[AW] Meet me at the end of the universe (Open)

[Only]

***forgive me, I'm a bit of a rust bucket at this right now.  If this HTML is too jenky will you let me know?  I'm using something made for a b2g board but it is working for me on my computer.

---



He must have been one of the last ones to leave or the first ones to go.  Novus was new and the Rift was gone.  Between this-a-way and that-a-way he saw no hide nor hair of the ones he knew before this moment right now.  


Had he truly been alone for that long?



In the last days of the Rift - everything had disappeared and it had been everyone he knew who went first.  After that it all went in a painful, insufferably slow procession; first the sky then the sun, then trees and the grass - the flowers went too- all of it went until there was nothing but glass beneath his feet, not even dirt.  He knew hunger long before he knew thirst.  When the water started to become harder and harder to find that is when he knew the game must have been close to being over.  

Somehow, you managed to get us caught in our game. Stephan figured in the closet space of Only's mind, even he was too weak to be angry - too tired to shake himself from the mental irons his hands and feet Only lade him down with.

The last river he visited had once been an ocean - one that had tried to drown him once, twice - the third time to pull him in would be soon.  Soon.  Out of desperation to satisfy some part of the emptiness which slowly crept into him.  He believed that the Rift was filling him with the same kind of 'stuff' that it was made out of.  Soon it would all be over - he felt it coming.  Soon.

In the beginning of the end, there had been a bright and powerful flash of light.  Only hoped that it was the rapture.  The sky, always black and always full of stars, was blue and the cold, frozen, mirrors beneath his feet were soft, lush, and green with grass. Only sagged under the weight of a new world.  He was caught between the cross-roads of being relieved as well as overwhelmed.  His legs wibble-wobbled and eventually caved in beneath him.  Down-down-down into a lush carpet of green, green grass (oh such bliss! The grass was alive!  Alive and not dead!) - just to feel it cool and wet with dew beneath his belly.  

Dawn had never felt so blissful until this day.

The air was fresh (there was air! not water? was he not drowning?!) and the breeze most pleasant.  It felt like a Summer morning but he could not be too sure.  In truth he wasn't even sure what Summer meant anymore because being lost in the Rift was like being lost in a dark room with nothing in it.  Would it rain?  Would it snow?  Would there be a constant lightning storm for weeks (months? years?) that never ended?  Would the rain-rain so hard that it would turn into the sea in seconds?  His worry drove him from eating the grass or drinking from the creeks, from laying in a safe, quiet glen and sleeping for once - to the point that all he could do was sit and worry.  

Butterflies floated by and he drew in a quick breath of air as it passed by.  Would the moment shatter?  What wicked beast had turned the world upside down this time?  What cursed magic desired to trick him into thinking he was back in Nebraska?  Only had appeared on the front grounds of a land he knew nothing of - no, this wasn't Nebraska, it was somewhere (something?) else - and he could not bring himself to exhale the breath caught in his lungs.  His eyes did not dare to blink.  Secretly, Only wished the breeze would shush itself long enough to settle his hair.  Any entropy at all and the whole thing could be over with.  Surely this was worse than a dream, it was some altered reality that wouldn't settle for more than five minutes.  The butterflies paused at the red poppies and bee balm, his eyes shifting only once before something else was already happening.

Something snapped, Only moved quite fast for a man so down on his luck.

"I didn't--" he started but found another horse standing not far from him.  Which one of them was the traveler and the other a settler?  He was beside himself with a flurry of troubled emotions that passed through his eyes like reflections of a storm but he was too tired to try and understand.  He could cry if crying didn't look so ugly on him.  He staggered in the mild morning breeze as he took a step towards the stranger.  

They are real.  Good God, they are real.

"Please let me stay.  Please."

.only
thief for hire
low-functioning telekinesis

There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
 For many are called but few are chosen.

[Ulric]

and all their words for glory

well they always sounded empty

A splash of amber melted into shades of brilliant red as the sun began to rise in the east, peeking over the horizon and casting its warmth and light across Novus. For many, it was the mark of a new day, but for Ulric, it meant that his night watch was over.


The sentinel had been prepared to leave his post only long enough to find a shady spot beneath the shade of one of the hickory trees nearest the citadel, looking forward to a wink of rest before he went to seek out Somnus, or perhaps do a bit of his own exploration of Delumine before setting up post all over again.


