INBOX

[settingup]

INBOX

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action; Atsumu's chambers; Takiltu (November)

[kenosnpcs]

[ sometime within the month at a time of your choosing, Atsumu will return to his quarters in the manor to find there is a gift left for him on the tabletop. if he has a Retainer, they will inform him that Yima had left it for him - and if he doesn't, she will have left a letter next to the box so that he knows it was from her and his room was not unduly intruded upon.

in the decorative box rests some wrapped pastries: they are basbousa, made fresh and delectable.

should he read the note, it says:

Do fish enjoy sweets?

I will hope the answer is yes.

enjoy, Atsumu! someone is pleased with you. ]

i can't believe i've been topped by yimami 😳 but also communion

[lockedon]

[ hi, guess who, it's your favorite furry stalker!!!! ]

Still alive?

[ i'm pretty sure i wrote this exact tag to someone else but you know what, sometimes you're predictable ]

Eustace living the dream

[settingup]

[ Ah, this guy. The guy that gave him shit for giving up on his DEAD AND CRUSHED DREAMS.

The guy who maybe had a point, but just because they're thinking at each other as a way of communicating, it doesn't mean Atsumu has to say as much. ]

Alive and doin' just fine. Thanks.

[ Teen attitude! TEEN ATTITUDE!!!

But... ]

Why? Do you actually care? It ain't like you know me.

[ He's not actually good at keeping up a prolonged snit, and this guy did let him drape himself all over him, before dragging him off to get him water and lecture him about not giving up on his dreams. ]

[lockedon]

[ One day all these teens will grow up and have less attitude. Maybe. Until then, Eustace will simply have to deal. ]

No, but it would have been a pain to dig a grave for your corpse if you'd died.

[ Ah, what a great and cheerful conversation they're having. ]

[settingup]

Like I'd even leave a corpse at this point.

[ Which is both valid, and something that kind of fucks him up a bit to think about! Fun stuff. ]

Wouldn't even stay dead for that long.

Communion → Voice

[erbe]

[She reaches out softly. Hesitantly. Not in a manner she usually addresses Atsumu with.]

Hey. Do you have some time?

[settingup]

[ While it's a relief to hear from her, this feels weird and concerning. ]

Teach? Yeah, what's up?

[erbe]

[Teach... honestly, hearing that after getting fucking dissolved is grounding. "People care about you," or "you've made an impact". Ah, she hates this feeling. A little warmth, some fondness... Ugh, friendship.]

I've been asked to perform a task for Kathova. It involves planting a few items in Springstar. Are you interested in joining me? We could utilize it as a soft re-start of our lessons.

[settingup]

[ A pause. ]

I'm down, but I'm pretty sure he's gonna be pissed if you have me magically blow up his bugs, and that's still a 50/50 shot right now.

delivery ▶︎ after the conclusion of the Oracle event

[sterngaze]

[Some days after the end of the Exalt Oracle trial, once life has returned to some semblance of normalcy, Atsumu will receive — a gift basket, cloth-covered, delivered by courier and filled with edible goods. Since Liem does not know him especially well, he includes a fairly wide variety: sweet and tart fruits, cheeses wrapped in paper, and a pair of fresh-baked little pies — one filled with soft, mild cheese, flavoured with orange and chocolate, the other more savoury, stuffed with meat and spices.

Tucked within the basket is a stiff card bearing a short note, written in a precise, elegant hand:]

Atsumu,

My sincere apologies for the meanspirited way in which I took advantage of your generous assistance in the ant tunnels. I unwisely partook in the faerie banquet held the night before, and was not myself thereafter.

I hope that this note finds you well, despite my previous efforts to the contrary. Please know that in the future, if you have need of assistance, you may consider me at your disposal.

—Liem Talbott

[Next to the signed name is a tiny drawing of a pie with steam rising from the crust, clearly penned by the same person to write the note. Enjoy your home-made, un-poisoned foodstuffs, Atsumu!]

a memory—

[kenosnpcs]

[ Very suddenly, there’s a sense of Communion touching your character’s mind. However, it’s as if they connect with the mind of a shared Aspect, as they’re not able to block out the brief, but sharp memory that comes to them. ]

A Shard-Bearer holds their own Shard and turns it over in their hands as they stare at it intensely. It fills them with a complicated feeling, because their master had always told them they didn’t have a soul at all.

