Whispers of the Arcana: Tangled in Webs Unseen [lC]

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

The Stewardess

The silver haired maid looked vexed for a moment, her brow furrowing from a moment. Though it wasn't out of anger, but pure lack of an answer. She forgot herself, she was talking to a mortal, a being that wouldn't be able to comprehend what such a concept of death meant to a goddess. The Stewardess didn't plan on having to clear this up, her kind was all she had conversed with before... she'd never spoke to someone who did not understand a facet of her being that was beyond common knowledge to her peers. The silence continued, at least in sense of words, as the Stewardess frantically wracked her mind for a way to explain her meaning, to find the words. She placed a hand to her chin, biting down on her index finger, as she paced. Her heels weighted strikes into the stone balcony were all that answered Val at this moment. 

"Gods...we subsist on faith, belief. lt is a force that only mortals can provide, living beings that are capable of thought. lt isn't the source of our origin, however it is what maintains it. Without it, our abilities wane, we cannot create miracles without using pieces of our origin." she said seemingly not at Val, but it could only be for her. The woman continuing pacing, perhaps waiting for a reply, some indication of understanding. 

Death

"Hmmm? ls that not but a simple conclusion to one such as yourself soothsayer?" Death angled her face upwards, looking down her nose at the fortuneteller for a moment. lt'd have had more effect if she wasn't so small, though, Death's own presence made up quite the difference. "It is something that you possess my dear but others do no longer. The veritable ambrosia, the bread that sustains divinity. Faith."

Apollo

The brown haired girl clapped evidently ecstatic she'd found a question with an answer that wasn't rough for Mika. Headway! Progress! Victory! Well, partially. There'd still be more to come, Apollo needed to assure she was comfortable enough that Mika would hear her out, more importantly, that she'd believe her. "Well, he certainly sounds like a good man." Apollo looked around, the place they were staying, it must've been the place Mr. Honeydew gave to Mika, it was quite a place for just one young girl. Just how loaded was this guy? Apollo tried to push the inappropriate inquiries from her mind now not being the time for such conjectures. "Hmmm, even July likes him huh? l'd hafta see dat ta believe it!" she said a bit more of her boister creeping back into her voice. She caught herself before continuing. "He mustn't have been about on my visit."

Priscilla, Augustus.

 

Elias made it within time, the roaring inferno still not within range. lt charge down the hall, unchanging in it's raging warpath to the situation unfolding in front of it. Priscilla had no time to process still overwhelmed by the situation, she only reacted instinctively to her name being called, the bare minimum allowing Elias to pull her down to the ground fast enough. She couldn't see anything but darkness,she could only feel the searing heat of a flame unnatural. The flame rolled over them racing uncaring towards the third figure.

Augustus only scoffed silently to himself. Child's play was this magic to a being such as he, though it was from the age of gods... he had to wonder how a mere human recovered such magic... was it the Hermit's doing? Regardless, now wasn't the time. He tapped his cane into the ground, and a spark of a deep azure blue rose from the impact. Suddenly a wonderful sapphire wall jumped up in front of the man. lt was pure force, the energy in it's purest form. The flame broke on it's face, scattering to the winds in every direction. Nothing remained but cinders, that danced in the stagnant air. "Well, he certainly tried. At the least it was low level magic, though... any magic from that poor butler would be formidable. Courage to act and protect one that wasn't his own charge... respectable. Yes, l do quite like this... Elias and his secrets. Perhaps l shall..." Augustus walked forth, striding through the wreckage wrought by the hellish flames. Cracked tile, the pieces of decor, all crunched under his fine suede shoes. 

Priscilla was next greeted by the face of a man she really didn't know, the one she had seen with Elias moments prior. The darkness gave way with a resounding thud next to her. She was still unable to grasp what was happening, but the voice of the man brought her to some focus. "Princess, my name is Augustus! We must be careful until l know the extent of the damage are you okay?"