But before the roan could venture far, his gilded eyes captured a smudge of black against the verdant green meadow in the distance. For a moment, Ulric simply watched from where he stood a good distance away. Whoever it was appeared to be alone, but he remained ever cautious as he finally began to approach; he could not be so easily fooled.


Worry sweeps over him as the form of the stallion can be made out in greater clarity. He in indeed alone, Ulric concedes with another glance towards the bordering trees, but something just doesn't seem right - though he is unable to say just what it is.


The moment he draws in a breath speak, the other man is remarkably on his feet in an instant, already pleading that he be allowed to stay before Ulric has even spoken for himself. Only now can he see the all too obvious signs of malnutrition, the black's sides sunken in and the sheen of his coat practically nonexistent despite the season. With concern leaking into his golden eyes, the roan looks upon the perturbed stallion and he speaks easy.


"Easy, now," the warrior attempts to soothe, mindful to keep his feet planted where he stood but keeping his posture relaxed. "You are in Delumine, home of the Dawn Court - you're safe here."


He speaks again, but this time, he drops his head and bumps his nose in gesture towards the newcomer and his seemingly unwell condition. "Do you need help?"

[Only]

You are in Delumine.

How many times has he woken up somewhere he doesn't remember going in his life?  Delumine sounds like a resort he was banned from after the bell boy found a dead woman in room 502B, she had been strangled with one of Stephan's italian leather belts and wrapped up like a package in the egyptian linen sheets for the cleaning lady to find.  His thoughts buzz as he tries to forget the tight pinch he had to scheme his way out of.  It makes his skin itch as if it were crawling with fire ants.

Home of the Dawn Court.

How many times has he fallen into a good place full of good people only to ruin its good name over time?  
Too many times.

You are safe here. Ulric says then, and Only's reaction is one that is unexpected.  He is almost to the point of scoffing but not at Ulric, at the idea. His serpentine head lifts and his eyes light up and a consciousness that fills all the spaces in between the last moment and this moment right now, somehow feel different. Yes, Only wants to say with some knowledge.  Yes, but are you?  Are any of us? He wants to ask.  Ulric looks like he could hold his own, especially now as Only quietly compares himself to the silver.  Height is the only thing Only has on him but that is it - it is like a matchstick being compared to a number two pencil.  That is when he decides (quickly) that he should make friends, not enemies.  He must not rely on the chance of Time being fractured in a way that he can disappear into it again and again.  The Rift may very well be over - but who is to say?  

It takes a long time for Only to respond and he has his reasons, reasons that are beyond explanation - reasons that won't be explained. 
Not now - not ever.

Perhaps he is waiting - waiting to see if this is all a piece of fractured Time visiting him only to go away.  He is waiting to see how long it takes for Ulric to dissolve into something he is not.  All lies, the Rift.  It has damaged his perception so greatly that whatever uses Delumine and the Dawn Court try to and purpose him with may never work.  

Only seems critical of Ulric for only a fraction of a second, truly expecting him to vanish, expecting to find himself dead or dying somewhere in the darkness of what he used to call 'Home'.

Ulric comes but he doesn't go and Stephan is quiet - too quiet, and although Only can hear his horrible counterpart rustling prison letters and rattling his chains he cannot hear his laughter.  For once, he turns an ear to the voice that asks him if he needs help and the odd look on his dark face dissolves entirely.  It wasn't as if it was readable in the first place.

Do I need help?  He wonders quietly to himself.  Does he?  If so, what kind?  The question is loaded for Only and so he tries to think of what to say in response.  'Cut me in half and kill the evil twin.' Crosses his mind but it is too cliche - he has seen that on television too many times before to entertain the possibility of saying it.  Finding food and finding water comes naturally in a place like this.  This...

"Forgive me, I'm in shock."  
And he is.  Quite obviously so.  

But he is also an excellent liar.

"I was praying in the dark when something broke out from beneath me and suddenly I am here."  He blinks, slowly.  "I was hoping you could help me.  I was alone when this happened - but I have friends who disappeared long before I did.  Coraline, Pan..."

