TRAVEL LOG #2

[synfluxmods]

TRAVEL LOG #2

CONTENT WARNINGS: natural disaster, acid rain, vehicle crash.

▶ 001. WINGING IT.

In the early morning hours of the 1st, Outsiders will receive a rude awakening blaring through their implants. No matter what they do, the alarm will not stop sounding until they are forced to get up. A message will flash through their vision:

ALL OUTSIDERS ARE TO REPORT TO THE HANGAR IMMEDIATELY FOR DEPARTURE

Get up, get dressed in your plugsuit, and it’s time to go! Once they report at the hangar, they will be met with a huge spacecraft, large enough to fit at least 80 people. This will be their mode of transport to their next location.

"My Angels of Lilith. You are needed once again. We have received distress signals from the neighbouring country of South Korea. Unfortunately, since we have not established data portals in that country, we require you to embark via air. Your aircraft is ready for you and your seats have been assigned. I bid you a safe journey."

True enough, there are more than enough seats on the LILITH SKY CRUISER to accommodate every Outsider, and to get everyone organized quickly for departure, all Outsiders will receive a seat number. Like any plane, seats are rather cramped and there isn’t much leg room. Once the seatbelt sign is off, Outsiders are free to stand up and move around the cruiser, but they might have to climb over other people or make the whole row stand up to give them room. The aircraft is serviced by robotic stewards serving light snacks of nuts and crackers, and coconut crab kimbap and seaweed soup at meal time. Any characters who use a cloaking device will be instructed to use it during the flight to accommodate the aircraft. Also, any characters who rely on a weapon or anything else (such as a Gundam), it will be loaded onto the cargo of the aircraft.

The flight will take about 2-3 hours. Outsiders may take a nap, chat or try the inflight entertainment available. This inflight entertainment is delivered through a virtual reality headset. Outsiders may pick a selection of AI movies of questionable quality, along with several virtual reality games. There are single player or multiplayer options available for every game.

Available games include:

• The Sims 30: One player gets to become the ‘god’ of a world and build houses or dictate the lives of other players and NPCs within the game as they see fit.
  
• Farm Crossing: A farming simulator game where players get to build and manage their own farms. Harvest your crops and tend to your animals! Impress the friendly villagers in the town with your beautiful ranch!
  
• Tales of Heroes: A fantasy game where players are reborn into a world of monsters and magic and have to level up by fighting monsters and slaying demons.
  
• And many more … (Feel free to design your own VR games.)

Eventually, the sky cruiser will touch down on Incheon Airport. There’s no need to be stuck waiting in line at immigration... it appears as if the Incheon Airport has not been used in decades and seems completely abandoned with the exception of the Outsiders. The old scanning machines and luggage belts are simply collecting dust. Outsiders will be ushered immediately to the nearest train station, where they will continue their journey by train.

▶ 002. WELCOME TO SEOUL.

Once descended from the train ride, they will have arrived in the city of Seoul, South Korea. Similar to Neo Tokyo, a lot of the people on the outskirts moved to this area in order to receive shelter and the benefits of being amongst civilization, rather than fending for themselves. As such, there is a certain hustle and bustle, but considering the state of their dilapidated airports and most of the other cities falling to ruin, there definitely is a more somber vibe to the city. Despite that, the residents carry on and there is no shortage of shopping, food stalls (mostly with foods that are not easy to perish), cafes, pojangmacha to have a late night food or drink at, and many more smaller businesses. The people are resilient and have every single desire to continue making a living. As such the prices here are competitive and Outsiders will find if they look hard enough, there are some fairly good deals to be made. Currency exchange is no issue, as KRYPTOS is the universal currency.

Since a lot of efforts were made to keep Seoul intact, there are still some important sights that were kept up and can be visited if desired. While LILITH urges people to keep their eyes peeled out for any clues to the next kaiju’s whereabouts, Seok Dang may or may not have sent each Outsider a map of the best sightseeing amongst many other not-so-innocent suggestions. He calls it the difference of experiences and “doesn’t want anyone missing out!” If people check back on the message a day later, they will find it was almost as if it didn’t exist at all. On the list, however, includes sights like the Gyeongbokgung Palace, COEX mall and aquarium, Seoul Sky, and many others. However, some of them may or may not exist anymore. How long was he out of the country for? For an extra “freebie” he throws in, Outsiders will find an odd message on their style upgrade saying there is a new outfit available, when opened, it will download a hanbok that they can wear at any time.

