Conversation Space II.

[powersthatbe]

As Thorne shared with the network, Travelers who vanish find themselves alone in a small room. But it doesn’t look quite as described last time. Paper lanterns hang in the corners, and a lemniscate of live, spicily scented blue roses traces a figure eight on the floor. A little marble plinth sits beside the looping roses, with a champagne flute balanced on it, pink, fizzy liquid quietly effervescing within. In place of the throne that was there before, each half of the loop holds a brown leather sphere - a yoga meditation-ball chair. They’re a little tricky to balance on.


The walls, floors, and ceiling are tiled, a prismatic fade from one color to another, each tile unique, just slightly different in hue than those around it, each colored line giving a sense that it belongs to a bigger pattern, but never revealing enough to allow anyone certainty about what that pattern might be. It is only a glimpse of a larger world… in this small, quiet space.

Comments

[swinglow]

"Not a big fan of it," says the figure balancing on the other meditation ball in the opposite loop of the lemniscate. It--for it is an it--is, well, a steel horseman. Horseperson. The body itself is bipedal and sort of human--those are actual hands, even if they seem to have too many joints--but the head and neck are a horse's and those are actual hooves on its feet. "More doing."

[truerevelation]

And that catches Kanji a spot off guard, but ... he's seen weirder things than metal horse people by now. It's got him curious enough to sit on any rising feelings of resentment, choking them back into a brief laugh tinged with bitterness.

"Yeah, I kinda noticed," he says, expression stony. "But we're here now. So what's the deal?"

[swinglow]

"Last phase is starting," the horseperson--that is to say, Chariot--says. "Practice rounds are over. For us and you."

[truerevelation]

"Right. Your big 'phase three' thing." Kanji sits back on the ball and folds his arms. "What changes?

[swinglow]

"No more joint wins," Chariot says. "Losing Arcana barred from play. Tournament brackets. All Travelers are marked."

[truerevelation]

Alright, he thinks he gets the picture - he's not surprised by the latter part after having run into people he didn't think were marked on his side last week. He nods, though he's still frowning. "You're pickin' teams after all. So what d'you want from us?"

[swinglow]

"Your help to win," Chariot says, simply.

[truerevelation]

And now they're falling into cryptic nonsense territory fast. At least, something like it. "What sorta 'help'?" he asks, his tone flat and heavy. "Keep doin' what we're doin', or..."

[swinglow]

"Yes. Also, to act as my agent. Help ensure I win my matches."

[truerevelation]

"Agent, huh." That gets a bit of a snort from him, almost a laugh. There's little if any humour in it, though. "What's different about that than the other stuff?"

[swinglow]

The horseperson bounces on the meditation ball.

"I may ask you for favors. I may do you favors. My actions are restrained. I can only be what I am."

[truerevelation]

"Restrained." Kanji looks skeptical, to say the least - "You lot go around grabbin' people from all sorts of worlds, shovin' us around, you've got more power than ... hell if I know - what's restraining you?"

[swinglow]

"We can only be what we are," Chariot repeats. "We are bound by our Arcana." It pauses for a second, tilting its head as if in thought. "Similar to the Illuminants and their color," it clarifies.

[truerevelation]

Oh. Now that makes sense. As much as anything here does. "So if you want somethin' doing that's ... I dunno, soft 'n squishy 'n outside what you, I dunno, run on... you need us for it."

[swinglow]

"Yes," Chariot says. It seems pleased that Kanji understands. "Even claimed by us, you are not restrained by us."

[truerevelation]

Is that a hint of a smile on his face, there? "...Heh. We're all Wild Cards compared to you," he says.

[swinglow]

The Chariot's mouth is not really built for smiling in this form, even less than when it was a proxy. But there is some pleasure in its rumbling tone: "Yes."

[truerevelation]

"Hah!" He actually outright grins, punching one hand into the other. "Alright, I'm startin' to see how this works."

[swinglow]

"Good," Chariot says. "Any questions? I may not answer all. I will answer what I can."

[truerevelation]

"Man, have I got questions," he says with a bit of a laugh. It's ... it's an odd feeling. He'd been dreading this, but ...

"Alright. First one's a quick one. Who else've you got your eye on? I know 'bout Zed, hard not to, but ... hell. My friend Chie. She's always been, heh, big on your thing... man, that sounds wrong now I say it. Is she...?"

[swinglow]

"Eren. Korra. Your friend? No," the Chariot says. "She outgrew me. Just as you outgrew the Fool. The others like you as well. Another has chosen her. She was wanted. Is wanted."

[truerevelation]

He fidgets with his glasses for a moment - a bit of a shame that he won't have anyone else with him in this particular mess, but ... they were always going to be split up, after all. Already had been.
They were always going to have to work around this problem.

"Thanks," he says, genuinely appreciative of the information. "D'you know who or is there some kinda rule against you tellin' before they get to it?"

[swinglow]

"Would ruin the surprise," Chariot rumbles. Then, after tilting its head in thought again, it adds, "Souji is Lover's. Rise is Strength's. They also claimed in this space. If it matters."

[truerevelation]

Kanji chuckles slightly. "And I guess you like surprises, huh," he says, dryly. "Was pissed off when I found out about yours, y'know."

[swinglow]

"I saw you suited me," Chariot says. "Words were unnecessary. Also, proxies must wind their voice boxes."