Welcome to Gaia! ::

Cosine's suggestion to split up was well-received by her traveling companions, and they each chose a place to explore with the hopes they could receive some useful information before they were meant to regroup at sundown. Glaucon had immediately suggested a high-class neighborhood that was nearby, and David followed his directions with a sigh, knowing exactly what part of the reason was. He couldn't walk as fast or as far as his companions; the god in his head had chosen a route that the cripple could feasibly get to and back from within the allotted amount of time while still hopefully learning some things about how the city of Baadris operated. Thanks a lot.

More evidence that Baadris was not the utopia it seemed upturned itself as David walked, the scraping of his cane against the dusty ground pinging against glass-frosted doors and roofs. There apparently weren't enough upkeep servants left to do much with the small clusters of bodies tucked in the rare shadows provided by buildings. A couple of women curled under one shadow looked like forsaken angels, with pallid and jaundiced flesh sunken into their faces and crystalline accessories doing well as wings cracked and fractured, dangling glass feathers clinking against each other like forlorn wind chimes in the odd breeze that whistled in. It seemed that the dust collecting in and around the Palace was being put to use here - either not having the resources or not wanting to break the delusions of the city by giving proper burials to all of those dead, it had been thrown in a thick layer over them to muffle the smell of rotting flesh that would have been hazing over the city otherwise.

Underworld, if he had been reborn yet, would most certainly not ********, there's a god of the afterlife, too?"

Of course there is. You will not have to worry about him, however.

The mortal wasn't sure whether or not Glaucon was trying to be reassuring with that statement, but it only dampened his mood further regardless, even with the mental image of some ghostly-looking Saint Peter bitchslapping an ambiguously-featured Sultan for being so disrespectful towards the dead.

That seems quite appropriate.

"Shut up," David responded, and turned his gaze idly over to Eudocia, who was walking alongside him, willing to help him at a split second's notice as usual, though this time she seemed a little absentminded... she must have been worried about the food spoiling, with how she kept fiddling with the packages. A fold on one of the wraps momentarily came loose, allowing plain view of something... red?

There was an emotional spike from the deity, who was still polite enough to ask for control before surfacing to speak to his attendant.

"Eudocia..." he started, voice seeping a cool disapproval, "What is that?"

The aoide was only happy enough to reply, pulling the object out of the package for all to see. "It's a flower! Glyph seemed to like them, so I thought I might give him one." The large cluster of scarlet petals bobbed over her hand, betraying itself quite obviously as one of the lotuses from the Sultan's gardens.

"That... is quite a nice sentiment, but that flower is..."

"Stolen," a female voice suddenly piped out, making both the god and his servant flinch and surprise. "You can only find red lotuses in the Sultan's gardens unless you want to do a great deal of travelling. I believe that... yes, it is a high crime to go picking flowers in there..." She sounded very amused by this, an oddly thoughtful look combined with a Cheshire smile. "I don't believe I've ever seen such a bold act from a foreigner... though it's unsurprising combined with that entrance of yours..."

Glaucon, still appearing quite startled, took a moment to appraise the stranger before responding. She was most definitely of the class to fit this neighborhood, her wrists adorned with at least half a dozen glass bangles and crystalline adornments on her shoulders like thin deer antlers that had strings of pearls and white feathers draped around them. Dark hair fell from her scalp in a gentle wave that framed a honeydew-eyed face, which had the look of someone cheerful and confident... and from what she had just said, possibly willing to impart some information. This woman would be more than worth running into, or so Judgment concluded and hoped. "You witnessed our arrival?"

The woman responded with a playful chuckle. "Of course I did, half the city did! A glorious beacon of light that illuminates all of Baadris isn't something that would go unnoticed."

David snickered from the background of Glaucon's thoughts.

"I suppose that is true... but part of it was blocked from view by palace walls," the god observed, indicating towards the still-active Gate that was promising to become more difficult to ignore once the sun began to set. Indeed, the arch of light was obscured from view by part of the Sultan's residence, ensuring that people witnessing the phenomenon from outside wouldn't have caught the appearance of the travelers.

"That's a problem easily solved by the spread of gossip, chattering women in their tea rooms and loose-lipped guards," the noblewoman said, with an arched eyebrow and a smirk. "If not by sundown, I can assure you the whole city will be brewing with rumors about you and your companions tomorrow. Ah, and you can call me Noora, by the by."

More confidence about this individual started pooling in Glaucon's mind as he returned the formality. "It is a true pleasure to meet someone so well-informed. I am Glaucon, and Eudocia is my attendant," he said, gesturing towards the satyress who was currently speechless from the shock that she was guilty of a crime.