"Well, well. Unfortunately, whatever fun could have been planned will need to be halted just a mere two and a half days to get settled. Once again, a message will be produced on everyone’s oculars suggesting an emergency is on the horizon. Guess we better get to that instead of showing you my home country!"

And Seok Dang wonders why he is the Commander's least favorite.

Beep! An alert pops up on the Outsiders' ocular devices. According to the information LILITH just received, there is not just one large kaiju occupying this region, but two. In order to chase both of these leads, Outsiders are split into two groups in order to chase these two kaiju. They have described these kaiju as being very agile and fast, but resembling a serpent from the few sightings that have been spotted. As for the rift that it originated from, there is no sign of a rift in South Korea. Did it migrate here from somewhere else? More details will pour into the Outsider's devices as soon as possible, but for now, Outsiders are called to pursue the hunt.

▶ 003. TEAM SEOUL.
_{EVERLIGHT & REDEMPTION}

Within the next hour, rain will begin to fall upon the city, but this is far from the average summer shower. The precipitation doesn’t seem weather-related as much as it does seem to be a proponent of the kaiju’s abilities. They find this when studying the rain itself, which is acidic to the touch. While the buildings and other structures will remain sound, the people will need to evacuate quickly in order to avoid any lingering effects to the skin. Skin contact with the acid rain will cause both minor and severe burning, depending on how quickly it is rinsed off with normal water. At the first discovery of the acid rain's danger, Outsiders will be commanded to press a button on their plugsuit on the left shoulder, activating an invisible helmet to keep their heads and faces safe.

The Outsiders’ plug suits prevent them from receiving any damages from the rain, but that’s certainly not the case for everyone else. The first team, made up of the members of Everlight and Redemption are to prioritize the initial evacuation of the people, especially those who live slightly outside of the city limits of Seoul. They are the most vulnerable during crises like these and will need to be pulled from their homes, and those who live in the basement shelters will need to be pulled to one higher ground in case of potential flooding with the acid rain. Individuals who have skills in healing will also be called forth in order to tend to the injuries of those who are saved.

Between evacuation, there will also be tidbits of information provided to those on the team that remains in Seoul to check out specific locations in order to figure out more about this kaiju. The first location listed is Gyeongbokgung Palace. Outsiders that remain in Seoul will be utilizing that as their base. They are set to look at any remains the kaiju may have left behind. Any findings are commanded to be surrendered to LILITH. Emergency response of South Korea will use this palace as a safe haven, providing cots for sleeping overnight and other emergency supplies.

▶ 004. TEAM BUSAN.
_{BRIMSTONE & REVELATION}

The second team will depart via train on a journey to the city of Busan. The journey is expected to take 2 hours, and while there are comfortable seats available on the train, any luxuries beyond that are minimal. At least LILITH has brought along a few VR headsets for whoever wants to kill time with games or bad movies? Anyone can sit where they'd like for this ride.

An hour into the trip, a loud crash is suddenly heard, with the entire train rocking and falling to its side. This causes a complete blackout throughout the train and it stops functioning completely, leaving Outsiders stranded within the pitch black tunnel. The train system is completely inoperable in this condition. Outsiders will need to make their own journey to the city, following the rails by foot and helping any Outsiders who happened to be injured in the crash. It’ll be dark within the tunnel, but light will soon emerge once they exit it, and they will find themselves at the foot of Mount Geumjeong.

From then on, they’ll need to put their trekking skills to the test and cross the mountainous, forested region, where they will encounter various local fauna such as snakes, deer and black bears. They will also spot many destroyed villages and temples on their way to Busan. However, evidence of the Kaiju can be found in both the subway tunnel and throughout the mountain trek, suggesting that the kaiju has moved through here. This encourages LILITH to keep Outsiders in this area. The Outsiders will need to make a campsite in one of the destroyed villages, though emergency response will also pay them a visit several days later with sleeping cots and emergency supplies. In the meantime, hopefully they brought enough food with them or know how to forage and hunt for food in the wilderness. Some of those berries out there are poisonous....

The team here will be encouraged to explore the area to find further traces of the kaiju and help any villagers who are still alive.

▶ 005. STATUS REPORT.

Promptly, at the same time, all Outsiders will receive a text message and be put in an encrypted chat-room: OPERATION: RED/BLUE
CODENAME:
LOCATION:
STATUS:
FINDINGS:
Outsiders are instructed to fill out this information and send it into the chat to communicate with one another.

▶ 006. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our second travel log!

