Event | Turtle Dive | January 16 - 19 | Everything's better down where it's wetter~

[hazelwood]

Characters: Any and all PCs, plus an offering of Lieuen
Date: January 16th - 19th
Location: All Sectors
Situation: Tu Vishan begins to dive to the ocean floor and the city of Keeliai seems unbothered by the process. Bonfire funtimes are made available to all!
Warnings/Rating: Underwater situations; to be updated as noted

>See the comments of this post for various situations and areas available for tagging.
>Each header will be set for a date and/or area.
>A unique thread under the bonfires is available for discussions with Lieuen, should there be interested parties.
>Feel free to start your own header for specific situations.
>Refer to the two OOC posts for further details. 01 | 02

Comments

[cowled]

It is a little unsettling, isn't it? Please, have a seat.

[Bruce gestures rather grandly at the opposite chair. Bruce recognizes the boy from a series of network posts, and takes a moment to mentally review what he's learned about him so far. Between the magic and the manners...

Hm.]

It's probably best not to think about it too much. And I can probably say that from experience.

[exiledsummoner]

More than a little. [Tris gives a nervous smile, hand dropping from the edges of his robes as he glances back up at the barrier surrounding them. Seconds later he takes the offer of a seat with a small bow of his head.]

I'd never been near the sea before coming here and yet now I find myself beneath it. It's hard to not think of what might happen if the barrier fails. [Though he oddly has more faith in whatever magic is holding that barrier than he would were he the one holding the shield up.]

Forgive me, I'm Martris Drayke. [He's still not completely used to introducing himself to people, especially without the Prince prefix. On the road he was just Tris; here he wasn't sure who he was. Better to stay unknown when you're a wanted fugitive; those who needed to know his name likely would already.]

[cowled]

[And Bruce catalogues each of those little movements. The nervousness, the way he's toying with the edges of the robe. It's telling a story, painting something into vividity.

Bruce reaches for the water pitcher on the table, pours an extra glass and holds it out. Never let it be said he can't play host.]

Martris.

[A little 'cheers' gesture with his own glass.]

I'm Bruce Wayne. And as for the barrier... given the amount of times this is purported to have happened, I don't really consider there to be any danger. It's hardly an ideal situation for those of us used to being a little less aquatic, but I don't doubt we'll survive it.

[exiledsummoner]

[Tris takes the glass with another small smile, setting it down in front of him instead of taking a drink. His hands clasp in his lap under the table and he watches the man's face. Tris doesn't need to project himself to know that this man is strong and intelligent, but as he sits there it's a habit to erect barriers and shields with almost silent mutters.

Still, there's an ease borne of familiarity that he slips into. Bruce is being polite and he's well spoken and it's not unlike being in the court or meeting someone important.]

I'm just not so sure I trust magic that I can't feel. [Because for a mage, seeing was most certainly not believing and his disconnection from the Spirit Plane and difficulty sensing the spirits of the locals in the city has made it even harder. And it's no secret by now that he's a mage; he has talked often about it on the network.]

Actually, it's hard to believe anything here. It's so different. [A soft chuckle.] Even the food is strange. I'm still not entirely sure what to make of it.

[cowled]

Have you met some of the other magic-users here? There are several, to my understanding. It could simply be a matter of finding common ground.

[kanyeshrug.]

You don't buy their little song and dance about life, death and dreaming?

[exiledsummoner]

I have spoken to one of the mages here, but his magic is different from mine. I believe mine is likely to be different from anyone else's here.

[Tris frowns at that question. He hadn't believed it since the moment they'd told him, even less so since his magic had come back to him. Other's had claimed to be out of touch with their abilities following arrival, but Tris had had wormroot in his blood before arriving and he was no longer sure if it had been the poison of some effect of this land blocking his magic.

Not that the method of blockage changed the fact that when his magic had returned and he had been unable to reach the Spirit Plane, it had shook him to his core. He had only been able to visit the plane for a few months, but had always been able to see and sense ghosts - an ability either torn from him or no longer required because the Spirit Plane did not exist there.

All that aside, Tris knew he couldn't be dead - he had seen the Lady open her arms to him and he had woken. And he certainly wasn't dreaming or else this place would be far worse than it was as his dreams were never pleasant as of late.]

Not at all. And not least because there isn't a person who will answer my questions. [Whether that was smart or just plain old paranoia, Tris didn't know or care.] I haven't even been told why I'm here. [There's sadness to his voice there.]

[cowled]

What are some specificities to your abilities? I can have my, ah-- business manager run some checks. We've had numerous people come and gone, it's entirely possible that there've been people here in the past with your exact abilities and that they're no longer here.

[It's times like this he considers himself lucky to have Miranda. She's talented enough to account for large amounts of research he does as the Batman.]

I know some people consider that we're here because of some sort of conflict the Emperor is hoping to subvert or conquer. With our assistance, it seems.

[He's careless as he says it, leaning back in his chair, but he keeps Martris in his peripheral vision, just to see how he reacts to that.]

[exiledsummoner]

I... [Tris considered the offer carefully, bringing one hand up to circle around the glass of water, watching the surface intently for a few minutes. Maybe it would be good to know, except that Tris was certain that the only person who could have come before him and had his abilities would have been-- well, it would have been himself or his Grandmother.] I doubt someone with my abilities would have been here before. They're very specific and I'm the only one with them in my world.

But thank you for offering. [A small smile.

And then he's frowning. He did not take kindly to the thought that he might have been brought here to act as a pawn in someone else's war when he had his own to be fighting. His hand grips tightly around the glass.]

I haven't seen any conflict since arriving though. Nothing more than petty crimes. Why would we be brought to fight a war that doesn't appear to be happening? Better still; why would they not simply tell us?

[cowled]

That rare?

[The comment merits a slightly surprised arch of one eyebrow. Of course, it's hardly unusual. Look at Clark, in the days before Kon or Kara.]

You haven't been here that long, correct? I've been here... hmm, almost five months, I think, [Bruce Wayne's first public appearance on the Network. Before then, he was going by Craig to set up a fall identity for the Batman.] and in that time we've dealt with things like gang violence, the sacrifices... even the mainland issue. 'Petty crimes', yes, but on a scale most of us are unused to dealing with.

[He's very careful that his tone implies he's one of those people unused to this particular situation.]

I do believe there's been a certain sense of escalation. If and when it culminates, that will undoubtedly be what the Emperor has us all trapped here to deal with.

[exiledsummoner]

In my time, yes. Before, there were a few Spirit mages, but I'm the only one now. [And maybe it's clear from the way his shoulders droop a little what, exactly, that means for him. There's a weight on his shoulders he sometimes wishes wasn't.]

Five months? Such a long time... [Tris's expression turns a little sad. Would he be here that long? In five months he was supposed to face Arontalla and prevent the Obsidian King rising again. He needed to be home.]

But if she required help to fight something then why not simply tell us? What use are we in her war if we cannot properly prepare to fight, if we do not know our enemy and how to face them? [Tris grit his teeth for a moment and then sighed.]

Forgive me. I was brought here to this place when I should be preparing to fight my own war in my world.

[cowled]

There's nothing to forgive. Believe me when I say we all have things we'd rather be doing. Places we'd rather be.

[His tone is light, but the sentiment is anything but. Gotham is his home, and this is a pale substitute.]