[ ooc note — Just to avoid OOC confusion/misinterpretation, the details included in this memory are random and are not necessarily interconnected or plot meaningful beyond a surface level. However, your character is free to interpret this random memory however they’d like! This event will also be touched on somewhat during today’s NPC Communion Post. ]

Communion → Post Harbinger Oracle

[erbe]

Where are you?

[Has he been at his little lodging in Yima's place? Recovering in some medical facility?]

[settingup]

[ Probably understandably right now, there's an immediate feeling of wariness when she reaches out to him. ]

Why do wanna know?

[erbe]

I owe you...

[She wavers. Cracks a little at the edges.]

I owe you something that requires a face-to-face delivery.

[settingup]

[ He's quiet for a bit, not willing to answer right away even if his presence can still be felt in Rin's mind. ]

I'm in my room at Yima's place.

[ Rin knows the one, given he's allowed her to use his space freely before. ]

late takiltu

[hauntedking]

[ Dimitri doesn't deliver this in person, but Atsumu will have a small parcel delivered to his address - where-ever it is he's staying. Inside is a small collection of little items - some baked goods and cookies, a small water-bottle or canteen, perhaps chosen because of Dimitri's association of Atsumu with sports, and a pair of knit gloves. There's also a little note: ]

With appreciation to my volley-ball instructor. I wish you the best.

-Dimitri Blaiddyd

delivery

[sterngaze]

[On the shortest day of the year—or the longest, by Springstar’s calendar—Liem makes his rounds to play Santa himself, though without the red-and-white costume. For the past few months, his regular visits to Springstar’s community centre have been in service of crafting handmade solstice gifts for the people in his life. This time, unlike last winter, he’s prepared.

Unfortunately, naughty Zenith boys don’t get personal deliveries, but Atsumu does still receive a small gift basket by courier. Inside are a couple pleasantly spiced bars of hand-mixed soap, a pair of fat, equally pleasant candles, and a jar of soup mix with a brief recipe tied around it. The note attached simply says “From L”.]

action, early Emru.

[baltimores]

[ Amos hasn't forgotten how he treated Atsumu a couple of months ago. He can't afford to.

With that comes two conflicting thoughts, however. He wants Atsumu to stay as sheltered from all of this as possible; to be given as much of a chance as he can to live a normal life, even if that seems increasingly and increasingly fleeting. He shouldn't contribute to taking that away. On the other hand, it's maybe for the best if he stays honest with him... if he doesn't let him get caught by surprise...

Amos doesn't exactly read the papers, but he knows Atsumu was there during the Harbinger Oracle. Just like he was for the Iconoclast, and the Exalt. There is, probably, no escaping this; the dream for normalcy is dead, a disservice.

Honesty it is.

He doesn't bother with calling ahead of time, figuring this should all be done face to face and somewhere quiet and safe. Atsumu still lives at Yima's, which fits that criteria — so that's where he goes, making his way through the manor (after some directions are procured) to knock on the door to his room. ]

Fox? You in there?

[ ... He maybe should have called ahead, just in case, but he's a little too far into this to backtrack now. ]

[settingup]

[ Amos might not be entirely wrong about that either. There's no real sheltering Atsumu from all of this in the end. He'll be dragged into every one of these competitions of the Oracles, and whether or not he's directly responsible for Zenite efforts against Meridians, he'll still be found just as culpable as the rest of Zenith.

At least being given the warning lets him brace himself for what's to come if nothing else.

And when he opens his door, blinking owlishly up at Amos, it's clear he really has no idea what's to come for him. He's dressed in clothing that is casual and comfy, suggesting he was just lounging around at least, so if nothing else Amos isn't interrupting anything important. ]

What's up, man?

[ Amos has never come to visit him before. ]

[baltimores]

[ Casual and comfy is the way to go. Why bother with anything else?

Though that isn't something Amos necessarily recognizes — just that Atsumu is here, and greeting him, and receptive. (Something he wasn't aware of previously in him loosens. Receptive. He didn't totally fuck their relationship.) He doesn't exactly smile, but there's an air of amicability about him. In his voice. ]

Got something coming up you should probably know about. Could maybe even help with. [ He'd said something along those lines, before — Atsumu is a person he trusts, age and inexperience be damned. Gotta start somewhere, and when you get down to it... Amos did start younger.

It'll be fine. Coming to Atsumu with this will be fine. ]

Can I come in?