Pris started to feel her body once more, the weight that came over it had dissipated, but... she was on the floor. She didn't remember falling down or what that weight was. However she was unharmed, unscathed other than a few singes to her clothing. She nodded yes to Augustus. She'd have spoken but, she could't bring herself too, as lucky as she was to be safe... she couldn't remove the pit in her stomach, the one that was telling her something was wrong. "Okay Princess, l'm going to need you to get your Butler, Sebastian. He was looking for us prior it should be an easy enough task. When you get up, do not linger here please."

He had tried, but the moment she saw him Pris ran to his side. lt had all come back to her. Every second before she had frozen, all the moments while she was. "ELIAS!!!" the butler was charred to ashes about the whole length of his body on the back. Augustus has lain him on his chest to avoid placing pressure onto the burns, and was now holding back Pris with his left arm, quite frustrated. "Dear, please. lf it helps, l'm a doctor. l know first aid and l can keep him alive until better help arrives. l need you to get Sebastian. l cannot work if you're clinging onto him. l know how you feel... trust me, but l need you to seek help."

Pris was but a mess, tearing at the man, trying to rip past him tears streaming down both sides of her face. But, she knew Augustus was right. She meekly replied with a choked and labored "o...kay". She whispered something under her breath, heard only be Augustus's ear by mere... happenstance we shall say. "Stay strong for me Elias... l'm going to do what l can."

lt was then, Elias awoke to nothingness. He'd certainly feel wrong, but he'd not feel pain. He'd find himself unable to move his limbs however, perhaps a different type of horror then pain. Before he'd have much time to ponder it however, he'd see once more the face of that mysterious man. "Hmmm, quite the daring hero we have here. l probably don't have to explain how dire this situation is do l?"

Fortune

"l am one of 22. We are but a collection of entities that preside over this world. We, the Arcana." Fortune said a strange tone to his voice. He wasn't quite sure how to take Garret's seemingly unalarmed response to this. He'd expect a lot more... well something out of a mortal having the world thrown up all around them, everything being thrown into question. Perhaps this was just the spirit of a true gambler. "My fellows, l'm uncertain. We've all parted ways. l'm sure plenty are here within this city full of sin, vice, and great importance. We all however have a mission. To ensure the survival of not just ourselves, but humanity as well."

[Chevaleresse]

Elias would have shaken his head, had he the capacity. "Given we can still have this conversation, it's not as dire as I thought it would be." Unless that was an illusion of some kind, that wall of flame should have killed him on the spot as far as he could tell. "Is Priscilla okay?" He tried to keep his tone calm, his raspy voice still staying mostly in the register he wanted it to. Butlers were supposed to be unflappable, after all. "And. . . this might be a strange question, but considering the circumstances, I feel it might be appropriate. Am I alive, or is this some kind of strange afterlife?"

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Augustus

"Well, l'll answer them in order of importance. No, you're not dead.... Yet." lt was at this point Elias realized that the man had been more or less lying on the floor as well to converse with him, trying to look him in the eyes as he spoke, a measure of some sort of respect. "As for the young princess she's unscathed. Your actions certainly saved her life. She's not made of sterner material like you."

Augustus looked away a moment, losing his resolve for a second. As much as he thought he didn't care, telling a mortal they were beyond normal means of saving... still felt unnaturally cruel, even for him. He sighed, one born of weariness, that shield had taken a lot out of him, more than he'd expected. Perhaps Death was right, even one as strong as himself would suffer from the smallest of miracles these days. He looked back to the man that lay before him, knowing full well that while he felt what he was asking was cruel, it was the only thing that'd save both of their lives. Elias's now, his own in the long run. "l owe you the truth in this situation. You are beyond the medical capabilities of man. Your nerves all are about shot to hell, your life hangs by but a thin silver thread. That... was the magic of the gods. Luckily, it was but a cheap imitation, a counterfeit. lf it had been the true thing we'd not be speaking right now." he paused, a frog in his throat caught him a moment before pushing past. "But it offers you one solution. l cannot explain it in detail, we've not the time, you'll have to trust me Elias."