Characters do have ASSIGNED SEATS for the duration of their flight to Incheon airport, though there are just enough empty seats that some characters can move around if they really don't like their seat buddies. Teams BRIMSTONE and REVELATION will be traveling to Busan, while teams EVERLIGHT and REDEMPTION will be staying in Seoul.

RNG below to discover what your character will find in both Seoul and Busan respectively. For the STATUS REPORT Prompt, treat it as an open chat room for all Outsiders and respond to the HEADER COMMENT. Feel free to threadjack and discuss among yourselves. You may also include this as a text prompt in your top level if you would like for people just to reply to you instead of using the header comment.

All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards August AC.

EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. WINGING IT: Characters are told to head to the hangar for DISPATCH to SOUTH KOREA where reports of a kaiju have been seen. Characters sit in their assigned seats for a short air travel ride.

2. WELCOME TO SEOUL: We arrive in Seoul and are given orders to split into two teams: Everlight & Redemption in Seoul, Brimstone & Revelation in Busan. Seok Dang has tried to sneak in some sight seeing in between mission briefs, but it looks like there won't be much time for that, as two kaiju have been found in South Korea.

3. TEAM SEOUL: Everlight & Redemption deal with acid rain in Seoul, ushering civilians to refuge, tending to acidic burns and using Gyeongbokgung Palace as a makeshift base. Investigation hints at the kaiju being somewhere in this area as Outsiders find claws, teeth, droppings and other things that belong to a dragon-like creature.

4. TEAM BUSAN: Brimstone & Revelation board a train to Busan which has an outage, trapping them to travel along the tunnel in the dark. They arrive at the end of the tunnel at the foot of Mount Geumjeong and create a makeshift base in the village there. Investigation hints at the kaiju being somewhere in this area as Outsiders find claws, teeth, droppings and other things that belong to a dragon-like creature.

5. STATUS REPORT: Outsiders are encouraged to share their findings and speculations on the kaiju in an encrypted chat room.

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Comments

[fursuit]

[ sorry eresh,,, just strike him from your memory completely. It’s for the best, ]

Mm, yeah, maybe, but what drew them to trying to recruit gods in the first place? Conflict.

[ He might as well have said “me” for the implication of it. ]

Anyways. We got a few options here for tourism. Anything catch your interest?

[queenofkur]

[ And of course, he brings it back to conflict. She could do the same and say Death is what drew them to recruit gods. But it'd be an endless argument.

Maybe Goetia was right. ]

... I'm not even going to bother arguing any more.

[ As for a place she wants to visit: ]

The graveyard.

[ It may sound like she's saying that just to piss him off, but she's genuinely curious as to how the dead are treated in this land. That and she ain't going to go flower shopping with him! ]

[fursuit]

[ Another point for him (only he is viewing this in points). He snickers at her adamant refusal, but the shitty, mischievous look softens at her suggestion. ]

Hm. Yeah, guess that makes sense.

[ She is a god of death and all, and a dutiful one at that. Maybe surprisingly too, he nods in simple agreement. ]

Sure. Would be good to see how they treat their dead, right?

[ He’s guessing her intentions, but that’s also interesting to him. ]

[queenofkur]

[ She nods. ]

How humans treat their dead says a lot about them.

[ She hadn't expected for him to go along with this without complaining and whining, she is pleasantly surprised. Perhaps his claims of being a god of death will be less outrageous next time she will - unavoidably - have to hear them. ]

I worked at the graveyard in Neo Tokyo. I still go there to help on weekends. Hopefully soon I'll... [She shakes her head.] Nevermind.

[ Why is she even mentioning that? And he'll laugh at her if she speaks of her plans to merge the flower shop and the graveyard. ]

[fursuit]

[ He had definitely been hoping to do something more fun with their tourism time, but he won't be picky in this case, if only because he still has time to do exploration. He can do something a little somber and depressing with Ereshkigal, then rope someone more fun-loving into something exciting.

...Besides. His interest is genuine. It's just not his first pick. ]

Sure does. How did your people handle the process?

[ He could start with his, but the Mexica practices around death were a little unique compared to most other cultures. It's best to not lead with that, he figures. ]

—But go on. No need to be shy. [ There's every reason, considering his personality, but don't worry about that... ] You got plans for it?

[queenofkur]

[ What does he mean, she is absolutely a fun-loving goddess! So long as the fun involves things like reading books for something relaxing, or climbing mountains for something more energetic. Why, give her seven years and she may even just build the courage to go to the beach!

