the god's presence growing to an overwhelming degree. Hiroki might notice that it felt a little lighter than last time, perhaps because she was growing used to such forces after meeting Lord and Arcturus.

 

When she finished by asking the two girls for their names, Swag finally made his move. His hand rose to cover his mouth just so, and he let out an unmistakable laugh. "Oohohohohoho!" The look in his eyes turned the jovial guffaws into a sinister cackle. As it finished, his hand flashed from his face and slammed down on the table, unleashing a wave of pressure so potent that not even Nastasia could ignore it. Yet when he spoke again, his voice held no hint of malice, instead taking a perfectly polite tone. "You talk of etiquette, but have no idea to its meaning." he said, "Allow me to educate you." though nothing about him changed, Nastasia would suddenly find that he seemed to tower over her, his very presence filling the room and threatening to squash her. "Etiquette is not just action, it is a way of showing respect. In your demand for me to increase my standard of etiquette you have several misjudged your place in this room."

 

Swag pointed dramatically to Hiroki, "Hiroki has seen Nil with her own eyes and managed to hold her own against Lord in a fight. She's probably our best chance of actually winning this and she deserves the most respect of us all." Were it up to him, Hiroki wouldn't have even been in this room, but Swag decided against saying that aloud just yet. 

 

He moved his hand to direct attention to Morgan, "Morgan has fought and won several battles in the grand tournament that had taken center stage in our world these past weeks. She is among the strongest combatants in the world. She deserves great respect."

 

Instead of pointing to himself, Swag took a dramatic bow to draw attention, "I am Sain Derrek, also known as Swagalicious, God of the Plane of Lust. I destroyed a once bountiful land and ruined many lives including my own. I deserve about as much respect as a worm."

 

Finally, Swag pointed at Nastasia. Yet instead of a dramatic wave, it was an accusatory stab, "You are a selfish brat that my nephew invited to this party because he thinks you're pretty. You happen to have a useful gimmick that might come in handy if we manage to fight Aries on out own terms. You perhaps deserved a little respect simply for the hard work you've put in to reach the position you have, but your greedy demand for more shows that you won't be satisfied with what toy deserve, and thus you no longer deserve anything. So take a seat and let me explain the situation to the uninformed. If you have something to add from your discussions with my sister, feel free to chime in once I've finished. Understood?"

 

Although Swag claimed he didn't deserve any respect, his very presence itself demanded it. Even someone as proud as Nastasia would struggle to withstand his verbal onslaught. This was more than simply the unbearable gaudiness of a god who partied too much, no, it was the divine thunder of an enraged deity.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Nastasia

Nastasia wasn't just any proud noble however, she was self-built and ran an entire empire on her own at this point. Though Sain did have the sole advantage over most, he actually had the aura of a god unlike the multitude of bureaucratic idiots that thought they were gods. lt was certainly quite the tantrum but a tantrum all the same. But Nastasia felt at least an inkling more of respect for the supposed worm. He at least had some principles... lt was more than she could reasonably say for some she'd dealt with in her time. She hated being reminded that Lain was even slightly related to this vermin however... But, were the words Sain saying true? Nastasia thought that he and Lain didn't speak given the rather complex family situation she didn't know the extent of.

lt wasn't easy to ignore, given Seeker seemed to speak with the same tone of disgust she did, and just from small clues she'd picked up but it seemed oddly specific thing to pull from nowhere. lt gave her pause for a moment and she couldn't stop thinking it if it was true. lt made her next barks much more that, then bites. However her disdain was still evident enough. Nastasia gestured towards the table and all of it luxuries, she didn't provide this but that's wasn't the point.  "l'm much more than that. l'm the reason many people even have food to put on their plate. l may not fight the fields of battle often but l fight an evil just as great. Maybe not as glorious... glamorous as World Ending Deities but, one all the same. One l'm sure you're plane felt quite often. So, remember who speak to. Nastasia Susanna Sinclair, owner of Sinclair's United, the largest agricultural company in all the planes combined. Don't dain to put me in the same self-made category as yourself."