[settingup]

[ Life circumstances can change so much about what responsibilities do or don't get put on a person's shoulders. Atsumu's previous existence allowed for a pretty minimal amount of responsibilities. He had classroom duties from time to time, and chores at home, and of course school work, but that was what was expected of every kid. He lived a normal life without the weight of difficult decisions crushing him.

Things had changed drastically, and Atsumu no longer had the luxury of very few responsibilities. He'd still gotten a late start compared to so many of the people at Kenos even given that, but sometimes life deals you better hands than others.

Either way, Atsumu's had time to adjust, and doesn't argue even if he looks baffled by Amos comment, nodding as he steps out of the way to let the man in, not even waiting to close the door before asking. ]

What kinda thing?

[ It had to be big if Amos was coming here in person instead of reading out over Communion. ]

two days before Cyrus' assassination

[bakedapple]

[ Link's Communion explodes into the mind of every Zenite, like the opening of a window during a hurricane. It rushes in with an intense and primal sense of panic, a mixture of both fight and flight, and the horror of knowing that neither has worked. A certain death is imposing down on him. If you've died before, you'll likely recognize this potent cocktail of desperation that's suddenly flooding your mind. But unlike the flashing of one's life in the moment before the end, this moment is filled with purpose — unfocused and clumsy, but desperately bold and determined. The message is not conveyed in words, but in feelings and impressions, unbound by the limitations of language and becoming that much more distinct and impossible to misinterpret. ]

Get away from the Manor.

Get out of Highstorm if you can.

The Meridian —

[ ...and then, it's gone. Both the message and the roaring sensations that carry it halt abruptly, like the slamming of a door — but, even a slammed door makes a sharp noise as it shuts, sends a gust of wind as it moves on its hinges. This sudden stop doesn't come with anything, no friction, no echo, not even the intentionality of closing a Communion once a person has said what they meant to say. Just stillness. ]

action, early Erqu, 114 years later.

[baltimores]

[ Okay, so — he doesn't like it, but a depressed teenager in his home isn't exactly a new thing nowadays. Or it wasn't before everyone fell asleep, so maybe it shouldn't be now, but not like Amos would profess to know how these things are actually supposed to go.

He just wasn't expecting this depressed teenager.

Amos is making his way back up the stairs to fix himself some lunch when he has to do a double-take at someone slumped in the living room. At this particular someone. He freezes, like he isn't sure if he should finish going to the kitchen or divert his path, but, well...

The living room wins out. Amos makes his way over, lifts his forearm above his head to lean against the wall as he looks down at Atsumu. ]

Fox? Uh... everything okay?

[settingup]

[ With everything constantly going on with Gen, it's probably easy to expect that Atsumu at least will stay a little more animated, if not exactly positive. His energy tends to be more agitated than peppy most of the time, but he still manages to not slump into the lethargic depression that Gen seems to often fall into.

... Most of the time.

Amos was one of the ones who came to Kenos from the previous world alongside Atsumu, though Atsumu has the vague sense Amos was there longer than he had been. He hadn't really known him at that point, so it wasn't as if he would have seen Atsumu struggling in his early days to deal with the loss of his planet. Even then though he'd been angry about it mostly, sullen and fast to lash out verbally at people.

Right now he's sitting in a room with the lights off, expression dull and posture listless until he hears that question ring through the air. It's enough to get him to straighten up, some life coming back to his face as he looks up at Amos (a very normal thing for him to have to do). ]

Huh? Yeah, man. Same as always.

[ Which... okay is relative... okay has been relative for some months before their long slumber too, when things started to go wrong. ]

[baltimores]

[ Well, yeah. Amos is standing while Atsumu is sitting. Of course in this context, and this context alone, he would be looking up at him.

And Amos continues to look down, but now his brow is creased and there's a frown on his face, like he does not believe Atsumu. ]

You sure about that? 'cause you look like you ain't all there right now.

[ And he's familiar with that. When he'd first experienced his world dying, he'd been fine with it. Well, not fine so much as accepting — but the whole being borderline enslaved and shepherded elsewhere, helpless— yeah that's when he'd retreated into himself, which he seriously was not expecting from Atsumu, because he has never seen him like this.

Amos doesn't move, though. Just keeps looking down at him, not judgmental but extremely skeptical. ]

You at least want a light on or something, or is your discord high enough you don't gotta worry about that?

[ Because in this light he cannot exactly tell... but his sclera is back to its normal white, so that is not the case for Amos, who was going to need a light if he'd decided to make lunch. ]