TDM 011

[goldmods]

【 Thank you for choosing the Golden Peacock, 5-star resort and casino. You are currently registered as a WILDCARD in our system.

We are thrilled to announce that the Golden Peacock will be embracing autumn with a special outing. Current and new guests are invited to join us for a refreshing outdoor experience where participants can unplug, unwind, and connect with nature. During this time, all Watches will be disabled to the most basic functions (texting, calls, checking chip account) in order to encourage guests to disconnect.

Please look forward to two weeks of finding yourself amongst the trees. We hope you enjoy your stay, and have a fan-CAMP-stic time. 】

CAMPING

GETTING OFF THE GRID

As the resort moves into what it claims is autumn, the days grow shorter. The projected sun in the Vale sets in the afternoon, after which a faint chill falls. Then there’s the most excessive transformation of all – a portion of the Vale has transformed into a campground complete with a scenic lake, seemingly overnight. Statues nearby have been dressed up with flannel jackets and suspenders. Folksy banjo fills the air without any discernible source.

A section of the campgrounds have been reserved for tents. These tents vary in size, shape, and supplies. All tents, regardless of quality, are supplied with sex toys and lube. Staff and long-standing guests all agree — pretending to live in the wilderness and 'rough it' for a while is thrilling. This is what the peasants feel like all the time!

NOT ALL TENTS ARE EQUAL

► High-rank guests are allocated spacious and luxurious tents. These elaborate mini-homes come with TVs, beds, heaters, and plenty of supplies. Provided camping gear is high quality, ranging from state of the art flashlights to designer backpacks. It can't quite be considered roughing it in these tents, but glamping is camping too!

► Mid-rank guests are allocated moderate tents that comfortably fit up to three guests. These tents come with cots or sleeping bags, as well as standard camping gear to make their time living off the land fairly comfortable. While these tents lack the bells and whistles of the high-rank accommodations, they are more than enough for a comfortable but realistic camping experience.

► Low-rank guests are allocated the shabbiest tents. These sagging accommodations can shield one guest comfortably, but that doesn't stop staff from pairing low-ranking guests together in order to save space. Their 'sleeping bags' are a single blanket and hay bale pillow. There are no other included amenities aside from sex toys and a single lantern.

► Last but certainly not least: our Wildcards! All Wildcards have been randomly assigned. Whether they end up in a glamping tent or sleeping beneath a propped up sheet is left to chance. Wildcards also may find themselves waking up beside a current guest or another new arrival.

► Guests that "go camping" will discover that the door connecting the Vale to the rest of the resort has mysteriously vanished. Uh oh! Looks like there's no going back to the comfortable life anytime soon. Don't worry, the door will return when it's time to pack up and head home.

LET'S GET CRAFTY

► New characters still wake up naked save for a robe, as is standard for the Golden Peacock. This round’s robes are flannel gingham to embrace camping and autumn aesthetic. Some of these robes are much shorter than others; watch out that the lake breeze doesn’t reveal more than you wanted.

► Unlike the standard, there are no racks of clothes waiting for new arrivals outside of their tents. You're roughing it out in the woods, remember? Instead of clothing, Wildcards will find an assortment of raw materials to make clothes.

Fabric rolls, hemp, buckets of leaves, leather, and other assorted goods are waiting to be cobbled into something new. The staff have been kind enough to leave some small hunting knives and wooden needles to make crafting a bit easier. Of course, they won't stop anyone that wants to embrace the wild side and strut around naked.

HOME ON THE RANGE

Welcome to the Peacock Campgrounds! Nicknamed the Stomping Grounds by long-standing guests. Rustic and right off a sparkling lake, guests will find everything they need to live in the wilderness. Staff have expertly set up fire pits, benches, hammocks, and a wooden shed to act as a tool depository. There's even an outhouse, which is a real novelty to many of the long-standing guests. Do they just... squat over that hole and do their business? How wild!

Unlike previous resort-sponsored excursions, guests are expected to manage without the help of staff. That pile of wood won't be replenished once used; guests will have to go chop down trees and split their own. Food won't magically appear in their tents regardless of rank. Camping is all about living off the land. Though staff make themselves scarce to make the experience feel real, they lurk in the shadows, discreetly providing necessary tools and fixing broken equipment so guests won't struggle too much. It isn't fun if it's real hardship, after all!

DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO COOK?

► On the first camp morning, guests will find barrels of ingredients and cooking utensils left beside the central fire pit. These barrels are stocked with fruits and vegetables that won't spoil quickly, many of which are seasonal to autumn. They have also been left a few protein options like eggs, jerky, and canned ham. These ingredients are communal and limited. Once they run out, guests will have to hunt and gather in the Vale to collect more.

► Guests must prepare their own meals while camping. Not even the high-ranks are given any special treatment on this! While oil and firestarter are included in the initial supply, these too are limited and won't be replenished after use.

► Staff would never let their precious guests go without a sweet treat. A generous supply of hot cocoa and all the fixings for s'mores has been left behind as well. While none of the other food will be replenished, the hot cocoa and s'mores goodies seemingly never run out. A night around a campfire without roasting marshmallows or sipping cocoa would be too cruel to subject guests to.

SUPPLIES RUNNING LOW

► Guests will have to hunt and gather once ingredients dwindle if they want to eat. The wooden shed is home to a selection of tools that can be used to hunt: bows and arrows, hatchets, axes, fishing poles and line, etc. All tools are rudimentary and can break if not taken care of.

► The Vale is lush with wild fruits and vegetables. However, much like in reality, not all vegetation in the Vale is safe to eat. While some berries and mushrooms are consumable, others are toxic or psychedelics. One must also not forget that they're in the Golden Peacock: some unusual plants that grow in the vale may trigger arousal. Watch out that you don't eat something funky by accident!

► Before 'leaving', staff will explain that guests can fish or hunt small game running throughout the Vale. One particularly enthusiastic staff member will suggest guests track down the snoggleboffs, as they're extremely delicious after roasting on an open fire.

ACTIVITIES

TWO WEEKS OF ROUGHING IT

Camping can't be all about survival. Where's the fun in that? Before 'leaving', the staff arrange activities and events for guests to enjoy. A wooden bulletin board outlines times for group hikes, camping experiences, and wilderness delights. Adirondack chairs line the edge of the lake and a few tire swings hang over the water, tied to strong tree branches. For the first week and a half the weather is pleasant and sunny. Perfect for camping.

At night, acoustic guitars and other wooden instruments come out so that guests can make music around the bonfire. Projected stars dapple the night sky, forming various constellations sourced from guest worlds. The moon enters a different phase each night, shining a gentle silver across the campgrounds. Why not pull your sweetheart in and cuddle beneath the night sky? It's so romantic.

IN CAMP

► Guests that don't want a cold shower should make their way over to the shower stalls quickly. These outdoor showers hold very little hot water and run cold after about five minutes. First-come first-serve!

► A wood-chopping competition begins around lunchtime. There are two goals: to split as much wood as possible and looking sexy while doing it. Guests that chop wood unsexily immediately fail! Alternatively, sexiness with a pathetic number of chunks is more acceptable, but still a loss. Those that achieve both goals will instantly win a large payout. Failing to sexily cut wood won’t have any penalties associated with it, and you can always try again tomorrow!

► Bear hunting is a popular activity that even the spoiled long-standing guests are getting in on! No, not hunting real bears. That would be insane. Peacock's version of bear hunting involves hunting down bear-like guests and capturing them! Any guest that fits the criteria of big, thick, and strong may potentially be assigned the role of bear. Hunters who manage to tie up, handcuff, net, or otherwise 'capture' a 'bear' will instantly receive a large payout.

THE LAKE

► This sparkling lake is rich with fish. Enjoy sitting back on the long pier with a fishing rod or take one of the wooden boats out for a row around the lake. It's also safe to swim in, for guests that would like to take a dip and rinse off the sweat of camp living! Don't mind the random swim trunks or drink umbrellas that pop up now and then. This water is definitely fresh and not recycled from the summer beach extravaganza.

► Guests that do decide to take a dip may encounter a familiar friend. Fernando the tentacle monster is camping too! This randy tentacle monster is as horny as ever, eager to embrace guests and stick slippery tentacles into any reachable orifice.