She then sat clearly of her own accord, though clearly relinquishing her right to the presence in the room. "Now speak, you've a briefing for our friends here that are more inclined to such things as battle. l'll correct any of your missteps at the end of course as per your request."

[IntSys]

Tai

 

Tai realized the disappearance of the presence... And concluded that whatever he was seeing stayed in the last room. He made a mental note of it, and continued. Now, instead of two choices, he had three. It was certainly strange that the building had so many rooms marked as being dangerous. Or perhaps all the marked doorways actually lead to a single room?

 

He was slightly intrigued, but he was already set on saving the dangerous areas for last. He made his way to the end of the hallway and entered the doorway behind the normal curtain.

[Shamitako]

Swag

 

"Thank you." Swag said with a polite nod. He'd already acknowledged her hard work, so he disregarded her response. He had no patience for people who demanded more than they deserved. Nonetheless, his presence receded and the space in the room started to feel more open again.

 

"So as you're all aware, Aries has switched sides. He sent messages to Blink and myself asking us to join him, which is how the rest of the gods are aware of his actions. According to the message I got, he doesn't think we can beat Cardinal, but thinks we can still stop her destruction if we work with her." Swag explained, "Honestly, I'd be on board for trying to help her out again. I think Lord gave up on her way too easily. But she herself isn't on board with that, she's going forward with her current course of action, and Aries doesn't seem to have an actual plan to help her before she destroys us. Doing the right thing isn't worth that risk.

 

"So now we're fighting Aries. We don't know how big of a force he can muster, but the only major threats we can expect will be Aries himself, Slumbering Giant who joined him, and Cardinal." 

 

Hiroki and Morgan would recall Arcturus being another foe, although for some reason they would find it difficult to remember anything more than his name and the challenge he had issued to Hiroki. It was like the memories were locked away from them somehow.

 

"Unfortunately, if we have to fight him in Wrath, our own force won't be able to be very large either, only six people can go. Aries will have locked down the train station by now, so we won't be able to get there by train. There are only two other methods of traveling between Planes that we're aware of. Some being have powers that allow such transportation. We don't currently have access to any, so that's off the table for now. Which means we have to use a boat. And, unfortunately, it's not a very big boat.

 

"Stacy here is our trump card against Aries, and Blink will be along to help her. If we can get her close enough, she'll be able to take him out in one go. That's two already, just to handle one threat. Lord, Seeker, Queen, and Gryffin are discussing who will be the other four right now."

 

Swag's face looked grim as he finished his explanation. It was apparent that he was unhappy with this whole scenario, and that he wasn't sure they could win. He looked to Nastasia for her input, hoping that something she'd heard from Seeker would be new information that gave them a better chance of success.

[Chevaleresse]

Hiroki lifted her head up at Swag's compliment. She was doing her best to convince herself that "holding her own" was enough. It wasn't particularly working, but Hiroki was trying. It at least pulled her up far enough out of her wallowing to notice the rest of what was going on in the room - though Sain suddenly "turning on" his godly presence would likely have done so on its own. She wasn't sure what to think of Nastasia; the woman reminded her somewhat of her own parents. Perhaps, even, what her parents were trying to be, such that they didn't have the time for her.

 

Underneath the cloak, her head shook. Now wasn't the time to dwell on that. Treat this like a fight. Your existence is riding on it even more than before. The god was missing something very important in his assessment. She took a breath, preparing to speak. A rush of static - not quite as harsh as usual due to the smaller noise - accompanied it, and with that, a thought. Everyone here likely knew who she was already. Swag had called her out by name (even if it was technically a boy's name); so what was the point? She reached up to her chin, pressed a button on the device strapped there, and pulled it off. Taking another deep breath, this one audible despite the lack of static, she pushed back her hood. "There's something, um, else you need to, um, know. A man, um, named Arcturus was there." She inwardly cursed at herself for the verbal tic, but pressed on. "He challenged me." She frowned. Had he done anything else? There was something important about what he had said, but every time she tried to think of it, her mind slid around it.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Nastasia

lt seemed that Sain had been well enough informed, there didn't see to be any holes in what she herself was told. Nastasia was sure that she was only informed of what was directly necessary and that she wasn't privy to every part of the planning. That was fine, even if she wasn't fond of it. She certainly was no slouch when it came to battle, and knew her way around Archangel more than well enough, but she wasn't a fighter first. She tended to her business as a much higher priority. lt was a matter of import that not as many were readily as equipped to handle. Battle was something that with enough practice was attainable but all as far as Nastasia was concerned. lt wasn't where her talent was meant to be focused.

