Conversation Space: The Ultimate

[powersthatbe]

You feel as if you've stepped through a door.

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VII. The Chariot

[swinglow]

You are sitting on top of a hollow tire with a plaid blanket thrown over it, in the back of a jostling pickup truck bed. The trucks is moving fast and the scenery around it keeps changing: cornfields, cliffs, the oceanside, the mountains, under water, over land, in the air, outer space. There's a cooler with an open lid next to you. Inside, nestled between the ice cubes, are cans of high-powered energy drinks.

[dontthinkaboutelephants]

The movement of the truck moving fast over the road makes Arthur's upper body sway. He looks around with a practiced calm. He is the second level dreamer; he is the support. One moment, he sees mountains and grass and rocks, the next he sees water, fish. He looks down to the cooler, trails fingertips over the cold cans. And then his hand slips into his pocket, searching for that little die while he mutters- "Must be a dream."

[swinglow]

"Not a dream. Reality. So to speak."

The voice (which sounds little like the revving of an engine) comes from the figure running next to the truck--keeping pace with it, in fact. Arthur's companion is a horse-headed bipedal automaton, crafted from some silvery metal.

[dontthinkaboutelephants]

"Reality," he breathes, blinking as the rolling die in his palm confirms it. He pockets the die and returns his full attention to the horse-like figure. "Who are you? And why am I here?"

[swinglow]

"Chariot. Charioteer. Cairbre. Names do not matter. Fortune brought you."

The figure turns its head to him, but continues running alongside the truck.

Re: VII. The Chariot

[mightypen]

At least it's not... wherever he'd been. The back of a truck beats a lot of places and it's actually fairly comfortable.

"Can I put in a request for less time in the sky?" He asks casually. "Not that it's not cool, just... safety first."

Re: VII. The Chariot

[swinglow]

"Can see about arranging," a voice, which sounds like the revving of an engine, says to the side of him. Running alongside the truck--and in fact keeping pace with it--is a horse robot, made of silvery metal.

Re: VII. The Chariot

[mightypen]

"Than-" Percy cuts off and just beams at the robot horse. "Oh man, you're awesome." he blurts, scooting over to the side of the truck to get closer.

Leo would probably be just as excited, though less wanting to get on the back of the horse and more wanting to take it apart to tinker.

"What's your name, I'm Percy."

Re: VII. The Chariot

[swinglow]

"Yes," the robot horse agrees. "Chariot. Charioteer. Personal name is Cairbre. Call what you like."

[eldritchwheelies]

She arrives in her chair, both hands pressing a spot just above her nose. A Liminal Space, then? But one cut off from the others.

Madoka Mawaru looks out over the constantly changing landscape, then at the truck, then at the choice of drink, and frowns. She curls her left hand over the armrest for reassurance, closes her eyes, than thinks out loud:

You aren't much for subtle, are ya, Chariot?

[swinglow]

"Not part of my idiom," a voice, which sounds like the revving of an engine, replies to the side of Madoka. Running alongside the truck--and in fact keeping pace with it--is a bipedal horse robot, made of silvery metal.

[eldritchwheelies]

Huh. She's not sure what she expected a Champ to look like. She suppose it fits well enough.

"Didn't think it would be. Only way it could be more obvious is if you liberally sprinkled patterns of seven around."

She sighs. "Harrowgate was a mean trick. You and your buddies realize that, right? I could have done a lot of good Investigating and..." She curls her hand around her chair's armrest even tighter and glares at the horse. "...not being able to is a big part of why this took so long."

[swinglow]

"We do not determine who you possess," the Chariot says, "or if you possess. Determined by compatibility. If none sufficiently compatible, Jaunt body is made."

[knightceties]

...What.

Ace looks around him, largely puzzled and mostly relaxed despite the strange circumstances. He's seen a lot of weird places before but this just might take the cake.

[swinglow]

"Welcome," a voice, which sounds like the revving of an engine, says to the side of him. Running alongside the truck--and in fact keeping pace with it--is a horse robot, made of silvery metal.

