sunborne | ＩＮＢＯＸ 🔥 ( ＷＥ'ＲＥＳＴＩＬＬＨＥＲＥ. )

As well as can be expected.

[ It's Like That. ]

An acquaintance of mine informs me we may have more in common than first realised. Would you be amenable to meeting to discuss this?

[ Also, quite possibly be careful who you tell things to. Apparently, it gets around. ]

[ oh man, that's a mood he can get behind. the bruises on his chest, thanks to a little escapade, are now a nasty colour and apparently won't be leaving him anytime soon.

the statement and question do have him tipping his head to the side because huh. ]

I'm open to whatever since we're all in this together, right? Don't see the point of keeping secrets from each other if we're all we got here.

Excellent. Would in one hour suit?

[ Why wait for Literally Anything, the dragon way of life. ]

[ given where they are, it's actually a pretty good mindset to have. better now than never. ]

Sure. Where do you want to meet up in particular?

Somewhere we won't be overheard by interested parties. If you wish it, my accommodation is secure: 210 Mockingbird Lane.

That works for me. Been meaning to visit other neighbourhoods for a while now.

See you in an hour. I'll make sure no one is, like, tailing me or anything. [ he's only joking. mostly joking. ]

[ Mockingbird Lane is nothing particularly special, and from the outside neither is the house at the number Wrathion has given. Both himself and Wolfe have made no attempt to stand out, since it rather seems standing out is... discouraged.

Wrathion is alone for now, and so mostly fusses around inside as he waits. The hour wait time was less because he was busy, more to make sure his guest had the time and to soften the urgency of the request.

When the doorball rings, Wrathion himself is much the same as he was previously -- the dark curls of his hair still hang loose, and he appears to have opted for a particularly dark green shirt to go with his now unusual hazel eyes. Unusual, at least, in so far as unusual for a dragon.

As the door opens, the blast of heat is immediate. Wolfe and Wrathion both feel the cold, and so abuse the thermostat terribly. His sleeves are even rolled up.

However.

His eyes travel... up, hesitant and thoughtful.

Wrathion may look the same, but Daylight is... different. ]

Hmmm.

[ He frowns, trying to take in this new development.

It's... frustrating. He doesn't enjoy the feeling of being short.

However, instead of addressing that, Wrathion opts to pretend like this doesn't bother him at all. It isn't unusual! Not even worthy of note! He stands aside, gestures for Daylight to come inside. ]

I was just making tea.

[ We're not talking about it! ]

[ if it makes wrathion feel better, daylight does not like feeling tall or being tall. at least tall to the point everything is a hazard now because, once again, he's back to being a towering menace and danger to architecture not meant for him.

so not talking about it is. awkward shuffling solidarity! ]

Cool. [ he nods, rubbing his hands together to keep himself warm. he's also trying to ignore the fact it's pretty obvious the outfit he's now wearing is several inches too short or too small for him to be wearing outside. ] Are you doing okay these days? The last few weeks have been...

[ he stops himself, trying to find a word both appropriate for what they experienced and not a curse word. ]

Strange, to put it mildly.

[ Strange.

That's one way to put it, yes.

Wrathion pushes the door closed behind Daylight, paces through to the kitchen and makes an expansive gesture with one hand. ]

I have survived it, despite the many attempts to prevent that.

[ Really, it has been extremely unpleasant.

Anyway. To the point. ]

You are familiar with Okuyasu Nijimura? He spoke to me of you.

[ He moves to begin pulling out some cups, even though the tea here is terrible, and gestures to Daylight questioningly with one. ]

Oh! Okuyasu!

[ daylight's expressions shift to warmth and recognition when he hears the name so yeah- it looks like daylight is familiar with him after all. ]

If it weren't for him, I think I'll be dead meat right now back in December. [ those murderous reindeer, man. those not-jolly-reindeer seriously were out for some blood and while it was unfortunate that he and okuyasu were the ones they were targeted, it was a good thing they were paired up together. okuyasu he has a great swinging arm, let daylight tell you. that

the bat is now crooked due to the force of the hit but daylight is rather proud of that, honestly. but, right- back to the topic as daylight tries to sit down on a chair comfortably- ] Why do you ask? Is he doing okay these days?