She was addressed, not at first realizing that Sain spoke of her. Stacy? That didn't even make sense. Where did he even manage to pull that one from? She had assumed at first that it was either of the others present, but neither responded and the piece of the plan was clearly the one she'd be carrying out. She gave him only a probing eyebrow, unsure how to really assess the poor attempt at spite she supposed. She didn't have long before one of the others spoke up. She seemed to lack confidence. This was the one that had stood up to Lord of all people? She couldn't say it was anything short of baffling but she supposed appearances truly didn't have impact on one's ability to pilot. She didn't say much nd seemed unsure of what she was even saying. 

lt was odd, that name as well. "Arcturus? That certainly wasn't an element presented at the briefing. l don't remember such a name coming up. Everything is as Sain says, but this man was not mentioned. Sain, does it mean anything to you? l can't say it l know of an Arcturus."

[Shamitako]

Tai 

 

The room at the end of the hall was rather large and, once again, empty. It seemed to be an inspection of sorts, as it had several curtains heading off in other directions. Most were unmarked, but one had the danger symbol on it. The one directly across had the curtain pushed aside to reveal a short hallway with another door at the end.

 

(ooc: the plot is in one of the danger rooms, but I'm fine with letting Tai explore the rest of the place first. If you want to move things along, I do have a way to railroad. Lemme know which you prefer) 

 

Swag

 

Swag laughed. Not a joyous laugh, nor another mocking one, but the kind of laugh that came from someone who had lost all hope.

 

"Arcturus. You mean the legend that some people say was born out of Wrath's sun? The one that Lord's been begging to help us because he's so ridiculously powerful? The one whose capabilities we know almost nothing about because he somehow erases the memories of everyone who encounters him?" Swag obviously didn't expect an answer, "And here I thought we had a chance." 

 

The door edged open and a certain unpopular young man entered. "We already didn't stand a chance." Adam said, surprisingly lacking in his usual prideful confidence, "Blink and Faerie just showed up, a coup took Envy shortly after Seeker left. We're pretty sure Aries backed it, but it's not really clear."

 

Adam shifted uncomfortably and didn't sit down, it was apparent that he didn't think he was welcome. Swag considered offering a seat, but knew that his presence wasn't the one causing Adam his discomfort. It would be up to his fellow competitors to decide if they'd accept his presence.

[Chevaleresse]

Hiroki's discomfort was visible (and nearly audible, if you paid attention to her breathing.) Her memories being tampered with was a frightful thought. The fact that she couldn't remember anything about him other than the challenge was enough proof that it had happened; she'd been certain there was more to the conversation than that. Something leading up to it. She hadn't left the audience immediately, she ran into Grima and then. . . what? Arcturus had offered his challenge, but that couldn't have been all that happened. 

 

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on one's view and value of each particular topic, a distraction in the form of a particularly non-rigid member made itself known. Her face twisted into a grimace; Adam ranked somewhere between a particularly unappetizing dish and actual human waste on her list of things she would have liked to encounter up close. The news he brought was even less pleasant. "You could have at least shown up with good news," she grumbled, not really speaking with the intention to be heard. She didn't want to remember how agonizingly painful his attempt at defeating her had been, though how badly injured the aftermath had left him was something approaching payment for it. 

 

Hiroki took another breath, and spoke again. "That doesn't matter." She flinched, already anticipating the responses. "Ummm, we just need to, um, beat Cardinal. Everything, um, else after that doesn't matter, um, until afterward."

