Endgame: This Broken Jaw of Our Lost Kingdoms; Part Two

[animusmods]

Characters: open
Setting: travelling through dead worlds
Format: any
Summary: The power has gone out, but a portal opens. Maybe all is not lost if you can gather up those who are missing...
Warnings: general animus endgame warnings

Comments

[ambassadorasshat]

Luke spots the group from a distance, squinting in an attempt to determine whether or not they're actually real. He doesn't debate long, turning fully that direction and running towards the group. The desert created illusions if you spent enough time out in it, he'd heard, but even if they were illusions, he'd have a few seconds of company.

Okay, so it had only been several hours, but he wasn't a clock, he couldn't track time that well.

"Hey! Hey guys! ...You guys are real, right?" This question made complete and total sense...to him, at least. It was worth noting that he wasn't attempting to block out the miasma--he'd discovered it was pointless.

[bloodyashes]

It pretty much is pointless, which is why Asch isn't particularly bothering, himself. Luke and his real body get the folded-arms-maximum-glare are-you-an-idiot expression, predictably.

"If you were hallucinating, I'd think you'd hallucinate a version of me that actually likes you." So yeah, they're real. They're definitely real. He waves a hand towards the slash of light - it's not very far off, which is a good thing, considering how quickly even things that glow vanish in the purple mist. "We escaped the Tower through one of those."

[sageprincess]

Asch and his glare get a I-swear-to-the-Goddesses-you-two-better-not-start-bickering-like-in-the-skyscraper stare. However briefly, because there is explaining to do.

"They seem to be links between worlds," she says to Luke, still making the effort of keeping her nose clear. She is not completely reckless, despite what her actions might imply otherwise. "We have been traversing them and finding those who were taken to the cells we were when everyone fell unconscious."

This leaves out why or how such things are happening but that's par for the course when it comes to the Tower, really.

[fragileprophet]

Ion's the only one who doesn't immediately jump into an explanation of the situation. Asch and Zelda both seem to have that covered--so in the meantime he simply smiles, his wireframe face a clear picture of relief. "Luke," he says, "I'm so glad to see you're alright."

Now they just needed to find another portal. He squeezes Anise's hand tighter, hoping and praying that they can find everyone who had been lost. "We can move forward together."

[ambassadorasshat]

"Links between worlds? So you guys all came from the Tower?"

That explains why everyone is all wireframe-y except for Anise. Asch gets a glare in return with his response. Which he probably prefers over the hug Luke was going to inflict on him once he recognized him.

"I've never had anyone follow me back to Auldrant, so I was just checking! And hey Ion...but I'm not alright, everything is dead and my clothes are all filled with sand."

So he's actually glad to see everyone, but that will not stop him from bitching about sand.

[bloodyashes]

Yep he will definitely opt to avoid that hug, yes siree.

"The timer ran out." It's a blunt statement. "There's no point in expecting anything to be 'normal' now." They have no way of knowing what might be waiting for them back at the Tower, if there was anything at all, if they went back at all.

[sageprincess]

Well, at least he's healthy enough to complain over something like sand. Considering Tower standards, that's doing pretty well, really.

"You can clean up in the next world," she offers. And that's a very strange statement, but like Asch said, anything is fair game it seems. "Not many portals have dropped us off in deserts."

Yet, anyway.

[fragileprophet]

Ion's smile hardly wavers. It's good to see that Luke's just as enthusiastic as ever, despite the circumstances. "Then, if everyone is ready, shall we start searching for the next portal?" It doesn't feel right to waste too much time; even now, when they're not physically in the Tower, time seems to be of the essence.

[ambassadorasshat]

"Right, next uh...portal. I don't know where that's supposed to be, do any of you guys know?"

Probably not, since Ion mentioned searching for them. But he knew more about them than Luke, at least.

"We could check the oasis, it's closest. There's the ruins and Chesedonia, too, I guess..."

[bloodyashes]

"It's probably near where you first woke up."

That said, the oasis is closest, so Asch is going to turn in that direction, although he'll wait for the others before actually heading that way.

[sageprincess]

... Right. She has no idea where any of those places are. She'll nod though, deferring judgment to those native to this world (or one close to it) and following Asch's lead. For once.

[fragileprophet]

Ion, of course, knows the territory fairly well, too. That said, he leaves the leading to Asch and instead turns his company and his smile to Zelda. It's a bit harder to tell due to the expressive restrictions of the wireframe, but it's a bit more sympathetic.

"I'm sorry you had to come here under such circumstances," he says. "Auldrant...it really was beautiful." Even if they restored the worlds...it was fully probable that none of them would have this same chance again. The dead version of these worlds would likely be the only memory that any of them would be able to keep once things were said and done.

Sorry for latetag

[ambassadorasshat]

"Somewhere in the sand," he supplies, slightly belligerently since it's Asch that said it. He follows as well, walking slightly behind and beside Asch so he can talk at him.

"How many worlds have you been to?"

no biggie

[bloodyashes]

Hey, at least he's answering your question, Luke.

"This is our second," a wave of his hand, to indicate that 'our' is him and Zelda but not Ion and Anise, "but we got separated from the group we were with before coming here, so I'd assume there's quite a few more. Probably everyone who wasn't in the cells is stuck in one."

[sageprincess]

Zelda turns her attention to Ion as well as the redheads talk, a sad smile of her own on the ghostly image of her face within her indigo wireframe. She'll also finally drop her hand from her face, having seen that despite appearances, the miasma doesn't seem to be negatively impacting them.

"I am certain it was, and shall be again," she agrees, that optimistic rhetoric apparently still going strong despite the bleakness of the situation at large. Perhaps she's saying it for herself as well. "I do wish I could see it, but... I can content myself with the people I have met."

If there is one good thing to say about the Tower at all...