► Once the sun goes down, many of the long-standing guests strip off their shoddily crafted clothes and sprint into the water for skinny dipping by moonlight! What's a camping excursion without a lake-side orgy? The best way to drown out those erotic moans from the lake is to head to the central fire pit and join in on some campfire songs.

OUTSIDE CAMP

► Those that head out of camp for a hike or hunt can enjoy any of the Vale's usual wonders. With autumn, shiny apples dangle from the trees and pumpkins pepper beneath their protruding roots. Along with autumnal fruits and vegetables, canned beef and ham have been mysteriously left in pockets close to the campgrounds. A little act of kindness from the staff; not everyone is cut out to hunt their own game!

► For those interested in hunting down some fresh game, walking around the forest in the morning may come with a stroke of luck. Strange little creatures the size of an adult's fist are active during this time. These hairy beasts come in brown and white, and screech, "Scrun scrun screeee!" when agitated.

Yes, these are the alleged snoggleboffs! Don't feel bad about hunting them, they're an invasive species that are unfriendly and eager to steal from unsuspecting guests. Their main strength is their speed, but once caught, they don't put up much of a fight.

► Guests that explore deep into the Vale may find a dark cave mouth that leads downward into a damp chamber. The ceiling glitters with stalactites and, along the wall, they'll find a horizontal crease with what seems to be... hair? If touched, this crease will creak open, revealing a large eye that darts back and forth before focusing on whoever woke it. Black pupils and iris bleed into one endless abyss.

Those that gaze directly into the eye will freeze. Their mind will remain active while their body locks in place, not unlike sleep paralysis. This trance will break once the eye blinks, which it will do after some time... but it can also be forced into blinking by force if there's someone who hasn't made eye-contact around to help. Frozen guests will be overwhelmed with the fear of abandonment for the duration of their paralysis. This fear will fade after the connection is broken, as if it wasn't their fear at all.

Like a regular eye, dirt or debris can force a blink. If this route is taken, the eye will go bloodshot and shut, refusing to open again. Any guest that inflicts damage to the eye may find that their suite, upon return, has been trashed. As if someone or something threw a big tantrum in there while they were gone. Wonder why that happened...?

HOWLING

CALL OF THE WILD

Temperatures drop drastically at night as the camping excursion nears its end. Nights become so chilly that morning dew frosts over, crunching beneath guest feet. Every day the light and its warmth set a little bit earlier. Staff remain elusive and do not provide warmer blankets or clothes for guests, leaving them to cuddle for warmth or find other ways to sleep comfortably during nightly cold snaps.

The moon hits its apex on the final night of camping. Unlike the other nights, this full moon shines blood red. The Vale stills under this ominous sign, silent. Snowflakes begins to fall, spreading an endless clean sheet across the campgrounds. That reflected pink hue is inescapable.

THE WEATHER TURNS

► Along with chilly nights, the last few days of camping feature inclement weather conditions. Clouds overtake the sun and rain falls, alternating between light mist and heavy downpour.

► Winds pick up, with speeds threatening to whip away the less stable tents. Guests that don't hunker down and add additional support to their tents may end up chasing them into the storm. Other loose items around the campgrounds may end up blown away as well.

BLOOD MOON

► Wild instinct rises with the blood moon. As crimson moonlight beckons, some guests may begin to feel ... strange. As if they need to claw their true selves free. Those that answer the call to bathe in the light of the blood moon will undergo a transformation.

► Basking in the light of the blood moon triggers a were-transformation. While the standard were that the blood moon inspires is the classic werewolf, guests may transform into any kind of were. Along with hybrid transformation, the blood moon stirs mating and sex impulses in these new weres. Remaining humans are at risk of being eaten... in the sexy way.

► Transformation into a were is not mandatory. Other guests may step into the blood moon's light and not experience any kind of transformation or impulse. These guests are now actors in a sexy horror scene, given the task of surviving the night surrounded by monsters! At least they're sexy monsters? Giving in and fucking on the wild side may be more fun.

PACKING UP

► After the crazy weather and horny werewolves, the staff judge that it's high time to wrap this excursion up. Guests will once again openly see these diligent workers the morning after the blood moon. They come flooding into the site with clothing, snacks, and other comforts while praising everyone for surviving for so long without the resort's usual luxuries.