[IntSys]

Tai

 

Choices. Even more of them. The building felt increasingly like a maze to Tai. Of all the choices, though, only two stood out. One being the ever-familiar danger-marked path. The other, and the more interesting one, would be the path across from the "dangerous" one, with the curtain already pushed aside.

 

Could someone had just gone that way recently? He hurried to the door that lied at the end of the path, thinking that he was onto something at last.

[Komodojoe]

Morgan

 

"If only things were that simple for once..." Morgan said as she depressingly rested her head on her hand. For a moment, she wished things were as simple as they were during the tournament, then she realized that it wouldn't really matter because the simplicity never existed. Not knowing something isn't the same as something not happening. The lack of knowledge just gives the illusion that it's more simplistic than it really is. Ignorance is bliss, but that doesn't necessarily make an action justified.

 

Speaking of ignorance, Morgan couldn't help but feel concerned about that man, Arcturus. The fact that he can supposedly erase memories is quite unnerving. Actually, now that she thinks about it, she can probably scratch out the 'supposedly' part. Other than the challenge to Hiroki and the man's name, the quiet girl was drawing a blank on anything else that might've happened. The fact Arcturus has that power is frightening enough. If that much was true, then he could very well be as strong as Swag says. She started to wonder what else that could mean for them, but perished the thought before she got lost in her own thoughts again. Her eyes widened as she recalled that she was the last to speak, and in such a negative tone.

 

"O-oh, uh..." Morgan started, hoping to pass off the attention, or at least the attention she thought she'd drawn to herself, to someone else. She actually wanted to rewind things back to the topic of the plane of Envy. And thus, she turned to Adam. She doesn't seem to mind his presence as long as his ego doesn't get the better of him. She really hoped it doesn't get to that point, especially at this moment when she's looking to him for answers. "S-so... what exactly happened in Envy? I-I mean... do you know anything else... about it, or... I-I mean... well..." Before she was able to entirely express her concern, she became flustered over her own embarrassment and ended up overthinking her own question. As a result, she's now in a bit of a loop of trying to reword her own question. Basically, what the question would boil down to is: who actually managed to annex the plane of Envy, how did they manage to accomplish doing so, and why did they do it?

 

...Whatever the answer might be, now might be a good time to interrupt her, though she will eventually get around to asking the question if no one does.

[Shamitako]

Tai

 

As it turned out, the curtain wasn't ajar because of someone passing through, but rather because the room beyond was missing a piece of the wall. The entire room was cold and unwelcoming, and there didn't seem to be any other exits from it. A dead end, and a chilly one at that.

 

While Tai was becoming freshly acquainted with the bitter cold, he heard what sounded like a scream from behind him. Not so much a scream of terror as a banshee-like screech. It was clearly coming from the danger curtain attached to the intersection. He got the distinct impression that if he didn't confront it head on, whatever was making the sound would sneak up on him when he was distracted.

 

Swag

 

"There's not many details, but it seems like it was a coup that Aries joined with out of opportunity." Adam answered Morgan. He apparently chose not to sit, well aware that he was unwelcome at the same table as Hiroki.

 

"Then there's a chance they aren't actually aligned in their goals." Swag said, "If so, Hiroki may be right that it's not an issue."

 

Swag didn't say it yet, but he actually thought this might work to their advantage. Aries was virtually unbeatable on his own turf, but if they could challenge him in Envy while he was still trying to secure it, then they might be able to actually win. 

 

Sarah would come to the same conclusion, she was good at this sort of thing. When the time came, he was certain she would have a winning strategy prepared. She was Lust's unconquwrable general, after all.

 

He didn't realize it, but tears had started to run down Swag's face. The overbearing god in the room was utterly obliterated as a broken man took his place.

[IntSys]

Tai

 

Nothing goes well together like bone-sawing air and a screamer straight out of a horror film. It was only then that Tai realized what the danger symbols truly meant: The whole place was dangerous.

 

Normally, one would panic in terror, and hastily rush back to the entrance, but the cold winds had hardened Tai. The endless, soul-crushing blizzard of Gluttony may be something truly out of his reach... but a mere specter was perfectly within his league. After all, he himself may as well as be one, after everything.