Regardless, she sees no reason not to answer his question. ]

It was the duty of the living to ensure the dead would find their way to me. They prepared the bodies to ensure separation of the physical and immaterial, and buried them into the earth to facilitate access to my realm. [A pause.] Family members in particular were tasked with offering food and grave goods to their lost ones, so as to give them the strength to reach Kûr.

[ It may sound primitive compared to how Death and Underworlds work in other pantheon. But theirs was the oldest civilization in human history. They did not have the luxury of being influenced by their predecessors, of improving on an existing concept. The humans of that era had to lay the foundations for all that followed.

And what they created is a civilization where the living cared for the dead and had a duty towards them. Perhaps this is why she has become the way she is. ]

When I awakened to my divinity, I found the Underworld as created by the ancient Anunnaki deities. Before I could improve on their design, such rituals helped many a soul that would have otherwise been lost.

[ Long after such rituals were no longer needed, the people of Mesopotamia still practiced them. She respects that, even if she believes the food would have been better used to feed the living who needed it. As for her plans: ]

I shall not share my plans with a man who will laugh at them or use them to antagonize me.

[fursuit]

[ Perhaps surprisingly, he listens to her with a serious, thoughtful expression, and he doesn’t interrupt. Part of it is a respectful reverence, the understanding of one god to another where these are things to be honored. But part of it is also simple interest. He knew about some aspects of other cultures and pantheons, but the Mesopotamians were subject to some similar problems to his. Their fame just wasn’t all that high compared to, say, the Greeks or the Norse. So information only travelled so far. ]

Similar, then. Only big difference is that the dead got burned instead of buried, but offerings and all that is the same. Your underworld is definitely simpler than ours, though. Not a complaint, wanna point out, but ours has so many layers and caveats that it needs a damn brochure to explain it.

[ He laughs, since he’s kind of tempted to draw that up for kicks. Would that be spoiling things for the Lostbelt…? Maybe, but if she remembered it, that seems like a fair tool to give, so he decides it would be fine. ]

Though, big difference is that the souls didn’t stay with us. It was just a journey to strengthen them for returning to the world.

[ He could elaborate further and explain that his portion of that journey was offering them rest first, but he doesn’t. He kind of prefers that she assume that his part of the journey was the more brutal parts. Which is why he shouldn’t be surprised at her refusal, and yet, ]

—C’mon, you think I’m that bad? [ yes ] I won’t mess with ya about the serious stuff.

1/2

[queenofkur]

[ Ah, there is one thing she needs to correct him about. ]

Don't misunderstand, the souls In Kûr are not forced to stay forever. Once they have rested and found peace, they are free to move on past the abyss and towards rebirth. Alternatively, they can choose to fade into nothingness or stay in the Underworld. It is a choice all souls are eventually given.

[ It is good to hear that in spite of their differences, his Underworld serves the same function of preparing souls for their next life. Which is something that worries her about the Age of Men. With more and more souls just skipping the Underworlds altogether and returning to the root directly, they don't get the rest they need and she fears it may lead to their mental state worsening. In the long run, problems are meant to arise if the number of souls skipping their necessary rest keeps growing...

But that's a problem for later. ]

I would hear more about your Underworld, when you have time. I suppose having different gods managing each layers means a lot more can be done to accommodate the souls.

[ That would have been super helpful for her... But her only help is a lazy golden sheep who's not even there half the time. ]

[queenofkur]

[ As for him inquiring as to whether she really thinks he is that bad: ]

Yes, I do.

[ Things had been going so well, but alas! The shit-eating grin and the finger from earlier have been added to the ever-expanding list of offenses she attributes to him. ]

[fursuit]

[ He does nod to the correction, since that makes sense, and he even smiles in a way that's nice when she expresses curiosity about his. It's gentler and a little fond, since maybe that's part of being a god of an underworld. You're very proud and protective of the part of it you reign over. There's clearly part of Tezcatlipoca that's good, maybe even nice, but.

He's a god of conflict. He's fickle and a trickster, since even with those warmer, sincere sentiments, he doesn't bask in them. It's better for him to represent the eternal push and pull of challenge, and thus, even though he nods to say that he will tell her about it, he ends up focusing on the stupid part of this conversation... ]

Well, I'm gonna give you an even harder time, then.

[ He's not actually serious, since that would surely mean making a true enemy out of her, and he doesn't want to do that. Not here, anyways. If they meet in the Lostbelt, that's a different story (which, lol,). ]

Fine, fine, keep your secrets. We'll focus on Korea's graveyards for now, and I'll see what you're up to when we get back.