► A first aid tent and cleaning station are swiftly erected. All guests that volunteer to treat injuries sustained over the course of the camping experience or help clean up the site will be compensated with a large payout.

► Every guest that participated in the camping event, regardless of whether they help wrap things up, will be issued a spa voucher. Go relax, you've earned some pampering after all of that hard living!

OOC NOTES

INVITES | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS

▶ BLANKET CW: altered states; eyes (descriptions only, incl. eye injury); exhibitionism; hunting (incl. hunting fantasy creatures); orgies; public sex; survival; temperature play; tentacles; transformation; violence

▶ All characters on the TDM are WILDCARDS, which means they have not yet been assigned a card value. Suits will not manifest until characters are accepted into the game.

▶ All TDMs are game canon. This TDM acts as the game's September event. Camping will ICly begin September 15th and end October 3rd.

▶ Current characters may top level on the TDM. Any current characters posting to the TDM should note they are current in their subject header.

▶ The top level directory is for new characters only. We want to make sure new characters are prioritized and receive attention! If you would be interested in a game invitation, you can note that in your comment header.

▶ Smut threads that take place on this TDM can be used for rewards. If both parties in the smut thread join the game, you may retroactively apply the character's initial card values to your 52 bank. If one character does not join the game the thread will not be applicable toward rewards (as that character would not have a card value). The character that does join would still receive a small payout for the encounter. Hopefully it was a fun thread regardless!

▶ We ask you to kindly add content warnings to your threads as appropriate.

▶ If you do not currently have permissions and kinks listed in your character’s journal we suggest leaving a note in your top level of any limits or boundaries for other players to reference.

NAVIGATION • LOG • NETWORK • OOC • MEME

Comments

[greatestworks]

[ He knows all too well how others suffer for one's hubris. He will carry that with him for as long as he exists.

As much as he dislikes bringing down the mood, and for as much as he enjoyed meeting Cale, the banter, the man's sharp wit, this is heavy. He has his reasons, just as Cale has his.

Does Phainon feel guilty? Yes. Does he feel a little obligated? Yes. Is he concerned for his health? Absolutely. It can, in fact, be all of the above... the only part of it Phainon couldn't care less about is the payout.

It boils down to what seems more palatable to Phainon: Walk away, knowing this man might sicken in the worsening storm? Lie by omission, and potentially save his life? A man coughing up blood is no laughing matter, and Phainon considers this with the gravity it deserves. ]

I believe your condition to be serious. [ He's coughing up blood! That's cause for a lot of concern! ] If improving it costs me only this, it is of no consequence.

[workingslacker]

[ He raises a hand and rubs at his face. What a way to dodge saying one way or the other. Congratulations, Cale is actually getting frustrated. ]

It's of consequence to me.

[ For reasons Cale is not about to disclose. Not to anyone, if he can avoid it. It doesn't matter how close he might be or how much he might trust someone. Those matters are going to be sealed away. ]

Do you even know what you sound like right now? "I will endure being intimate with you as long as it helps you." Who could possibly want that?

[ Cale isn't saying it, but he'd much rather both parties enjoy it instead of treating the whole thing like some kind of burden. ]

[greatestworks]

[ Phainon's blank expression breaks when he blinks, his mouth forming a silent vowel of realization. What follows on its heels is a wry twist of his mouth, and in hot pursuit of that, a self-conscious half-chuckle. Who would want that? Nobody he can think of.

...Maybe? ]

Fair point... [ he doesn't entirely uncross his arms, but one hand lifts, scratching at his cheek with a fingertip.

After a moment's thought, he starts to smile, a lopsided, self-conscious thing. Feeling foolish, painfully out of his element, and more than a little ridiculous, he grasps at the one tool he's been given, albeit unwittingly, by Cale himself. 'Handsome', right? Either he likes what he sees or he doesn't. ] All right.

[ Not that he's got extensive experience, but Phainon had at least known a man's name for a bit longer before locking lips. There's a first time for everything. ]

Kiss me. [ Leaning forward, one hand on his crossed ankles, the other points to his mouth. ] There's no need for restraint, since I'm inviting you. Right here.

