Spell 1: Arrival [Day 247]

[twinked_witch]

Who: Megaera D'Ashland, anyone who would be out and about in the evening.
Open: Open
When: Day 247, evening
Where: On the bridge to the Skyway, approaching the Bastion, -or- around the Bastion as she wals around.
What: One new girl trying to figure out her place.
Format: Anything, can match
Warnings: Megaera's not prone to acting past a PG-13-ish rating... But she's very affectionate if given the chance.



[Introductory character rambling that's frankly entirely skippable]

This place here seemed like her best chance of finding anywhere safe since Megaera had woken up... Some twenty-ish hours ago, she'd have to reckon. The Six Hells didn't always have a proper sense of time, and neither did this place seem to.

As she moved along the bridge, Megaera quickly pieced together her situation so far. She'd chosen to get some asleep after some research, hoping to refresh her mind to better solve a problem with modifying the fireball spell, as part of trying to actually advance as a wizard and learn higher-power spells. When she'd woken up, her house/lab was in a shambles, and almost all of her items were destroyed - disjunctioned, in fact. Then, she'd looked outside... And the world she'd known for decades simply wasn't there. The space around was some sort of chaotic... It made her think of an artist's depiction of Limbo, the realm of Chaos. Which meant she was willing to bet on the house falling apart and disappearing pretty quickly if given half the chance.

Megaera wasn't safe there. She had to gather up all she could - magic components, the spellbooks that were intact, some of her bedding, tools, and a couple of towels. And then, her home had to be abandoned. Like something out of the old apocalypse fiction.

Then, she'd headed out. While the alien skies around her made the idea of flying deeply uncomfortable, the ground was too spotty - and what lay beneath too endless-looking - for her to do anything else. Bat-like wings out, popping from point to point. She'd seen some sort of monument in the distance, so she'd headed in that direction... Until, finally, she'd made it to a stable-looking bridge, and started closer.

[A) Almost across the bridge...]

The area ahead at the other side of the bridge looked like... Something vaguely town-like? There were possibly people there, at least. Devil, demon, or mortal, she didn't know. The buildings didn't resemble designs she knew, though, so that was a clue-in. So she let her shapeshifting remove her wings. That was another thing she'd noticed - shifting had taken more out of her than it should have. Needless to say - not good. If something was destabilizing her essence... Well, she'd have to figure that out in time.

At least some of her most basic talents were still in play. They'd have to do, because it looked like someone was approaching. Also, curiously, there was the beginnings of nightfall here. She wasn't sure how that worked...

[B) Around the Bastion, later]

So. She'd learned the situation. The Six Hells - or at least the one she was on - were destroyed. Gone. Her entire purpose, at least in theory, had ended in a vast failure that wasn't, seemingly, even her kind's fault. When it came to her kind, she had to assume she was alone until she was - maybe - pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised. And so far, this was the only place that was safe from those... Things she'd seen in the distance.

An unenviable position, to be a devil stuck among mortals... But one she'd have to make the best of. Somehow. At least this amulet was useful for handling the 'Skyway'. That was good to know at least...

A good first step was to simply explore the safe area. Get a room from the 'apartment' complex - brilliantly simple idea for peasant-level housing, she guessed - and see what facilities the place had to offer. And, more importantly, what sorts of people the place had to offer. She would have to make friends here, after all. Back when she was human, she probably wouldn't have seen the problem with being the creepy loner type in the isolated tower over in some corner... But now, she knew better. Sentience came with being social. Thinking of people only for their practical value and use to her was, ironically, the fastest way to make sure they wouldn't be useful to her.

Perhaps this person would be someone she could get along with?

Comments

B

[daughterofursa]

Zuko's is not the most inviting face, all things considered. She's come in from a trip to the Skyway only a short time earlier herself, and it shows. Some of her hair has come out of her top-knot, her arms are showing a few scrapes, and of course she's still carrying her swords across her back, something she normally doesn't do within the Bastion.

Still, she recognizes a newcomer when she sees one. She nods and even manages a casual greeting, "Hey."

There might be a little wariness behind that, though, because she doesn't know if she'll have to be the one to break bad news, and that's never fun.

Re: B

[twinked_witch]

Megaera, for her part, could easily sense the certain... Unease the young woman in front of her had. She made a guess. "Hey. I'm... New to the Bastion. I know the basics, though."

Listening to people was one of the best tools any person could have. Introducing oneself first was also handy. She waves a gloved hand towards Zuko. "I'm Megaera. You?"

[daughterofursa]

"Oh." Yes, there's definitely some relief in learning that.

"Zuko. You seem to be taking it pretty well."

[twinked_witch]

"... Well, besides that my world going boom could mean really bad things for at least six other ones, sure, I guess."