[ Which, about their quest. His eye flickers with the light of accessing some of the data they've been given, and with a hum as he scans through the maps, he makes a light noise as he finds what he's looking for. ]

Well, there's a national cemetery that ain't far. Think those are kinda the boring ones, so far as they go, but it looks big, at least.

[queenofkur]

[ He just can't help himself, can he? He has to be disagreeable! He could acknowledge her reasons for not trusting him are valid, acknowledge he's been a real pain since his arrival. But no, instead he decides to double down! She wonders how things would go if her sister was here?

She would most likely have already hit him with all of her strength. He's making her wish that foolish goddess was here, this is truly an accomplishment. ]

You better not. [She turns to look at him coldly.] The day I answer your provocations is the day your current incarnation dies. Do not forget this.

[ Right now, if they were to fight, she's pretty sure he would win. Which is exactly why she has no intention to just play into his silly conflicts. Only when she'll know beyond the shadow of a doubt she can win, will she answer his provocations. And only if she believes him to be enough of a threat (or annoyance). ]

Let us go then.

[fursuit]

[ She’s drawing a line in the sand here based on that cold stare, and he meets it unflinchingly. He isn’t quite cold, but he’s certainly intense, like he’s considering whether to push that boundary at this moment. And he is, sort of. It’s more that it sounds like a challenge, and reflexively, he’ll rise to meet any thrown before him.

But that intensity relaxes as he shrugs, and with a nod, he saunters to lead the way. From his casual, relaxed posture, it might seem like he’s not taking her threat seriously, but: ]

Sure. I’ll remember it. It’d be interesting to see who wins. You still got your Noble Phantasm?

[ That might seem like a threat in turn, but it’s actually not. That’s more just curiosity, since he doesn’t have his, but he doesn’t find that unsurprising. Considering what his can do, that’s certainly too much to bring to this world. He could tear it apart at a whim, after all. He’s sure there’s a future where the kaiju overrun this world.

…Though, without Daybit, he guesses that activating it is a no go in the first place. LILITH can regrow fingers, but full organs? He’ll have to check that out, maybe.

Since they’re taking a walk, he pulls out his cigarettes and lighter, and he looks at her with a toothy little grin. ]

You smoke?

1/2

[queenofkur]

[ Ereshkigal remains impassible when he asks her about her Noble Phantasm. Does he think her that naive? This may not be a Lostbelt let alone one of those "grail wars" created by magi, but she's not about to tell him anything about her fighting capabilities. ]

It is none of your business.

[ The answer is "no," for the same reasons he doesn't have his. Being able to summon her Underworld and give herself all advantages that come with it? That would make her essentially unstoppable and LILITH would not certainly not like that. At least she can still transform in her Queen of the Gallû Spirits form, which is pretty useful for fighting kaijus.

The only problem is mana, it consumes so much of it and without a Master she can only bring it once a month and for less than half a hour. If only her precious little grape was here... ]

Smoke?

[ What is that supposed to mean?! She's not spontaneously combusting, is she? How could she "smoke?" ]

[queenofkur]

[ ... Ah, that thing she's seen him and others with in their mouth. A human vice, why is she even surprised he adopted it? She has no idea what purposes it serves, it kind of mystifies her why people have this in their mouths. She's not even sure how you're supposed to, what was the word, smoke?" ]

... Why would I "smoke" something that smells so horrible?

[fursuit]

[ He chuckles, since the refusal is about what he expected, but hey, worth asking. If he were making a bet, he’d assume she doesn’t, since surely all gods’ Noble Phantasms would be far too much for these kinds of places. That’s part of why they don’t exactly get summoned as Servants in the first place, really.

It’s an easy topic to let go, since he’s actually surprised that she doesn’t know what he means, but. That mild expression very quickly turns into a shitty, mischievous smile. Oh, he is so prepared to be a bad influence here. ]

Cuz it feels good. Why else?

[ …Technically, he does have more reason that that, but that’s a little boring. His deep association with smoke down to his name makes smoking a compulsion even beyond the nicotine addiction, but with a fully human body? It certainly helps. ]

Guess you wouldn’t necessarily know about tobacco, now that I think about it, since it was our thing. Got popular worldwide after the East came knockin’.

[ He pauses to flip open the lighter and catch the cigarette on the flame. Once it’s lit, he takes a deep inhale, then exhales the smoke out of his nose like a sigh. At least he’s not feeling petty enough to blow it in her face… ]

But I’m sure your people used herbs for ceremonies and stuff, yeah? This is just one of ours. Not my personal favorite of the bunch, but it's the easiest to get my hands on pretty much anywhere.