Faida-Astarte, the hydra.  He doesn't mention her name(names?) because he is too afraid it will summon demons.  The thick scar on his neck itches just thinking about her and so - he redirects his attention back on the innocent lives that left before him.  He thinks about Gabriel and wonders quietly if the red had been left behind too - would Gabriel be waiting somewhere in the dark to finish their plans?  If so, it would be all over now.  Certainly, the ground is so steady beneath Only's feet that he is sure the Rift has finally dissolved itself.

"Will you take me in?  My name is Only - I need a home and a purpose.  Mine vanished entirely."  A likely story.  If he could snap his fingers and say 'like magic' he would.  
  

.only
thief for hire
low-functioning telekinesis

There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
 For many are called but few are chosen.

[Ulric]

and all their words for glory

well they always sounded empty

There is the slightest shift upon the other man’s face, and for a brief moment Ulric wonders if he hasn’t somehow upset him. One ear ticks back as he attempts to read him, to gauge what reaction he might offer be it with words or actions, but the roan finds himself to be struggling – reading anything more than an adversary’s next move is something he has never been particularly gifted in.


Seconds tick by in increasingly uncomfortable silence, though the roan offers no signs of backing away nor does he exhibit anything but concern towards the equine. Quite honestly, if anything, it’s almost disturbing how long he stands unmoving and completely quiet, as though he were waiting for something. But what? Just as the warrior begins to open his mouth and ask again if everything’s alright, the black finally speaks and the concern that tainted the stallion’s gilded eyes soon shifts to confusion.


The names that he speaks are foreign to Ulric’s ears (even if they both reside in the Dawn Court – clearly somebody needs to get out more) and he hums beneath his breath before finally giving a shake of his head. “Afraid I’ve never heard of ‘em,” he responds with a look of sympathy, “I’m sorry.” Before he can say much more, the other stallion continues, and patiently he listens.


Ulric can’t help but to think of just how strange his name is – Only – but his request is simple enough, and his plight a seemingly dismal one. From what little time the roan has spent in Delumine, he can tell that those who call it home are kind and seem to carry good intentions within their hearts. There were plenty of roles to be filled here, and even if Only wasn’t immediately sure where he would fit in, there would be plenty of opportunity for him to find his niche.


“The more the merrier, I always say,” he quips with a quirk of dark lips, and with that he nods off in the distance behind him, a vague gesture to follow. The citadel isn’t much more than a spec on the horizon, but the walk wasn’t nearly as bad as is looked. Turning, the roan assured that he was following and made certain to always keep him within view, for Ulric knew better than to let his guard down around those he didn’t know, especially when alone. “The name’s Ulric; I serve the Dawn Court as one of its warriors. We’re comprised mostly of sages, but we’ve got a few medics and commoners among us as well." On top of that were those that ruled on a higher plane, such as the Council and the Regime, but he figured that went without saying.


Then, he turns the knife on Only and inquires something for himself out of sheer curiosity. “Do you mind me asking where you came from, before you, ah… ended up here?”

[Only]

...

And so, Only's journey in search of his friends is guaranteed to continue but it will only be a matter of time before they all find one another - assuming they are here, of course.  Little does he know that Florentine has already caught wind of his presence and is hot on his trail due to arrive any day.  What a small world it is after-all!  Novus cannot possibly be that big, can it? 

Only takes the time to really get a look at Ulric now that the initial shock has started to wear off of him.  He looks at the warrior as if he is trying to recognize him but the only part of him that reminds him of anything is the winged little girl he had awkwardly encountered one night in the Rift while staking out the Winter Court. The patterns on Ulric's wings - like Flora's - are avian-like in nature but there is little else he can discern with Ulric's wings tucked tightly against his own person. Before it becomes rude to completely check Ulric out without buying him a beer first, he lifts his green eyes to meet golden ones with a seemingly clearer expression now that the space dust between his ears has settled.

Ulric begins in a direction and Only follows like a colt behind him.  He continues to admire the man's wings and wonders about the left one (of course!) but decides he doesn't need to know this soon into introductions.  Who knows if Ulric will even let him stay?  He is none of those things that Ulric lists off and isn't even sure if it is required of him.  So naturally what does he do?  He asks.  Why beat around the bush?  He'd make a terrible healer, he has spent more time taking bodies apart not putting them together.