 

He followed the screech into where it came from, ready to lunge at anything that resembled a human figure in the slightest.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Grima

 

As soon as the sword impaled itself into the table, Grima jumped slightly, before taking another sip of her tea, "He did mention that, yes. The fact that your dangerous" she stated as she brought her own glass down, forcing herself to remain calm as she looked at the woman, Princess as she was once called, "I only came here to ask for your help, not to force you into doing anything. If you just want to be left alone, I can respect that" Grima continued, before pushing out her chair to stand up, "If you don't mind, I'll take my leave. Thank you for the tea, it was great" she finished, before turning to walk away.

 

However, there was one slight problem. She was still holding onto the glass her tea was in.

[Shamitako]

Tai

 

Finally passing through the warning curtain, Tai was met with a particularly shocking sight. A large room housing a device that he knew all to well, yet far larger than he ever could have imagined. Towering over him in the center of the room was the reactor core of his mech.

 

It wasn't currently active, which was good because the heat would have incinerated him the instant he stepped through the curtain if it were. Across the room there was another large room with an observation window looking over the core. It seemed likely that the controls for the device were in there. However, none of the exits in the core room seemed to lead to it.

 

Princess

 

Princess cleared her throat. "Those glasses aren't cheap." she calmly prodded Grima, no accusation in her tone.

 

She didn't say anything more to try to keep Grima from leaving, after all, she really did want to be left alone. The world wasn't hers to save, and Victoria's wars weren't hers to fight. She'd already learned the hard way that she wasn't meant to be a hero, that demon had put her squarely in her place. She was just a woman who happened to be good with a sword, nothing more. 

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Grima

 

For a second, Grima merely stopped where she was, turning back with a small "eh?". However, shortly afterwards, she looked down at her hand, seeming to just now notice the glass that was still in it, "Oh. OH, sorry" she quickly replied, coming back to the table and placing the now empty glass back down, "Thank you for noticing" Grima commented, before giving Princess a sort of passing salute, and then finally walking out of the room and out of the house.

[IntSys]

Tai

 

A strange sight, yet far more familiar than everything else Tai had seen so far in this shelter. He looked around, only to find that there was nothing else there, not a single soul to be seen. He took a deep breath, and tried to grasp the situation. It was certainly suspicious that his mech's core was there, but he wasn't about to question his ticket out yet.

 

He recalled again that he had seen plenty of danger curtains on his way here. If -that- was the definition of danger for this place, he reckoned that he might find something similar there. Perhaps other parts of his mech, or more mech cores. In any case, none of the other exits in this room looked like they would lead him into the observation room, so he decided to start checking out the other danger rooms.

But before that, he gave the reactor room one more look, considered what to do with whatever spirit haunting this room, and more importantly, questioned if it would actually stay here and not suddenly creep up on his back later on.

Or maybe, he just needed to pick up his pace.

Now.

 

He made a run for it, with a clear destination in mind - the second danger curtain he encountered.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Nastasia

The young madame was quite sure she was somewhat out of her element in this room after all that was currently occurring. Not in the sense she had no reason being here, but in the sense that she wasn't well abreast of the situations and social ebb and flow between all these individuals. She sunk back into her chair, having used the intervening scramble to observe everything that was currently transpiring. This new arrival made it all the easier to do so as the focus was completely off Nastasia due to the tension in the room. lt seemed the man, who had nary the thought to introduce himself to new company, had made some move to earn the ire of the one she knew as Hiroki. He didn't exactly endear himself much to herself either however, being the bearer of such news she couldn't fault him too much.

However, all that she'd been taking in now she wasn't prepared for the next thing she'd witness. Sain was... crying? That lecherous lout broke into tears now of all times? Nastasia had to hold every fiber of her being to not react... somehow to a sight she could barely comprehend unfolding right in front of her eyes. She wasn't sure if she'd laugh, recoil in disgust, cry herself... what she'd have done in response, just that it'd certainly not be the time for such actions and would certainly sour the impression of her character ~~if it hadn't been already~~ to the others present. Rather than any action that'd call attention towards the so called god, she slipped a hand quietly as she could to his shoulder. lt wasn't an action of reassurance but one to allow him to realize he needed to pull himself together in this moment. As much as she loathed the man... we all deserved our dignity. Her own handkerchief was balled in her hand, offered as a means to recover from his current break. 