"Yes, yes, pleasure all around! If it would please you more, there is tea and some dried fruit in my house, just down the street here."







The god in his host's body, his attendant and the noblewoman had seated themselves in a small table, hidden from view by lengths of fabric of every variety skewed and draped about the place - she had quickly explained this by saying she worked as a tailor, and never had much of a sense of organization with her materials. Apparently her designs were in high demand among the richer class, which had propelled her into membership in 'high society', and her shop was often a hub of gossip for nobles and their wives who used rumors about the rivalry between certain families as a way to pass the time while they had a dress or new set of robes cut and fitted.

It made her very educated about the nature of the town - Glaucon learned much from her in a short amount of time; Noora seemed more than happy to inform her guests all about how the city of Baadris was ruled, with more than a little hinting around how easily the balance could be tipped, especially with such instantly popular foreigners suddenly in play.

Judgment in turn had told Noora what he had come to know about the coming End and the state of the Twin Crown, along with the rebirth of the True Gods and how it might be possible for the End of All to be stopped; he was sure to mention that the caryatid in the Sultan's gardens was of none other than Origin, the Creation aspect of their Emperor. It surprised him that he was able to tell the noblewoman these things with such ease, but she seemed honestly interested, and she was actually seeming to analyze the information he was giving her instead of writing it off as the ramblings of a madman. Perhaps she was even accepting the possibility... her gaze would occasionally drift to an uncovered window, out at the Gate that Ankou had mistakenly activated. It was turning out to be an accidental blessing; Glaucon would have to thank him for it later. They would have had no chance here if it weren't for that flashy entrance.

"And you hope to break back into the gardens and earn an audience with His Majesty? That would certainly take near-divine levels of boldness and courage," she said with that teasing tone of hers that hinted at something more serious beneath its surface.

The god gave a curt nod after a sip of jasmine tea. "Yes. The palace still appears rather well-guarded, though, even with the signs of the End having taken so many lives. I doubt I could slip past them."

"Then don't," Noora smiled, causing a look of earnest confusion from god his attendant and a stirring from the same feeling from the mind of his host.

She laughed, prepared to answer 'What do you mean?' before it even needed to be asked. "Our people like a little flashiness now and again... and besides that, sneaking around to get what you require is not what a god would do," she explained, making enthusiastic gestures with her teacup. Her smile brightening to levels that rivaled the sparkling on her glass adornments, she continued, "Divine intervention should be something with many witnesses, not none - something that would spark legends to tell later generations about and inspire faith with! You've already started that trend well enough," Noora gestured again, this time out the window towards the shining Gate, "and your success lies in continuing it. Give the Sultan reason to believe you might be Gods, so you might be accepted as such. And be sure to come back to tell me about your success." There was a playful wink at that.

This would have been Glaucon's turn to nod, but he was too busy carefully processing the information, weighing the potential advantages and disadvantages of making a show out of breaking back into the gardens. Perhaps Malh'reth had a summons in that sketchbook of his that would be of use...

"Oh, and do return that lotus back to the gardens while you're there! You'll be thanked for the kindness," the seamstress called out to them as an afterthought, as they left her home to regroup with their companions.

The planning and explanations wore on for hours that felt like they have been stretched into days. With the scribe occasionally having to fill an inkwell or retrieve another scroll of paper - which he always did politely and with a great deal of professionalism - Glaucon, Glyph, and their hosts gave the Sultan and his servant as much information as could be pulled out of their minds. The ruler of Baadris was full of questions, which drew an equal abundance of answers that had a varying degree of long-windedness depending on who provided the answer and whether someone else would interject and provide something that the others had missed.

There was a great deal of switching of the minds, Glaucon coming to the fore to give his input on something only for David to snatch control back a moment later and toss his own views and experiences on the table. As essential as it was for the exchange of information, it was a cumbersome, weary thing to do, and the deity struggled more and more to have enough control to speak every time it was his turn for it. His host was still the dominant soul in this body, not to mention how said body's damaged nerves turned it into a veritable maze for his influence to navigate through.

It was soon enough that the effort became too much to accomplish anything with and Judgment could only splash his influence uselessly against the sides of David's skull. Near the end of the meeting, the cripple was the one doing all of the speaking, relaying the god's words as they were whispered into his thoughts eerily like they had been back before the stone containing him had been placed on their forehead.

The mortal felt the divine force sharing his body slip off into something resembling sleep, as the ground beneath the buildings of Baadris growled with the warnings of an earthquake.