[knightceties]

"......Thanks??"

[swinglow]

The horse robot nods.

"I am Chariot. Or Charioteer. Or Cairbre. Does not matter."

[bite_the_hand]

When Eren had first been marked he'd called a truce with the Arcana that chose him, telling the Chariot he'd work with it to win this "game." ...But only if his friends were not hurt in the process. Sending them back to Harrogate more than qualified as hurting all the Travelers, and what had happened to Armin there... It's unforgivable. So for the first time in months, Eren's questioning the path he's chosen. If he is to move forward, he first needs to know more about what in the hell just happened.

He waits until Liminal Space changes and he's had some time to recover, but this isn't something that can be put off for long. So he finds the most out of the way corner of this incarnation of Liminal Space that he can. He sends a brief message to his friends over the Network, then he starts yelling at the air for lack of a better way to get his Patron Arcana's attention.

"Cairbre! That last Jaunt wasn't part of the deal! If you want my help you'd better let me come talk to you!" He moves forward then, concentrating on the idea of reaching Chariot's pocket of Liminal Space as he tries to punch a hole through the fabric of reality the same way he'd recently punched a hole across the Jaunt-Walkabout divide. Assuming the Chariot doesn't open a portal for him first, of course.

[swinglow]

As it turns out, yelling personally at your Arcana is actually a very good way to get their attention--especially given how Eren's words echo across the almost preternaturally silent liminal space that had followed the calming lotus pond. Before Eren really has time to finish his space punch, he's in the back of the moving pickup truck, with Cairbre running alongside it.

[bite_the_hand]

It's a relief when Cairbre opens the portal for him before Eren can force one open. In truth, he hadn't been at all sure he'd end up where he'd wanted to if he had to resort to that. Plus, the fact that the Chariot seems willing to speak to him is a good sign.

That spark of relief is quickly drowned out by his rage, however. Eren turns towards the horseperson and leans forward, hands slamming down on the rim of the truck bed to brace himself. He wastes no time before getting to the reason he's here. "Why were we sent to fucking Harrogate!?" The words come out as both a shout and a snarl. "I told you I'd only keep helping you as long as it didn't get my friends hurt! And one of my best friends got a hell of lot worse than just hurt there, Cairbre! So you'd better have a good answer!"

[swinglow]

Cairbre's robotic ears are pinned back.

"Strength, Devil made decision. Chose it together. Do not know all their motivations. Do know was not supposed to be as bad. Crawling Chaos was not supposed to show up. Think even Devil, Strength would not have gone back if knew ahead of time. Was only supposed to be Super Ghost. Did not think would get possessed."

Re: VII. The Chariot

[levelthreehooligan]

It feels like she was hung in suspension for a split second before the scene around her settled and she settled too. Theres a split second where she knows she’s sitting on something, and then a second later she has fallen into it.
The floor beneath her jostles as she tries to get her footing in this blanket hole of doom. She struggles as the blanket falls on top of her, and she fights with it briefly. She makes a small noise of victory as she shoves the blanket off her small body... and stops.
The second she sees outside of the the flat platform she’s on, she’s speechless. She stares as the vast and changing landscape in awe.
Some of these places are familiar, and most of them wildly outside of anything she’s ever imagined before, and she’s seen so much. This is... amazing.

Re: VII. The Chariot

[swinglow]

"Welcome," a voice, which sounds like the revving of an engine, says to the side of him. Running alongside the truck--and in fact keeping pace with it--is a horse robot, made of silvery metal.

Re: VII. The Chariot

[levelthreehooligan]

Pinya is almost too distracted by the visions she sees that she very nearly misses the voice.

The metallic horse runs at a blisteringly fast pace that seems effortless; though she has no real way of discerning the actual speed of which they are traveling.

"Welcome to.... where, exactly?" She asks.

Re: VII. The Chariot

[swinglow]

"Synodiporia," the horse replies.