Megaera sighed. "I've got to figure out what I can do, but for the moment, if that isn't much..."

[daughterofursa]

"Six?" Well, color Zuko surprised. Her own world is connected with the Spirit World, but the thought of having that many all tied together sounds... complicated.

She shakes her head. "There might not be anything you can do for your world, but there's enough to be done for this one."

[twinked_witch]

"Yeah. Six. It's... A long story. I... Was, kind of a vanguard stopping demons from invading them. My entire world was, in fact. But now..."

[daughterofursa]

"Are you an exorcist?" She doesn't look like anyone Zuko's met from Rin's world, but Zuko can't think of anyone else who's brought up demons.

"We have a few demons here. But they aren't dangerous."

1/2

[twinked_witch]

"Nope. I'm a Wizar-"

[twinked_witch]

And then Zuko mentioned demons.

"... What. You are on something or they're lying about their nature. The concept of being 'not dangerous' is beyond demons. That is literally fundamental to their existence."

[daughterofursa]

"I am not on cactus juice." That is... a rather specific denial there, Zuko. She has been accused of it before.

She folds her arms. "One of them is a friend of mine, so I think I'm a better judge of that than you."

[twinked_witch]

"If they're actually capable of friendship, then they're not demons. I have had to destroy far too many to not know how their ilk work."

Megaera looked... Very, very annoyed. Cactus juice was obviously a hallucinogenic from this Zuko fellow's region... But to not know demons that badly was clearly offensive to Megaera's sensibilities somehow. Of course, Zuko would have no idea that Megaera's existence was built on an oath to fight the kind. Then again, Megaera had no reason - yet - to recognize the demons around here as different from those she fought...

[daughterofursa]

"Whatever you believe about demons, I'm telling you now so you don't attack any of them when you meet them. If you do, then they're not the only ones you'll find yourself dealing with." Having someone talk about destroying one of her friends is pretty offensive to Zuko. She's really bad at making those.

"The same goes for the dragon." Has she seen the dragon yet? They have a dragon.

[twinked_witch]

"Believe?!?", Megaera responded indignantly. "I've only had to fight them regularly for over a decade, damn it. Chaos is their means and measure, and..."

Only slowly was Megaera even beginning to consider the idea that these were different beings. It had been rather core to existence for, in reality, six decades... But it wasn't like everything else in her world was all screwed up now. Of course her oaths would be useless here, too.

"Never mind the dragon. They're not the problem I'm meant to face as a guardian..."

[daughterofursa]

"Well, not here it isn't. No one in the Bastion is a 'problem.'"

...not even Colin. He's mostly just a pain.

[twinked_witch]

"... Look, just. I'm literally sworn by an ancient covenant with the gods to protect my world and those beyond it from those that'd destroy it. And now that's gone. And now you're saying I need to ignore what tatters remain of something I've served for a pretty big portion of my life. Do you really think I'd take that well???"

[daughterofursa]

"If all protecting your world means to you is fighting demons, you might need to rethink that. You could be relieved that you don't have to fight your old enemies on top of everything else."

[twinked_witch]

"When one watches a specific wall guarded by one specific threat as a career, to suddenly be told that they're no longer a threat... Well, you see why I would question it."

[daughterofursa]

"It's a change, I get it. I've worked with former enemies before myself. But if they wanted to do us harm, they could've poisoned us all months ago." Specifically Rin since she cooks all the food, but Zuko doesn't want to name anyone if she's still that adamant about all demons being bad.

[twinked_witch]

"... The demons I dealt with wouldn't even be subtle enough to poison the food when they could just poison their claws and stab you with them, so that's a point in their favor I guess," Megaera responded. "Just... It's one of a few topics I'd be naturally specific about."

[daughterofursa]

"Sounds like the demons you've met are pretty different." Not that Zuko is conceptualizing them as being that different physically, just personality-wise. Rin herself has said a lot of demons are pretty violent; Megaera must have only met those demons.

[twinked_witch]

"Perhaps. Probably another of those different worlds things... Great. As if this whole mess wasn't bad enough already..."

[daughterofursa]

"I know it's a lot to take in, but at least you don't have to worry about fighting anyone in the Bastion."

You just have grumps like Zuko or people who are either intentionally or unintentionally annoying.

[twinked_witch]

"Just a ton of everything outside of it, from what I've heard..."

[daughterofursa]

"It's dangerous out there, but a lot of animals will only bother you if they feel threatened. That doesn't make it a good idea to go out alone, though."

[twinked_witch]

"So in other words, I've gotta run any runs out there for stuff in a team. Good to know. Fortunately, as a wizard, I'm pretty useful in that sort of work."