[Chevaleresse]

Elias sighed, starting to brace himself for the pain and then remembering. "Nerve damage. Excellent." He took a moment to think - or maybe it wasn't long. It was starting to get a bit foggy, and the butler was far, far more afraid than he cared to admit. Magic of the gods? Not something he expected to encounter, and something he would have scoffed at normally, but it was difficult to deny the reality of his situation. Unless this was some sort of elaborate ruse, and he'd been drugged to numb his body, but he wasn't aware of any drug or toxin that would have that effect but not cloud his mind. "I feel like this is the part of the story where the hero makes a deal. . . he regrets later, but maybe I'm not thinking as clearly as I should." A near slip. He really was dying again, wasn't he? "I don't have much of a choice in the matter, do I? If you've got some sort of miracle, I'll do my best to repay you."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Augustus

"The Hero hmmm?" what an odd notion to have at this time, perhaps, such was what death caused in humans. They were an oddity that he had never quite understood. When the method for which the Arcana would ensure the continuation of their existence was revealed, he had refused. How could humanity handle such a task? How could they harbor such powerful secrets? Especially those that belonged to him, The Emperor of Secrets. He had amassed countless fonts of knowledge from all his years in this universe. Knowledge that held the power to end this world with but the simplicity of lifting of a finger. How could humans handle this? And yet, there was other secrets that could not afford to be lost, wonders of this world that would be squelched from eternity if he had chosen to indulge his self-import.

He felt it fair he be likened to a demon brokering a deal, though... he wasn't hardly the lout as his fellow Arcana more befitting the name. But this deal was an even trade, one that would not land Elias within his debt. A life for a life... fair, even. Perhaps a god's was worth more than a mortals... but who was to say this was true? Augustus had been living amongst them, he had seen parts of their lives, more than he ever had from on high. These beings, they were crude at times, they had flaws, they inflicted malicious deeds upon themselves and one another, but they had the capacity for the opposite as well. Humans were the culminations of secret tales and stories. They were woven from a million unseen actions of their own making and those around them. Perhaps why they were so interesting in telling the tales of heroes... regardless, they were fascinating beings, ones that were worth his study.

"You're in luck Elias, this Contract will save me as much you. Debt isn't something you should worry about. Even if l were a devil, this trade is even, fair. lt is a life for a life. Perhaps, that l've this ability would make mine seem more valuable but l'm not here to discuss semantics." lt was strange, he wasn't being as he usually would. being honest, fair. Perhaps he was getting soft, perhaps humanity was rubbing off on him.

There wasn't time for tarrying however, he could ponder the finer details what all this meant later. For now, he had work to do. He removed the fine silk glove from his right hand exposing his skin. The contact was important for what was about to happen. A soft golden light enveloped his hand, as if it was emitting candlelight that never wavered, a perfect flame. Elias felt as the light neared, as it touched his forehead. But... strangely it hadn't stopped there like he'd have thought. The warmth penetrated further within. lt was a feeling that he couldn't describe, one he'd never felt before... one he was sure he never would again.

When it had waned... Augustus was nowhere to be seen.

[Swampellow]

Faith? That is why this being was here? That was not exactly what she was expecting, there were others that most certainly had more faith in the gods than she did. The answers to the questions she was now having may perhaps come at a later time.

 

“So you are here because of my... faith.” she paused for a moment “because you need my faith to sustain the Celestial.” she said. “I can only suspect that there is more to it than that, as I’m sure you know as well as I, if not better, that there are others who have more belief and… faith in the gods than I do.” she stated. “I don’t however believe that you would tell me what else there is to it.”

 

“So. What else must I do?” she said, standing out of her seat.
 

[Chevaleresse]

A contract? Something magical, he had to assume at this point, given the emphasis on the word and the current situation. A fair one, garnering no debt, he said. Doubtful, but he wasn't in a strong negotiating position. And then that warmth suffused him. . . either he was actually dying, or whatever Augustus was doing was working. A miracle, as promised; nerves didn't heal, not like that. "Right." He inhaled, pulled his hands towards his body. . . and then let out a very high pitched phrase that was best left untranscribed. Pain shot through his entire body, and he immediately gave up any attempts at moving for the time being, just taking a deep breath and trying not to visibly be in pain. "At least the nerves work now."