[workingslacker]

[ Cale expects another stubborn comment. Instead, there's a bit of prolonged silence. That gets Cale to peer through fingers to study Phainon's expression. He's a little surprised to see that it has changed. Out of all the things, that final statement is what has shaken the man from whatever thoughts had been rattling around in his brain? Cale squints as Phainon chuckles and his demeanor relaxes into more of the man that he had started this encounter out with.

Had he really just not stopped long enough to think how it would be perceived? "Fair point" and "All right" is what he says instead. He drops the hand from his face and slowly pushes himself up back into a sitting position. Cale had been prepared to just flop into the bed and roll over. Fake sleep or whatever would be need. ]

I'm relieved that you finally see sense.

[ For a moment, Cale thinks that it's done and over with. He hadn't been lying when he had said he would really accept the sort of help that he needs. So, even though his brows raise and Cale can't hide his surprise at Phainon's following invitation - even the pointing to his lips - Cale can't think of a reason to refuse further. ...Hopefully this isn't Phainon trying to pull a fast one on him. His eyes narrow for a moment, searching Phainon's expression and body language. Then a sigh falls from his lips. ]

I can't decide if you're a puppy or a wolf playing pretend.

[ A kiss is pretty simple at least. Cale leans forward and, for a moment, he considers just reaching out and yanking Phainon in. He decides against that, opting to cup the other's jaw with fingers instead. Cale then tilts Phainon's face just a bit to help with the height difference. After another second, Cale presses his lips gently, but confidently, against Phainon's. ]

[greatestworks]

[ 'I'll endure being intimate with you as long as it helps you'... that feels kind of bad, right? Even Phainon, who has never really taken a lover, feels the same craving to be wanted and desired like almost anyone else. Looking at his own determination from this other perspective is sobering.

...And it's not, overall, conducive to the titillating and sexy atmosphere the Resort is likely going for. That's mainly his fault.

As Cale straightens, edging closer as he eyes Phainon off, looking for artifice, the swordsman's expression sobers. His eyebrows jump minutely when Cale takes him by the jaw, adjusting him as he needs; it's important to him, it seems, that Cale chooses this without any further help or prompting from him, because he submits without complaint.

Cale's lips are softer than he expects. Pulling the hand down from his jaw, he loosely tangles his own, callused fingers with Cale's. They're still leaning close together when he speaks. ] ...Gentler than I expected. Is that how you like it?

[workingslacker]

[ It really doesn't feel good at all. That's why Cale is glad that Phainon can at least see that. Cale won't admit that, deep down, he does crave company and companionship just like anyone else. There is a part of him that is a little scared to admit to such things because that means that he'd be hurt if something were to happen to people he cares about. Yet Cale doesn't really want to be alone regardless.

At the same time, he does understand that all Phainon really wants to do is stop someone from suffering needlessly if he can do something about it. However, this has to be something that is desired on both sides, not something that just feels like a mandatory practice.

That's the real reason why his kiss is gentle. Not exactly chaste, but not one that is desperate and needy. He's also not sure what Phainon's take on intimacy is, so best to start this way.

So while Phainon relents his lips, Cale allows for his hand to be taken. The difference between them is really apparent now. Cale's are smooth, as though he hasn't lifted a blade or a weapon or done any labor in his life. Yet he used to have hands like Phainon's...

Cale lingers as they part, huffing something that sounds a little amused. ]

I've bullied people your size, if that's your thing. As for me, I'm adaptable as long as actual pain isn't involved.

[greatestworks]

Are you referring to something?

[ help he’s a good country boy

Phainon’s question is sincere, blue and gold eyes searching his, not confused so much as curious. The soft, slender fingers tangled with his are subjected to the idle pet of his thumb.

He sounds wry when he speaks again. ]

Are you messing with me? I’m asking for a reason.

[workingslacker]

Hmm. I could be. You might not believe it, but I can be incredibly bossy.

[ Teasing because Cale has not hidden that fact at all.

He does take a moment to realize that Phainon has a reason for asking, beyond him outright saying so. Clae closes his eyes, brows raising a little in something close to something that might hint at exasperation that's more entertained than frustrated at this point. ]

For the sake of honesty, I enjoy a slow building encounter as much as I like one that shuts down my brain for a few minutes because of the intensity. Both have their merits.