[ Wrathion hesitates, eyes travelling down Daylight slowly as he sits and settling on his trousers.

The fact that they are too short is even more pronounced when he sits down. It really is... painful.

He looks away, forces himself to focus and makes a vague dismissive to wave off the confirm. ]

He's quite well. We were discussing the technology level here and he mentioned you as a possible contact who could use it. I am more familiar with Titan machines, myself. I believe he described you as 'an alien from the future' -- I assume he meant to confirm your status as not naturally human. My query is what you should be, were we not both... limited.

[ 'Limited'.

The frustration is heavily evident in the way he says the word, as if even speaking it fills him with distaste. ]

[ upon hearing the word and the emotions packed into it, daylight gives wrathion an empathetic look because yeah- it sucks.

he crosses his arms and leans into the chair. well, tries to. he hears the chair creak and stops himself from putting any more weight on it. wrathion might be one of the few individuals who might know what daylight is experiencing. let's not break his stuff, day. ]

Alien-human hybrid. [ he has no problem being honest with this sort of thing. not with the others who are on the same boat as him. ] More alien than human, if I have to be specific.

And Okuyasu... Yeah. I can use this technology we have and could probably do more with it if I at least had one of my abilities back. [ it wasn't a power he used often but, wow, does he wish he could use it now. ]

[ But 'alien' is so unspecific already! Wrathion makes a vague, dismissive gesture with one hand. ]

Humans are the dominant race where you are from, then?

[ They're certainly a large percentage of the Alliance, but Azeroth has many races -- native and otherwise. Wrathion reaches out a hand, makes a twisting gesture and summons up a ghostly image of a Draenei that floats above his palm, changes it to first a Nathrezim, then a Naaru. ]

There are many who are not native to Azeroth, I was curious if yours might be one I was familiar with.

Edited (ugly repetition ) 2021-01-27 17:03 (UTC)

[ daylight leans forward and narrows his eyes as he watches the images shift to one form to another, trying to rack his brain and see if any of these are familiar.

in the end, he shakes his head and gives wrathion an apologetic look. nope. ]

Looks like we're from different universes unless the Galateions somehow missed all of these guys during their space brawl and you guys somehow have more humans than anyone I know have come across. The race is one of the smallest in numbers where I am. [ it's why his mom created this waterproof intergalactic convention while she was still alive, knowing humans would be squished by all the other races if they went up in a straight-up fight. say what you want about his mom - don't worry, he does, personally - but she thought ahead and planned ahead. not much didn't get past her.

and speaking of not letting things get by- daylight gestures to the images that float above wrathion's palm.

there's no way he's letting this slip by so casually. ] Got that after the end of the December madness, right?

[ Ah. But he much prefers questioning to explaining.

Pity Daylight is skimming the details, Wrathion is incurably curious (some might say nosy) but he'll let it slide. He has Galateions to mull over, at least. ]

It seems their hold on me has begun to weaken.

[ The temptation to do something flashier wells up, just for a second, but he resists -- dismisses the illusiory Naaru from his hand.

He's thinking about the trousers again. Presumably Daylight has grown suddenly -- perhaps their captors are losing their ability to keep him in human form?

Addressing the height difference, however, still feels distasteful. ]

I can only assume the amount of power it takes to draw us all here and keep us restrained has taken its toll.

[ A pity this is the first thing to return to him, out of all his gifts. He'd much prefer something more... violent. ]

[ daylight can get behind those sentiments. out of all the things, he ends up just getting tall? the world is out to get him sometimes, he swears.

but he can grumble about that later. right now, the current topic is a lot more important/attention-grabbing than his gripes. ] Yeah. That was my first thought after seeing that display. Losing their grip or... testing the waters, for whatever these guys have planned.

But do you think this could be related to what happened back in December? [ that's the only thing of great significance that comes to mind for daylight. something they were all involved in, one way or another, and really stood out in his mind if he had to think of last month.

he doesn't think buying or not buying those christmas trees has anything to do with this. ]

[ Could it? Wrathion strokes at his beard thoughtfully, turning that over. ]

My suspicion is that the events are... connected, the question is -- cause or effect? Were our captors deliberately tormenting us, and this is why their grip loosens? Or is their grip loosening because they have brought so many of us here, and in losing control the chaos of December begun? Or... something else, and we are all a mere consequence of some darker ploy?