[Shamitako]

Mika

 

Apollo's clap was met with a wince as Mika recoiled from the sudden outburst of sound. To her credit, Mika managed to keep herself from closing off again, long enough for Apollo to give her something else to think about, at least.

 

"I don't know about seeing it." she said, her tone just shy of actually making a joke, "July is good at being grouchy, even around Mr. Honeydew."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Death

Death did nothing but intently stare at Siena, and as the chill of her gaze finally set in... the thing to break the scene was hysterical laughter. Death almost dropped the parasol in her hand as she succumb to her temporary lapse of character. As stoic as she was she just couldn't contain herself right now. "You couldn't be more wrong, l don't give a damn about your faith. l couldn't care less about an individual's faith. lt'd be as meaningless as caring about but a single drop of rain in a storm." Death managing to swiftly regain her control though notably there was but a faint smirk now played across her lips. Humans were amusing, so self-important. She never tired of that aspect of them slipping into their character almost without fail. Even more amusing was the fact that Siena believed in The Arcana at all, made her one of the people she supposedly was not. Death had no devout followers. People weren't typically eager to worship her even when they actually understood what she was the goddess of. Humanity was always frightened by Death and by change, new perspective. So, Siena even believing she existed... was basically the strongest of followers she had in this new world.

"Faith is the reason l'm here, but not the reason l'm here." As if it wasn't a confusing statement, Death left it hang in the air momentarily. "Of course, at first, the reason l'm in this world... the second why l am here in your presence." Death closed her eyes, tapping her foot ever so softly against the table. She appeared to be humming something to herself as she waited for some response. She suddenly seemed all the more lively then before, perhaps Siena's misstep had greatly amused her enough that she was no longer able to hide she was enjoying this.

Augustus

Augustus winced at the sudden shot of burning pain. He figured this would happen at least once however, so he didn't lose his concentration. "Hmmm, quite. l'd suggest not moving for the time-being. l must be able to concentrate on this process or it will not take effect. Every pain you feel, so do l." Augustus went back to his silence for now. He wasn't going to speak unless he was asked to... now would be the time to explain what was happening in any normal situation however they had to skip over the "ease them in" step. Such was the dangerous line of work of a Maid or Butler perhaps. Augustus was only going to fix Elias enough that medical teams could repair any leftover damage. lt be much too suspicious if there was no damage when Priscilla returned with Sebastian. 

Apollo

Apollo noted for later, sudden loud noises = bad. She'd work out the kinks over time as she could, she was at least going to make the effort. Apollo was legitimately puzzled at Mika's words however unsure quite how to take them. "ls she really that grouchy? She seemed quite pleasant to me, she was quite helpful and seemed to more than delighted to point me in the right direction ta find ya." Apollo said index finger to her chin, an inquisitive look about her. She seemed quite genuine what she was saying, she truly believed what she was saying. 

[Shamitako]

Mika

 

Mika didn't really know how to respond to that, the best she could remember getting out of July was a curt expression of gratitude. And that was after she forced Mika to clean the bathroom. Though she had seen July be rather nice to customers she liked, so maybe Apollo had given off a really good impression.

 

"Well, um, I guess she's not always grouchy." Mika admitted eventually. 

[Chevaleresse]

Elias focused on his breathing for a moment, trying to get the pain to fade faster. He had questions, in a number that was only growing as he had more time to calm down and think. He hesitated to ask any for the time being - the man said he was concentrating, after all - but curiosity burned. Though the idea that the man felt everything he did was. . . unnerving. There were several reasons he did not like that, though it wasn't quite as bad if it was only pain. "Where are you, exactly? I hesitate to look around, in my current state." Thinking about his position on the floor, he resisted the urge to groan slightly. Nevermind his gruesome injury, these floors were going to be ruined, and if it fell on his responsibility he might wish he had died. He did not envy Sebastian for taking care of it, either.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Apollo

"Yes of course! l'm sure she enjoys your company as well, l just imagine she's not a person that's great showing that to others." Apollo said nodding as if she'd said something wise or profound. Apollo was glad she was managing some headway, that this seemed to be going well. But, she wasn't quite sure how this end up moving into more... serious discussion. She thought to ease in, the current topic at hand helping this endeavor. "July reminds me quite a bit of a friend of mine from back home. She's also the type that seems a bit gruff on the surface, but is truly quite kind when it matters."