She figured she'd speak to keep the conversation going keep the air from being dead and people surely noticing Sain's current state of being. "So, with a terrible omen there is but a whisper of fortune at it's feet. Ohohoho~ The world works in mysterious ways it seems." Nastasia understanding the gravity of the tension between the parties, or at least enough of it, addressed the man who still stood. A method to retarget the focus from Sain. "You are new to me messenger, l'd offer you a seat but it's not my place and well... l'm sure there's good reason you're still standing across the room. Regardless, we've not met before. Madame Nastasia Susanna Sinclair, Charmed~." a clearly sarcastic tone was present in her voice on the last word.

[Chevaleresse]

Watching the God of Lust break down into tears wasn't exactly a reassuring sight. It was nerve-wracking, it and this entire situation. Her own memories had been tampered with, the person responsible for the worst thing she'd ever personally experienced was standing across the room, oh, and she was trying to make a decision about the fate of all Tempest. Hiroki inhaled, trying to both steady herself and work up the energy to speak further. At least her anxiousness and her crushed ego had struck some sort of energy equilibrium, at this point. "Shouldn't, um, we tell the rest of, um, the gods about Arcturus?" She still couldn't stop doing that. The idea that he'd somehow just reached into her head and messed with her memory was deeply unsettling. How would she know if it had happened before?

[Shamitako]

Princess

 

Princess sat back in her chair. She felt a sense of relief, but also a twinge of sadness. A part of her had hoped that Victoria was reaching out to her. She stared wistfully at the photo of her family on the wall nearby. Her choice was the right one, she was sure, but she still felt a deep regret.

 

As Princess's thoughts wandered further, they came back around to Grima. How would Victor have handled her visit? Princess was certain he would have at least warned the girl of what she was going to face when she left. As she kept staring at the photo, it started to seem like Victor's eyes were judging her, telling her to do the right thing.

 

"Okay, okay, you win." she relented.

 

Princess stood up and grabbed the sword from the table, swiping it through the air in a swift downwards slash. A purple rift appeared in front of her, opening up to reveal a surprised Grima as she stumbled through it back into the parlor. For a moment the rift remained open, showing the exterior of the house Grima had been walking away from before zipping shut. 

 

"I apologize for the sudden return." Princess said with a short bow, "My conscience insisted that I ensure your safe return. Aries is already in the process of shutting down the trains, you won't be able to leave this plane normally."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Grima

 

As soon as she made it out of the house, Grima let out a sigh. She couldn't help but feel a bit down for her inability for convincing Princess to help out, but she really could only blame her lack of trying, and the fact that she didn't have much room to convince the older fighter anyways. All Grima had to her name was a criminal record, and now acting on the God's commands. Granted, the later wasn't much of a downside, but her point still stood.

 

Regardless, she had to get moving, she didn't have time to just stand around. So, she began heading down the stairs, leaving the home of Princess for good...

 

At least, until a portal opened up right in front of her, immediately dropping her back into the house she was just trying to leave.

 

"Huh?" Grima asked aloud, turning around just in time to see the other side of the portal before it closed. Needless to say, the sudden shift in scenery was enough to confuse Grima, but thankfully, she was able to press that confusion down and turn back Princess, just as she explained why she brought her back into the house, "Well... I see. Thanks" she replied, bringing a hand to the back of her hand, the other resting on her hip, "I didn't know that myself, so the thought is appreciated."

[Shamitako]

Tai

 

Throwing aside the curtain anf his caution with it, Tai barged into the second room that had warned him away. It was an empty box of boring walls, with a young girl with pale, slightly bluish skin sitting in the center.

 

The girl brushed aside her shoulder-length blonde hair and yawned, her golden eyes pouting at Tai. "What took you so long?" she asked, "I don't usually give my hosts audiences, so it's pretty rude to keep me waiting. I even marked the important doors for you."