 "A warrior you say? Why warriors? Does Delumine have enemies?  Has it faced a war?" He only waits a half-second to speak again, his hesitation brief but necessary.  "But does the Dawn Court have any other wild cards?  I cannot imagine that any of these Empires run without their own hired chaos, you know, the seedy underbelly?"  He is candid with his opinion but doesn't want to push the envelope too hard on it.  One could conceivably do as he wished under the false guise as a commoner, right? 

He is a lying thief after all.  And he can be good at it - when he tries.

That is when Ulric decides to answer with a question of his own and Only has to think more carefully.  The sentinal asks then, where Only is from and that is a good question - not even Only can sum it up into one word like 'Delumine'.   The name it had been called was - what Only would say in a more formal setting - a 'verb' rather than a 'noun' because 'Rift' was what was happening to him - to all of them.  The chaos just went around and around and around - if it wasn't one horse it was another.  In the end, half of them were monsters.  Men, women, children, the unborn, the land itself - everything was sick.  His ears press together at the tips as his eyes look down again, (a tell-tale sign that he was about to be quite honest) "Well --" he starts.

"Quite frankly Ulric, I wish I could tell you.  If I ever have the ability to show you I will."  He knows it isn't a good enough answer - he would not be satisfied himself if that was something a stranger told him.  Only decides to crack a little more to hopefully feed the silver warrior's curiosity.  "I came from a place that was mostly nothing but night.  There were many anomalies, the whole land itself was very unstable.  There were so many of us - trapped there."

Only's eyes look on towards Delumine as the road leads them to somewhere far from wherever they started.  "It was nothing like this.  The sea took what it wanted, when it wanted.  The tides were devastating - sometimes they took out entire areas where we would gather together.  Some of the valleys were made out of metal and they made this horrible ticking noise - you could hear it across the straight on the islands.  We all just tried to survive - the magic was strange and it made some of us very sick."  It gets to a point where Only's voice wavers unsteady and with some despair.  

"We tried to group together out of safety.  We tried to pray for our Gods.  There was nothing where I came from.  Nothing.  In the end, all that 'Was' began to go until it was all just darkness.  It had no name - we just all agreed to call it the Rift where our lives were in constant upheaval."  He breaks from it and sighs a sigh of relief as other horses begin to manifest on the landscape.

"I'm glad to be gone - it almost had me but I managed my way out.  What about you?  How long have you been here?"

.only
thief for hire
lesser telekinesis

There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
For many are called but few are chosen.

[Ulric]

and all their words for glory

well they always sounded empty

When it comes to why Ulric had chosen the path of a warrior, the answer was, for the most part, a simple one. He opens his mouth to provide an answer to the lithe stallion, only to be cut off by another question, and then another, and another. Craning his neck to cast a brief look back to Only, his gilded eyes sweep quickly over him; is he a curious colt in disguise?


But the roan is a patient man, and does his best to provide the answers Only seeks. "I chose to become a warrior years ago, so that I could protect those that can't do it themselves." Once, he had been one of those who could do nothing but run, hope and pray to the Gods he didn't believe in, but now, he was somebody else entirely. He had Jerin and Piran to thank for that. "As for our enemies, I'm a believer that everyone's got some out there somewhere. Though, we seem to be at peace with the other three courts of Novus."


As for Only's following question, Ulric's brows furrow and his steps slow considerably for a moment before continuing onward at the same pace from before. Is he looking for the secrets of the Court to be shed before he's even reached the citadel or met its Sovereign? Not even Ulric knows the proper answer to his question. "Do you mean, like... assassin's and thieves?" He asks incredulously, but more than anything, his suspicion grows. The Dawn Court was to be a beacon of peace, something Ulric had sought for the better part of his life, and he had every intention of keeping it that way, using any means necessary.


He allows Only to continue, this time speaking of where it was he had come from, but he listens with far more scrutiny than before. In all honesty, this place that the black had come from sounded like a literal nightmare, and it seems the mere remembrance of it all is enough to cause a waver in Only's voice. "I'm sorry to hear that," he speaks honestly, "Nobody should have to live in constant fear like that. I'm glad you made it out." But should Only try to become something of the seedy underbelly of which he had spoken of, Ulric would be willing to try and help him find his way back. But hopefully, it wouldn't need to come to that.