Augustus

"Where? Hmmm... that's a complicated question." and one he wasn't sure he'd have to answer quite in this manner, but... oh well. Such was the way of things. "ln the terms of which humans would typically mean, l am nowhere. l do not currently possess physical form... it's not needed in the present." but he figured that'd hardly qualify as a true answer to Elias's question. "lt is hard to place into words a better answer at present due to the work l'm currently performing... but l am in a sense occupying the same space as you are."

[Chevaleresse]

"Ah," Elias said, as if he fully understood. Occupying the same space? So. . . now this Augustus lived inside his head, or something? This was a fair bit more magical than the things he was used to dealing with. "I hope you're not just mocking a man who can't look around to see you standing over him." That was going to be interesting, to say the least. Certainly not something he was particularly keen on, but it was probably better than dying. "Though if you have no body, how are we speaking right now?" Elias shifted slightly where he laid, trying to see how much he could get away with before the pain was too much. He had never been one to lie around, and there was far, far too much to investigate right now for him to be comfortable doing so.

[Twinwolf]

It was difficult to process, to say the least. So basically, the gods were powered by prayers. Ok,  whatever. That... origin, thing. No clue what it was, but it was important. And apparently they could run out of that, if they didn't get those prayers. No wonder they were in short supply - until minutes ago, she had basically been an atheist herself. There wasn't exactly much faith to go around anymore. Priscilla took a deep breath, and nodded. "...Ok," she said after a while, "That's... well, that's my question answered I guess... so why are you here? You kinda... skipped that part of the question, just said that the gods are dying." Alright, focus. Have an existential crisis or whatever later. 

[Swampellow]

Siena was, simply put, quite shocked at first when Death began laughing. This shock however stopped quite quickly. Just as she thought she was beginning to get somewhere, this being began to laugh at her. And now she was still smiling? Siena knew the look which Death wore on her face, she herself had worn it before quite a few times after dealing with particularly “gullible” customers. She did not however appreciate the thought of herself as gullible.

 

“Well,” she said curtly, “if faith is not the reason that you are in my presence, then the only logical reason from my perspective left is that you are merely here for your own amusement by toying with me. When you are done with me I suppose you shall just make me disappear or something along those lines, as though I never even existed hm?” she said with a slight bit of edge in her voice.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Augustus

Elias would feel an incredible jolt of pain, it was clear that Augustus hadn't quite finished on the repair of his nerves. lt hadn't been the mind numbing force it was before but it'd certainly discourage movement for the time being. Elias felt a pang of emotion that didn't belong to himself. A sort of light disappoint, the sigh you'd give a friend before they tried to do something stupid like they always did. "Seems you too much the type that wants to go exploring... l suppose you're employer is still missing... l'll have you fixed enough you can move soon. Patience friend." while he'd wanted to avoid the suspicion of the impossibility of someone moving after that blast, he'd tried to be understanding of the situation. He couldn't exactly relate, but he knew such things were important to humans.

"To answer your question while we're still here however..." he began, a tinge of scholarly excitement to his voice. Elias could feel that excitement ever so slightly bleed over into himself. "We are conversing through thought. A sort of limited communication that actually naturally exists between two souls occupying the same space. lt was discovered by a colleague of mine..." the excitement exited him at this moment. Clearly he wasn't on the best of terms with this one. "Think of it like telepathy in a sense. The sending of a thought to another. Not every thought you think shall be transmitted, so do not worry about such things. You may notice that emotions get sent over as well time to time as well as things such as physical pain. We share a body so strong signals like such are interpreted and sent over as well."