[ There are too many variables right now. They need to learn more. ]

For now, I think it's safe to assume a little of Column A, a little of Column B. [ daylight makes a waving gesture with a hand of his as he speaks, the gears in his head already churning as he tries to talk out his current theory. ]

Someone took us here, changing our forms and taking away our powers, to screw with us. [ why? he isn't so sure. that angle of the theory is a work-in-progress and that's not the main thing he wants to talk about anyways.

so, main thing: ] While they're trying to jerk us around for some giggles but someone else is sneaking in during the chaos, trying to help us out. Little by little, too, in order to keep this from being discovered. If they really wanted to punish us, they would have done something... I don't know, more cruel with our powers? [ he tilts his head to the side, thinking of all the things that could have happened to either of them at this point. ] Like make us suffer if we use it or something by now.

[ Wrathion narrows his eyes a little at that, a hint of discontent. ]

You do not consider this punishment?

[ Wrathion's tone says he absolutely does, and he objects to the concept it isn't already cruel enough. ]

The whole thing? If I have to consider this in the eyes of whoever is doing this- No.

[ alright, let him explain that bit: ] You've got to consider the amount of resources, time, and effort that's being used up on us. The way they were able to get us all, strip us down, and set it all up so neatly.

I think this is someone's... [ he pauses, making a waving gesture with his hands like he can capture the word he's looking for. ] I think this is someone's experiment or project. They don't see anything wrong with it. Not really.

Why see it as a 'punishment' when you can see it as a 'trial' instead? Does that make sense?

[ Very unfortunately, it does. Wrathion hates that he's allowed himself to be emotional about it instead of rational. He darts his eyes away, considering. ]

Resources are... relative.

[ Not that Daylight is necessarily wrong, but the resources aspect may not necessarily be relevant. ]

Before I was drawn here I was looking into Ny'alotha. A sleeping city of numberless crimes, where only dark things walk. We had assumed Ny'alotha was a physical place, somewhere that already existed, as most mortal logic dictates when one talks of a city. Yet that was wrong, Ny'alotha was a potential -- a vision of the future. A reality being brought into being, little by little overwriting our own. When the architect is an Old God, the small number of people here would be nothing.

Huh.

[ daylight wishes he could lean into the chair and chew over what he had just learned. but, alas, the chair is already creaking and he's worried it might give way any second now. ] Okay then... With your experience with this-

[ what was the name of the city again? stars, human tongue is weird sometimes. ]

-Ny'alotha and what you faced against it, do you think we're in immediate danger of what might be keeping us here? Or do we have time to group up and prepare some sort of counter?

[ because it sounds like wrathion was in the middle of a hell of an adventure. if anyone would have a clue of how to tackle/approach this encroaching or looming threat over him, it would be him right now. ]

[ A flexible well armed group of, say, 15 to 25 people with well enchanted gear is ideal of course --

Some sort of initial chain of tasks might help. ]

If the... architect of Ny'alotha's rise is the architect behind our capture... the issue is more subtle. N'Zoth is a schemer, he prefers the long game. To turn people to his side -- to whisper, manipulate. His nickname is the corrupter, and his influence... insidious.

[ hmmmm.   a schemer and prefers to do things subtle. prefers to manipulate things behind the scenes, to whisper, and to plot while going unnoticed.

taking that in mind: ] Doesn't sound like what we're going through.

[ snowcorpses and murderous reindeer are not what you exactly call 'long game' worthy. his mom has set up some really intense shit and he's seen what a long game looks like. ~~with him being an example-~~ ]

Is the architect known for fucking with heads around? Make things appear then disappear, leaving no traces behind? Like with what happened to the village.

Some of this has been more... overt, but messing with the mind is rather his style. He aims to turn victims to madness, to turn friends against one another, to inspire despair, confusion, hopelessness until the only truth left to accept is his victory. While this has been... different to his usual tactics, I wouldn't say it is entirely off. If anyone could restrain me, I know he could.

[ Restraining a dragon is a feat, especially one prepared for it. Especially as fully as Wrathion has been restrained. ]

ＩＮＢＯＸ 🔥 ( ＷＥ'ＲＥＳＴＩＬＬＨＥＲＥ. )

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