[queenofkur]

[ "Cuz it feels good. Why else?"

Why had she expected anything else? Is that also why he betrayed humanity? "Oh I just felt like it, sounded like a fun idea to mess with the human order!" What a disaster of a god. Why couldn't she get Quetzalcoatl to show up instead? No, she had to get the idiot brother. ]

Every time I think I can't find more flaws in you, you find new ways to make things worse...

[ It's a talent. It's like he was custom-made to annoy her. That or she's so heavily biased against him, she sees everything he says and does in a negative light. She's all too aware that she's allowing her dislike of him to blur her judgement.

She takes a deep breath. Maybe she should give him the benefit of the doubt... She does read romances in her spare time, after all. Smoking isn't really any worse from what she's seen, right? And besides it ties back to his people. The most respect she's seen from him towards his civilization. She can't criticize that. ]

... My apologies. I am overly harsh. [She shakes her head.] If you find joy in this, it is not my place to criticize.

[fursuit]

[ He’s ready to double down and be more of an annoying shit in response, but the apology surprises him. It seems to put him a bit on his back foot, so to speak, since he just says a ”huh” and trails off into silence.

…Though, naturally, it’s brief. He’s doesn’t seem to stay quiet for long, like, ever. ]

Well, wouldn’t call it joy. Just addiction, plain and simple, since if the vibes I’m gettin’ are right, wouldn’t be something you’d have to worry about. This body is one hundred percent human. It’s how I cheated the system to get summoned at all.

[ That’s fine to reveal, since he’d half expect her to have figured that out anyways, or at least have been confused about it if she can still sense that kind of thing. Most Servants would assume it’s something like presence concealment, but nope, way simpler than that. He didn’t have any presence to conceal at all, at least in this Saint Graph. ]

But besides that. I’m not the kinda god that demands “purity” from those that might follow me. My worshippers were warriors. So, if they want to live it up and indulge in pleasures before they die? Fine with me. It’s the kinda thing you have to show as a leader, right?

[ There’s maybe a kernel of a thoughtful sentiment in there, a sign that he is aware of what he does and how he presents himself to people. He’s a god of people who were likely to die in miserable circumstances, so letting them enjoy their life and live it up seems kind. Yet, it’s likely before any of that can sink in that he nudges her with his elbow. ]

So? Wanna give it a try?

[queenofkur]

[ She can understand his perspective, at least. if they are doomed to die, his followers may as well enjoy to the utmost what moments they have left in the living world. She can respect that, and it's not like smoking hurts anyone (right?).

Regarding his revelation as to his body, she's not really surprised. Isn't that how most divine spirits of their caliber cheat the system? They just can't exist in the human world any more. There are exceptions of course, like Quetzalcoatl. But even she is but a fragment of what her full divinity is like.

... She wonders if that's why he chose to use a human body, just to be different from her. ]

... Heh? [She blinks with surprise when he offers her one of those "cigarettes."] N-No, thank you.

[ Is he trying to get her onto that stuff because he thinks she'd enjoy it, or because he wants to see her become miserably addicted? Somehow she suspects it's both. ]

My body is human, too. [She can reveal as much, since he's admitted it himself. Though her body is definitely different in origin from his.] I will not risk an addiction.

[ Now, does she think she could combat the addiction through sheer willpower? Yes, absolutely. Does that mean she wants to go through days (weeks?) of withdrawal symptoms and depression? Heck no! She's depressed enough as is. ]

[fursuit]

[ He clicks his tongue in disappointment, even if he’s not surprised, exactly. She’s no fun, but he’s set on wearing that down… But what she does admit is a little surprising, and he peers at her like that might provide him more insight. ]

Oh, yeah? You make it yourself too?

[ It’s surprising to him because he wouldn’t have guessed that she’d be able to do that. It’s not any reflection on her ability, but more that from his understanding, the fact that he can is rather unique. Even Creator gods didn’t always have the ability to make people—that was a small subset. ]

—And addiction isn’t instant with these, for what it’s worth. They ain’t crazy. Hell, I wish there was crazy stuff, but seems like Japan’s a lot more strict about how you can get high…

[ He’s complaining because he definitely looked… Like, he's sure Silco will hook him up once that geezer is established in some kind of crime, but he's not yet. ]

[queenofkur]

[ Huh, so he made his vessel...? She tries to hide it, but she's surprised! That's pretty impressive, she'll grant him that. Ritsuka told her of other Pseudo-Servants, but none of them made their own vessel. That gives him an undeniable edge. Her vessel is a really good match, but not perfect. Meanwhile his vessel is tailor-made for him and should theoretically allow him to squeeze as much power as possible while summoned in this form.

