Conversation Space IV.

[powersthatbe]

The small room is painted a dark beige, with stained wood paneling on the lower half, and lush burgundy carpeting. The ceiling, however, is cracked and bowed, sagging alarmingly, occasionally shedding chips of plaster. Wrought-iron lamp-posts in the corners suspend pale, wan globes of light, and between them along the walls run rows of painted sunflowers, all turned towards the center of the room as if listening attentively. A jutting spire of granite rises from the floor on a diagonal, its flattened top sporting a cracked wineglass from which the wine (a white) slowly spatters teardrops across the plinth. And there is no chair, but a therapist’s couch, blue with gold trim, and ornate scrollwork on the legs, beside which the fluted horn of a phonograph player pipes music into the room, quiet enough to just be background ambience.

Comments

[professorwolf]

It's late in the liminal when Lyall is finally pulled in here, and he's had plenty of time to fret about whether he was going to wind up marked at all-- and by who. Or maybe "what" is more appropriate. He really doesn't know.

He doesn't touch anything, or take anything, but he does pace the room slowly, listening to what he might be able to hear under the jazz music, and test the air for scents he might be able to discern-- if any. Liminal is so often devoid of proper scents, or scents that make sense... but it's habit.

[callmemeibe]

The only smell he can discern at the moment is the crispness of a fresh wind. And the wine, of course.

There is a dull trumpet fanfare from the phonograph mingled within the notes of the song. Lyall can suddenly sense a presence - a familiar presence.

"Welcome."

[professorwolf]

Ah, but does the presence have a scent? He jumps a little at the change in sound, immediately looking around. He has only met a small handful of Trumps... he's pretty sure this isn't them. How can he know the feel of her, then? "Hello. May I ask to whom I'm speaking?"

[callmemeibe]

The presence has no smell, save for a faint whiff of ozone and nectar that quickly dissipates.

""I am called Penuel."

[professorwolf]

"It's a pleasure, Penuel." That's polite nonsense, of course, but still: polite. "Have we been acquainted before? I'm finding I find you familiar." Though not by scent, really. Or by voice, for that matter. He still can't place what he finds familiar, at all.

[callmemeibe]

The being raises their hand toward him, and Randolph suddenly feels a vision come to him, much like his many visions that have occurred since Melasurei. It is of the last moments of Purgatory, when he felt a small sense of relief wash over him as the Name left Purgatory. Behind him stands Penuel, giving a small sigh of relief, though there is still some disappointment in the outcome. When Randolph's vision clears and he can see once more, the being lowers their hand to rest on their horn once more. "Now do you understand?"

[professorwolf]

And now he can see them, too. That helps a bit, if just to know where to look. "You were the one giving me those visions, as Zeviel?" he guesses, turning to face them more fully. "Or influencing them, at least?" Seeing as Zeviel had his visions well before the Jaunt actually started.

[callmemeibe]

They nod. "I showed Zeviel... what Zeviel needed to see."

[professorwolf]

"I don't know how much good I did for you, back then," he says apologetically. "I did my best. He did his best. But I'm afraid he didn't actually get much done, in the end."

[callmemeibe]

"Much like the Travelers as a whole, unfortunately," they reply, fingers tightening around the trumpet a little. "But the wicked one did not succeed, either, so I do not begrudge you."

[professorwolf]

"That's good, I suppose." He's glad they aren't holding a grudge, anyway. "Well, it's nice to meet you in the flesh. Or whatever you are, at the moment. I, er... suppose this means you'll be marking me, like the others all have been?" He still has that niggling feeling like she's just going to kick him out, but it's a small feeling.

[callmemeibe]

They shrug their shoulders, as if neutral on whether holding a grudge is good or not.

"I am not made of flesh. This body is manifested for your benefit," they answer bluntly. "And yes, I intend to."

[professorwolf]

"For the moment, then," Lyall agrees with a nod, torn between relief and dread, now that he knows for sure what's happening here. He supposes someone who wanted to keep great power out of the hands of someone evil is better than some other choices, but he is only guessing as to their Arcana at the moment, so he can't say for sure if they're someone he can work with. "What is it you would have me do for you, once I'm marked?"

[callmemeibe]

"I would have you reflect my virtues, as you already seem so willing to do. Reconciliation. Acceptance of past misdeeds. Renewal. Hope. I would have you Judge the innocent from the guilty, and protect the innocent from them." They frown for a moment, adding, "You will be able to tap into my power, if you try hard enough, in order to ensure these virtues are upheld."

[professorwolf]

"Those are all certainly things I would try to do regardless," Lyall agrees with a nod, and a bit of a relaxation that nothing will apparently be asked of him that he's not capable of doing. "Tap into your power. How's that?"

[callmemeibe]

"I cannot explain how, seeing as I've never needed to focus to tap into my own power. But you are all very resourceful. Empress will not stop bragging about your accomplishments." They scoff. "As if a deceiver like her had any hand in it."

[professorwolf]

"What do you mean by 'deceiver'?" Lyall asks curiously. "She's seemed fairly straight-forward, according to all of us who have spoken with her." Which doesn't include him, of course, but the conversations have largely been positive about Empress-- and he doesn't recall deception being part of the Tarot card associated with her.

[callmemeibe]

"She cheated." It's spoken very matter-of-factly, tersely. "Yet the majority allowed it. It is outrageous she got away with it. Magician and Priestess, too. Deceivers all."