[greatestworks]

[ sir would you like fries with that

Although Phainon had meant how he likes to be kissed, in the greater context of the resort’s… everything, he’s still a bit lost in that narrowed scope. ]

Oh, sure!

-Actually, you’ve lost me. Are we still talking about kissing?

[ He can’t say he’s had one shut his brain down, but he’s certainly been hit hard enough to the same effect.

He’s really not helping bring up the temperature here, is he. ]

[workingslacker]

[ Cale blinks for a moment because... Oh. Maybe this guy is actually more inexperienced than even he is? Not inexperienced, just out of practiced before arriving here Maybe the House likes picking up that sort of person to twist them?

Who can say.

Instead Cale just huffs and starts chuckling. ]

Do you always give the people around you such severe emotional whiplashes?

[ Cale won't elaborate on what he had been talking about. Instead he goes in for Phainon's mouth. This time with a purpose. Cale wouldn't say that he's someone that has a high sexual drive, but he is someone that just goes for what he wants. This time the kiss is not so gentle and chaste. No, it comes with a flick of a tongue across Phainon's bottom lip and it won't end there. ]

[greatestworks]

[ He may have more years of harrowing experiences in his brain than there are years in the observable universe, but only a couple of them involved a brief - and tame - sexual awakening.

So yeah. He’s going to fail the kink pop quiz.

Phainon takes his question for a rhetorical one, aware that they’re not meeting eye to eye. They’re trying, at least, and that’s not nothing.

Even if he had observed that first kiss was more gentle than he’d expected, it wasn’t a complaint; the second kiss is more assertive, more intimate. Phainon breaks off as Cale starts to lick into his mouth with an embarrassed chuckle. ]

Wait, wait. I get the idea.

[ The tips of his ears are pink, his cheeks warm; this isn’t the first deep kiss he’s shared with a man he’s just met this week, but it is the first that didn’t come soaked in aphrodisiac.

No, more than that, he’s not used to following another’s lead. He leans forward, pivoting to his knees, to crawl up and take a seat by his side, shoulder to shoulder. ]

I’ve enjoyed meeting you, Cale, and when I pledged to you my help, I wanted only to do you no further harm.

That hasn’t changed. [ Phainon looks at him askance, his smile gentle, ] But I cannot promise to match your desire. Not right now.

[ He’s weighed down by the enormity of his thoughts; Cale doesn’t want anything less than mutual, and all he can offer is a compromise. ]

If that should change, and I meet you again, I will seek you out, just as you suggested.

[ His hand hovers over Cale’s leg, before settling on his thigh, just high enough to challenge propriety. ]

For now, will you still let these hands, at least, help you?

[workingslacker]

[ It doesn’t take a genius to figure Phainon out in this moment. The pink on his face and his ears stand out against pale hair and light skin tone. Flustered. Cale rolls his eyes as he leans back again. Only because - ]

That was a demonstration, not an invitation. A kiss can just be a kiss for no other reason other than that.

[ With how he had manhandled Cale and the persistence, he had thought Phainon more experienced. That doesn’t seem to be the case. Well, not everyone is as quick to adapt to things or capable of remembering things as he. So he’ll stop there.

When Phainon moves, Cale is already flopping down onto what passes for a bed. His hands locked behind his head, he huffs. ]

Don’t make me sound like some kind of carnal fiend. Match my desire? Please… I’m not that sort of person.

[ Cale is not a sexual person by nature. He can take or leave it. However, since it is a requirement of this place, Cale figures he might as well enjoy it rather than treat it like a chore. This is a much better option than having to travel everywhere and make all these arrangements for a war he can’t stop. That doesn’t mean he wants whomever he’a with to feel obligated. ]

You just offered, that’s all. If desire isn’t there, then there’s really not much of a point. It’s not only my gratification that would be needed. If it were only that, then I could manage it myself.

[ So Cale isn’t being stubborn only for his own feelings. There is a reason behind it - he needs a foreign energy to act as a stand in for the one that he’s missing. His own won’t suffice. So he just pats Phainon’s hand. If Phainon wants to help, that’s fine, but it’s not about only one person here. ]

You don’t have to seek me out for anything like this either in the future. I’m perfectly capable of having associations that don’t involve anything other than chatting. For now, don’t fuss. I’ll rest and then find a friend of mine who is aware later.