Add to that, she has to be careful not to hurt the vessel's soul-- Whereas, he doesn't have to worry about that. ]

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

[ She remains silent a couple seconds as she ponders on what she just learned. Her chances of winning against him - should they have to fight - have drastically decreased with this revelation. Her only hope is to regain her field advantage somehow... And that's just not happening without her Noble Phantasm. Well, she'll think on it later. Even if he's rude as heck, she's not going to be rude in return! She shakes her head and hastily apologizes for the delay. ]

My apologies. I was pondering on the most efficient ways to kill you should it come to that.

[ There's no point to pretend that wasn't what she was thinking about. She fully expects he has already prepared his strategy to kill her, it's only natural she has one too!

... Probably. Now, to answer his questions: ]

No. [It'd be nice if she could, but that kind of power is forever beyond her. Even if she had his divine authority, she wouldn't be able to create life. It's antithetical to what she is.] The humans in one of Goetia's singularity summoned my sister to save them. They took advantage of the space-time instability to summon the most compatible vessel from across human history. Unfortunately, they got me instead.

[ "Unfortunately" because she immediately killed them. It's not that she enjoys killing humans, but they saw her naked so they had to go. That's on them for not putting some clothes on the vessel prior to the summoning. As for his "smoking," since she's really not in the mood to debate the dangers of addiction, she's just going to extend an olive branch that the future her will regret: ]

Perhaps I will consider your arguments when we're not on mission.

[fursuit]

[ The silence at least comes while he’s talking, so he doesn’t totally notice it. Instead, it’s when she hits him with the combination of politeness and ruthlessness that his expression changes to one that’s… Well. It’s different. He’s a little annoyed, but also pleased? ]

…Sheesh. Spacin’ out like that sure reminds me of Tlaloc. Not that she’d kill her big brother, though.

[ It’s impossible, more like. Considering how Tlaloc had come to the Lostbelt at all, she wouldn’t be able, not to mention the chasm between their abilities, but that’s secondary. He takes a puff of his cigarette again and taps off some ash before addressing the rest. ]

Gotcha. I’ve heard about those special cases, but don’t know what they’re called. All the Servant shit gives me a headache… [ he’s so real for that too tbh ] Well, sounds like bad luck for them, but good luck for you. Not exactly every day we get to come visit, but I guess the end of the world kinda shit makes sense, if ever.

[ It’s why he’d listened at all. If not for the state of the world, surely he would have just ignored Daybit’s call. He also assumes that’s why he’d ended up in Kenos and now here. Gods were uniquely well-suited to dealing with situations like this, after all. ]

How’d that singularity go, anyways? Only know it happened and Chaldea won, obviously, but nothin’ past that.

[queenofkur]

[ She doesn't know about that "Tlaloc," but based on what he said last time, there's at least one sister of his who'd kick his ass if she could! If only Quetzalcoatl could show up and tell her all of the things that make him angry and annoyed... ]

Did your Master not tell you? [Or perhaps he just doesn't know.] Goetia engineered a chain of event leading to the return of Mother Tiamat as an Evil of Humanity. I should have been hopeless, Ritsuka is but a frail and weak human. And yet...

[ She looks up at the sky. She remembers those events so clearly, as if it had been yesterday. Her Underworld filled with flowers, everyone fighting for a common cause. And at the heart of it all, her precious little grape... ]

The Underworld was filled with flowers. The way she lived and fought in spite of her frailty... She moved the hearts of everyone she she met. [A smile.] The mage of flower cheated his imprisonment for her. The King of Heroes returned from death for her. The Grand Assassin gave up his title for her. The Goddess of Death... broke her oath, for her.

[ She doesn't elaborate, but it's not difficult to imagine what happened to her as a result of doing that. But she doesn't regret it, no, she would do it again if she had to.

She keeps looking at the sky, dreamily and sadly. It's her most beautiful memory, but... ]

Never again shall I experience as beautiful of a moment.

[fursuit]

Nope. Either he didn’t know about it or didn’t think it was important.

[ In Daybit’s case, those are actually the same thing, but he won’t share that caveat with someone that’s ostensibly an enemy, at least in the future. There’s a very small part of that decision that comes down to a personal loyalty, but mostly? It doesn’t matter. Being aware of Daybit’s unusual condition wouldn’t do anything for Chaldea anyways.