The question is soon turned on him and Ulric rolls his shoulders in a shrug. "Not long. A few weeks, maybe, but I already quite like it here." Up ahead of them, the citadel is already a much clearer sight to behold with a few of its citizens coming into view as well. Is Somnus among them, he wonders? Or even Kasil himself? Eventually, Only would have to stand and face his ultimate judgement, but for now, Ulric would keep an eye out on the newest visitor to Delumine himself.


"This is where you'll usually find most of the others; you're free to make yourself at home. You have time to decide and explore what it is you'd like to do here, but everyone's expected to partake in something to help out the Court."

[Only]

...


It never occurred to Only that in such a short amount of time and with so few words between him and Ulric that the Dawn Court might not be as welcoming for a crooked guy like Only. 

 Ulric seemed wary of him but kind, for this Only was thankful.  A quick, necessary judgment seemed to have been made with the benefit of the doubt but Only's questions now garnered more wary intrigue from the warrior caste than he intended.  Soon.  Soon he would have to face off with the Sovereign of Delumine - the one who was solely responsible for maintaining the integrity of a peaceful nation.  

Ulric seemed to be settling in quite well - a warrior with a purpose and a strong desire to protect (how charming) but Only's skill-sets were...

Well, questionable.  Getting a real job had always been a problem for Stephan even when they had opposable thumbs, there was just something off about him and even Ulric felt that way. Being in such a community was not his personal favorite to try and blend in with (he always failed despite how hard he tried) - but they were great for someone like Stephan.  Where Only saw failure the darker side of him saw opportunity - but for what?  

Only grimaced behind Ulric's back, his eyes distant as the man continued to give an answer for every question he had asked.  As they made their way farther and farther in Only could only despair.  He wouldn't allow himself to ponder the future, not now, not when he felt like a snake that had somehow found its way into a crate full of warm cuddly bunnies.  

"I'll do what I can - " Only said then, looking upon the valley of horses that surrounded the beautiful court land. None of them looked to be remotely dangerous - and for that he felt compelled to remind himself that this was not the Rift.

I'll try my damnest to not get myself arrested. He thought to himself before giving Ulric a polite nod.

"May we meet again - and not for the wrong reasons."

Stephan laughed somewhere in the back of his mind - Only gritted his teeth knowing that somewhere his worst aspect was listening.  He was always listening.  Always.

ooc: Finished this thread up. It's really not gonna go anywhere. xD

.only
thief for hire
lesser telekinesis

There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
For many are called but few are chosen.

@Ulric : ooc:  I dunno how long you wanna keep up this thread, we can end it when you like or bother someone else to come join in.  Up to you!

[Ulric]

and all their words for glory

well they always sounded empty

The stag’s answer was far from satisfactory, but Ulric had nothing but suspicion to act on for the time being, and that was far from enough. From here on out the roan would do what he could to keep an eye on the newest visitor to Delumine, and hope that Only really would do what he could to stay out of trouble.


“Glad to hear it,” he remarked as he finally drew to a halt before the grand Citadel, taking a moment to take in those milling about. The morning was still crisp, but as the sun rose ever higher into the atmosphere, Ulric was certain that few would be spared its relentless heat as had been proved in days past. When the obsidian man beside him spoke again, Ulric craned his head to the side to regard him wholly. Delumine and Novus as a whole seemed peaceful so far, and the warrior found himself hoping that he hadn’t just escorted the one who sought to squander that inside of his very own Court.


“Let’s see to it that it’s only under good circumstances,” he admonished, pushing a smile, albeit a fleeting one to his lips. He would remain wary for now and pray that Only just possessed a poor ability to choose the right words, but Ulric wouldn’t get his hopes up. “Come and find me if you’ve any further questions, Only. Kasil is our Sovereign – perhaps he can help you find your niche if you need it.”


With that, Ulric turned to leave the newcomer to his own unsung devices, but not without one last, scrupulous glance over his shoulder before he made his way back towards the borders.

[sid]

STAFF EDIT*** @Only / @parade has redeemed signos for completing this thread.
@Dingo / @Ulric has redeemed signos for completing this thread.
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