The Stewardess

"That is why l am here." The Stewardess said matter of factly, and for all purposes it was true. She was here to remedy that problem. Perhaps unlike the others of the Arcana, she was looking towards the future, the potential to reawaken who'd be lost... to right what was wrong for good. Her goal was more cosmic then the others, beyond the scope of herself. After all she was the caretaker of the Arcana lost, and the oldest amongst them. She could see however her answer would not be satisfactory. Elaboration was needed. "One of our number, The Fool, long ago found a method with which We may survive independent of faith of the masses. We of the Arcana can subsist as a soul without a true body unlike any other form of life. However even we cannot live without one forever and vessels made by ourselves aren't much better as they eventually will die like any other life. lt'd take too much to continue maintaining such. The method found by the Fool, by complete blind dumb luck... was that we could share a body with a willing human." She stopped there for the moment, she continued pacing as she was but realized that all she was revealing may be more than a human could process, at least while new to the information. She waited for the girl to catch-up.

Death
 

"Oh, struck a nerve have l?" Death's features softened going back to her typical seemingly emotionless state, however Siena could still see the smile in her eyes. "No no dear Siena, while l do deal in endings l... well l suppose in a sense l do seek an ending to your life." she left off here, letting the chilling words linger far too long. The silence was broken by the screeching of the chair breaking the tension in the air as Death leaned forward her face coming close to Siena's. She placed her hand either side of her face leaning in close using her elbows for support, still clutching her parasoul is her left hand. Siena felt her cold breath on her face, icy talons in the pale night. 

"There's more to Death then the endings, sometimes my dear... it's only the beginning." suddenly a small finger booped Siena on the nose, killing the tension of the moment somewhat with it's playfulness. "But no, you're faith matters not. lt just made you one that be more willing to hear what l am truly here for. l'm here to make a deal with you Siena. A contract... this life will end. But we shall begin a new one, together! Right here~ Do you wish to hear more...? Or does the fear of the unknown paralyze you?"

[Chevaleresse]

"I see." Elias did his best to avoid gasping in pain at the jolt; he considered himself to have a fairly high pain tolerance, but the damage had been quite severe. It seemed his initial guess had been more or less correct; he effectively had a passenger inside his head, that could read some of his thoughts and feel what he felt. That was going to be. . . interesting, to say the least. "I must say I'm not sure how comfortable with this I am. Not that I'm complaining, but everyone has their secrets, and having someone behind my eyes watching every private moment is. . . uncomfortable to think about." He stopped speaking for a moment, and instead focused for a moment, trying to communicate telepathically as Augustus had indicated was possible. <"People are meant to have their secrets, you know. Especially someone in my profession.">

[Swampellow]

Siena’s eyes instinctively watered when the cold breath hit her face. They were then cleared when she blinked in surprise at being booped on the nose. She paused for a moment after hearing Death’s proposal, glancing around the tent. This living was entertaining at times sure, but not exactly what one would call “great” or even “good”. Her eyes paused on Onyx, who was now sitting watching her.

 

“I would be inclined to agree to this contract.” she said with a tight pause, “Provided that you tell me more of what it will include, more specifically on what you mean by ‘this life ending’” she finished, looking into Death’s cold blue eyes, feeling for a moment as though she herself would freeze if she looked too long.

[Twinwolf]

Well. That was... overwhelming, more than a little bit. How does one respond to that kind of thing? She was unsure what to say, how to say it. But the stewardess was here, and apparently looking for such things. "...I... I see. Are you the only one who's come, or are there others hanging around the party that I don't know about?" She said, discretely putting off the question she was fairly sure was coming. 

[Shamitako]

Mika

 

Mika felt her heart sink when Apollo made a segue onto another topic. She really just wanted to get out of this conversation, and was sure she'd regret letting her guest into her home for the rest of her life. She thought about trying to point out that it was late as a way to get Apollo to leave, but was too anxious to assert herself.

 

"Are you from somewhere far away?" Mika asked, immediately kicking herself for the inquiry. Passive listening might leave room for Apollo to stop, but if Mika asked questions the interaction was guaranteed to drag on.