So, he just listens. First, he has to admit, Tiamat is a big deal. That’s the caliber of god that even he would have trouble fighting. He might be a Creator god in his own right, but he wasn’t one with the kind of raw power that could easily best one who would stand equal with Ometeotl. The last time he’d fought something so strong, it had been with Quetzalcoatl’s help, and he’d lost his leg for the trouble. So, immediately, he’s a little more impressed with what Chaldea had pulled off. He’d still mostly attribute it to luck, but there has to be skilled involved too.

Second, he’s struck again at her admiration. That makes him frown just a little, since in a way, he worries about it for her sake. He wouldn’t insult her by assuming she’s not aware, but still. It’s not wise to favor a human so highly. Even if they’re not forced into neutrality by the winding of fate like he is, it’s just a path to disappointment. Maybe she already knew that, considering she broke her oath, but it hadn’t dulled the feeling, clearly.

(Pot, meet kettle, but he would refuse to acknowledge that.) ]

Man… What a headache.

[ His tone is vaguely approving, even so, confusing as that may be. It’s one of his contradictory, fickle views where he wouldn’t have wished for the end of humanity by Goetia’s plan, but here he was, working to see Daybit’s plan come to fruition. The logic isn’t something he’d explain, unfortunately. ]

Normally, I’d ask someone in your position if you regret it, but already know the answer to that.

[ He rubs the back of his head with a sigh. ]

That does explain what I’d been wonderin’ about, though. By all accounts, what they’ve pulled off shouldn’t be possible. There’s dumb luck, and then there’s the balance of things, y’know? Making it as far as she has, there should be more causalities. That’s just the way of things. But seems like that debt was just bein’ paid elsewhere. Not my kinda sacrifice, though.

[queenofkur]

[ She sighs. Yes, a headache indeed. Are they at the graveyard yet? At that rate with all of his questions and follow-ups, he's going to get her to talk about Fifty Shades of Quartz. ]

Your perspective is really limited for a god who claims to be close of humanity.

[ She bets he's the sort who'd write half of the cast dying at the end of a book. Yeah, she can see it already. He'd just build up to a nice and tidy resolution, and then randomly kill everyone's favorites simply because he can't appreciate a story otherwise. That's so lame...

And then he calls her the "no fun" deity. ]

Would you be happier were she to lose a limb or her dearest friends, perhaps? [She shakes her head. Nevermind that she has lost the later already... But Ereshkigal isn't aware of it yet.] The price she is paying is heavy enough. Too much so.

[ Even if she succeeds, even if she wins... Ritsuka won't get to live a happy and normal life in the world she's saved. Maybe she will live, but the scars that are accumulating in her mind... Any normal human would have broken already. If it had ended with Goetia, then perhaps there would have been hope... But not any more.

There is no happy ending for her dearest friend.

She knows it. Everyone around her knows it. But they're avoiding the topic because thinking about it hurts. Her latest conversation with Izou has confirmed as much. ]

[fursuit]

[ He does pause for a moment to consider how to respond, because he still dislikes her assessment, but it’s harder to deny in this case. He’s not sure if he’s really inclined to explain it either, which is what the hesitation is for. It’s nothing related to the Lostbelt, but just the sort of concerns and politics that any god has (maybe save for Quetzalcoatl, who doesn’t worry about anything). They all have their duties and their worries about those duties, but Tezcatlipoca’s was still a little different. Prescience gave him a perspective that even few gods had. ]

Happier ain’t the word for it.

[ Ultimately, he decides not to address the first part. At least, not directly. ]

I seek out battles and make sure they’re fought to their best and hardest, since it’s the kinda thing where the more effort gets put in, the more comes out, generally speaking. In my world [ his pantheon, he means ], sacrifice is necessary to keep the world turnin’. What you reap is directly proportional to what you sow. Order comes from chaos. All that.

[ At the very least, they’re almost there, as the gate that marks its entrance and into a green field dotted with white gravemarkers comes into view. He doesn’t look at it, though, since he’s instead looking at her. ]

So, assumin’ she gets rid of our Lostbelt, what do you think is after?

[ He knows. He won’t reveal it, because that defeats the purpose, but the question itself is more important than the particulars. The battlefield that he’s preparing is to support Daybit, true, but it’s just as much to be a set of Trials for humanity’s final Master. If she can’t overcome it, then it’d be impossible for her to defeat what comes next. It’s better for the world to be destroyed with Daybit’s plan. Such is his view on things.

…Of course, it’s a patronizing view and annoyingly indirect with how he expresses it, but. That’s Tezcatlipoca for you. Nothing about him is simple. ]