[greatestworks]

[ The people of his idyllic hometown have poetic hearts. He waxes a bit flowery as easily as breathing; misunderstandings are inevitable.

He leans on his hands, watching Cale lay back with a contemplative expression, trying to read between the lines, tracing his meaning not only in what he says, but the implications in what he doesn’t.

Not just his gratification…

Then, it’s not like that other time, the spell broken with a man’s spend cooling on his hand. If he understood the principles behind that power, perhaps he’d understand and anticipate better.

Cale faces many difficult challenges with those Ancient Powers. ]

You mean it only works if we’re both relieved…

[ Noted. What else has he misunderstood about everything here?

More importantly… ] It seems to me I’ve insulted you again. Forgive my ignorance, I’m just a swordsman, things like this-

[ If he was as wise as Anaxa-

-actually, speculation on what the professor would’ve done in this scenario is a bit- haha, no, let’s not! ] It’s not really my forte.

[workingslacker]

Correct. My condition would be fine if I had one of every elemental affinity. They would all balance each other out. Unfortunately, I am missing one. The energy that is given off when both parties find relief acts as a temporary stand in.

[ Another tsk. ]

At least that’s the working theory.

[ So he isn’t entirely sure about all of the conditions. That’s what Cale and Olivine have been looking into. What is known, however, is that Cale’s powers balance each other out after he engages in a sexual encounter with someone else. They also know that it isn't a permanent fix. To continue to be stable, Cale has to keep up this practice. How often is still up for debate.

Either way, a suit flare is unlikely to happen unless it’s forced upon him. ]

Don’t stress out about it. Do I look particularly offended at the moment?

[ Cale cracks an eye open. He studies the profile of the man sitting next to him. It had been more insulting when feelings of pity or duty or obligation had been involved. It’s perfectly acceptable for someone to not want to get sexually involved or even involved at all. Cale takes no offense to not being to someone else’s taste. ]

If you end up as a guest, that’s something you’re going to have to work through. There are consequences for those that don’t want to play their games.

[greatestworks]

Ancient Powers seem a little more complicated than the divine fire of the gods.

[ The white-haired man turns his gaze away from Cale, drawn to the flickering glow of the fire, which paints shadows and light over the tent flap in his way.

Phainon doesn’t relish being unable to help, but his head’s a dreadful mess, he’s exhausted, and there’s a persistent sorrow resting leaden in the blackened hollow the Coreflames seared into him that he’s still sorting out.

If he’s a guest. There’s the possibility he’s only here in the very short term. Then… it’s back to face the trial of Worldbearing. ]

I understand, [ he answers quietly.] I will. I just need some time to, [ he briefly touches a hand to his heart ] Remember the ones left behind, is all.

[workingslacker]

Oh? Now just how familiar with that divine fire are you?

[ Cale hadn’t pressed for details, of course. That’s not something that he does unless… Unless it involves one of his people. However, he is letting Phainon know that he hasn’t been unobservant of how the other man has been reacting. Even if he hasn’t outright said anything, it’s clear that Phainon has taken this all rather personally. There’s far more to it than a man just swinging a sword and liking a good tale or two.

Up to Phainon how he takes it, really. ]

I wouldn’t say that they are any more complicated or any less. It’s just a different brand of complicated.

[ He’s still watching the other. It’s as he suspected. Phainon’s lost some people. No one feels a temporary separation from people so deeply otherwise. There’s a particular weight that Phainon carries that only those that have some experience with painful longing can understand.

Kim Rok Soo had experienced it many times. It’s why he shut himself off.

But. Changing the subject - ]

Hmm. Two names you mentioned stuck out to me. Thanatos and Aquila, specifically.

[greatestworks]

[ His arm keeps him upright, hand flat on the ground between himself and Cale on his bed. Phainon’s opposite leg bends, heel scuffing the ground. As he gazes ahead at the firelight flickering on the tent flap, he rests the other arm on his raised knee.

He nods silently, but it seems more in response to Cale’s comment on how different the two likely are.

The last question gets a glance, ] The Titans of Death and Sky? What caught your attention?

[workingslacker]

[ Pfft. Keep silent. That’s fine. All it does is sort of confirm what Cale already knows. It is a far more intimate story for Phainon than he’s going to tell. Cale has no issues with that. Sounds like the makings of some Greek tragedy anyway.

Instead he closes his eyes. ]

Thanatos wasn’t the ruler of the Underworld, according to that country’s myth. A messenger of death, yes, but more of a soul collector when the Three Fates cut the strings of a mortal’s life.

[ Ironically, the Kingdom of Roan also has temples for the God of DeTh. Cage had even been a priestess before excommunicating herself. ]

Aquila is actually a constellation of an eagle.

[greatestworks]

You’re… familiar with them? And the messengers of Janus?

[ Color Phainon mystified; he hadn’t expected anyone short of a son or daughter of Amphoreus – or their Nameless friends – would have recognized anything in his tale.

Was information from Amphoreus used in the creation of this one? He’s trying not to get too far ahead of himself, but… he’s not unconvinced that this isn’t another situation similar to his own world. ]

Where do these legends come from?

[workingslacker]

Well, Janus was a Roman god of beginnings, transitions, and endings. While Janus is Roman in origin, Thanatos is Greek.

[ He is still going to keep laying down. Cale just figures that some of the similarities are uncanny. ]

In fact, quite a few of the ones you mentioned have roots in Greek or Roman mythology. It’s hard to distinguish between the two, as Rome took over Greece and their cultures and beliefs sort of meshed together.

[greatestworks]

[ Phainon regards him with the blank-faced attentiveness of a polite audience who has gotten lost along the way.

In other words, probably his first week at the Grove of Epiphany. ]

These cultures and their legends, I’ve never heard of them before.

[ This is sounding more and more like one of those extrapolations he distantly recalls hearing a little about. Does this mean something restarted the completion of..?

Phainon knuckles his brow bone between his eyes. ] Are these stories from here?

[ This is a dangerous rabbit hole to go down, and his head is starting to ache. A scratchy throb in his temples. Cradling his head, he quietly asks himself: ] That’s strange, I thought nothing could leave. Unless we never left..?

[workingslacker]

[ Well now. Something isn’t right. Nothing could leave? Never left? What on…

Cale sits up and puts a hand on a shoulder. Do NOT have a mental breakdown on him. ]

A lot of world share similarities with one another. It’s not that uncommon. I don’t know what you’re stressing out about, but take a breath because whatever you’re conjuring up in that head of yours is wrong.

[ He’s watching Phainon very carefully. ]

The peoples I spoke of are from a place called Earth, not wherever you’re from.

[greatestworks]

[ He’s just having a headache, it’s no big deal. Just a weird little moment that definitely means nothing.

How does he know about other worlds if he’s never left Amphoreus? If this is Amphoreus, why is it so different? If it’s not Amphoreus, where is this?

He waves off Cale’s concern, shaking his head. Carefully, it’s pounding, and the warm, red-gold firelight has paled to sepia. ]

I’m fine.

[ A slow, steadying exhale, and he ignores the blemish juddering in the corner of his vision, as black as tar. ] You were saying? Is Earth the name of your world?

[workingslacker]

[ Excuse you, sir. If Cale isn’t allowed to be dismissive, why does Phainon think that he should be afforded that right? ]

I was saying I think I’ll stop. You’re the one that was muttering to himself openly. If you lose your mind, you could break me like a twig.

[ That’s… Maybe true. That’s not his actual reason from refraining from saying anything more. Phainon isn’t as stable as he’d like to show off, huh? ]

[greatestworks]

[ Appearing weak or unreliable wasn’t an option, with the hopes and wishes of the world hanging onto the promise of deliverance.

He lowers his hand. Things still look wrong, but Cale’s scrutiny rakes over him, and he doesn’t have much of a choice but to fake it until he makes it.

He isn’t wrong. Stronger men have been shattered for less.

His hand covers Cale’s on his shoulder, and then begins to stand. This time, he doesn’t have to worry about accidentally flashing him, as he’s faced the other way. ] I’m fine. Sorry to worry you.

We should get some rest. I’ll be tending the fire for a little while.