So many lotuses and loose petals were littering the Pantheon now... the thought of trying to count them made the cripple's brain recoil in protest, as his walking stick met with another of probable thousands on the floor, its edges crumpling upward from the sudden pressure and leaving a small smear of scarlet after being pulled along an inch and then set free. He wondered if Cosine knew how many there were. If he could track her down, he would have to remember to ask her, though both he and Glaucon would be content if the answer were simply "enough". Enough for Origin to realize that he was not only recognized, but loved by the meager population of mortals that were still alive, both on this plane and others, and hatch from the egg he had become entrapped in.

David didn't think his faith in the Twin Crown extended as far as it did with some of the others here. He still wasn't a fan of the whole 'prayer' thing, and would probably have never been the type to dedicate much of his life to the devotion of a god if it didn't turn out he was already giving it all for the rebirth of one. And he definitely wouldn't be like some of those noblewomen from Baadris who were caressing the manacled Chrysalis as if it were a lover, lighting incense around it and rubbing scented oils into its form - that was just a little creepy. But he still believed that such a god existed and possessed a strong determination for him to come out of that grotesque shell, which he figured was empowering Creation in its own way.

It should, Glaucon remarked, sounding particularly musing as he appraised the most recent of his host's thoughts. Faith exists in many forms. You are wise to recognize this.

"Yeah... whatever," the mortal responded. His voice came out weary and aloof, but it wasn't enough to hide how he felt about the compliment from someone who was constantly reading his mind. As much as he enjoyed praise from the one god who knew who to give it to, he was a little surprised that anyone would ever refer to him as 'wise'. The fact that it came from Judgment only made him wonder how good the god really was at commanding his domain.

You should not be so quick to underestimate yourself, David.

The only reply Glaucon got to that was a huff of air that flipped out of David's lips and caused a few bits of the hair on his forehead to jump an inch. He continued walking, thinking it would be worth it to check the noticeboard while they were down here, and things were as silent as they could be for several moments while both god and host read and thought about what could be done next.

...Lord Justice?

David blinked and looked around for a second, finding nothing that matched the small voice he thought he had just heard. He decided he must have been imagining things, but then recalled with a bit of disdain that people and things talking in your head wasn't a very uncommon occurrence. So he checked his surroundings once again - he was half-expecting to realize he had overlooked a psychic horse like the one Delmin owned among the throngs of mortals present. "Glaucon, did you hear that too?"

Yes, but it is hard to tell where that voice came from... perhaps to the left a bit-- no, not so close to the door...

Lord Justice, over here! the voice piped again, but the direction it was coming from remained ambiguous, leaving David and Glaucon to turn their gaze around the room in every direction they could think of but turning up increasing amounts of nothing for their efforts.

This continued for a while, with the cripple walking around aimlessly, the god suggesting places to look, and the little voice ringing inside their minds with directions that didn't help very much. It was finally broken by yet another voice - spoken this time, with a pleasantly crackling tone and sounding quite amused.

"Really, Libra... they're not going to find you anytime soon if you stay there."

The source of this voice was easily found: sitting on the floor and leaned up against the wall was... what must have been a whole man at some point, with gold tattoos snaking across his upper torso, but in present day there were patches of flesh missing from his body, revealing strikingly blue muscle and metallic bones underneath. One of his arms was whittled down to the bone when it reached his hand - but it seemed to be functioning perfectly well, the fingers idly drumming the air. The zombie appeared to be looking down, peering with a smirk at... his shadow?

David stood there, a bit slack-jawed in astonishment. He had thought he had seen everything, but had been proven otherwise yet again. This was, by far, the most bizarre thing he had ever seen.

And then the shadow rippled. It rippled as if it were water, something like a plume of smoke rising out of it... if plumes of smoke could wear togas.

The zombie chuckled to himself a bit while the cripple continued to stare. "I suppose we should introduce ourselves, then," he smirked, tilting his head as if he were winking at the little shadow-being with his missing eye. "I am Diogenes, a rather standard Aoide... and that is Libra, who's been looking for the god in that lovely gem of yours." A digit bare of flesh gestured lazily at David, indicating his forehead. With another look of amusement, he added, "She's been living in my shadow for quite a while now."

After a moment Glaucon stepped into control of the mortal's body, an inquisitive look across their unshaven, unkempt features. "And... why was she looking for me?" He peered down at the silvery plume... and she peered back up at him with little spheres of gold that served as eyes.

The sprite was rather small. As she floated upward to be eye level with the god, it became easy to see that she would have been able to sit on his shoulder with relative ease if she had legs. I was in your service a long time ago, she answered, indicating towards a toy-sized set of golden scales that she was carrying in one hand. As one of your messengers, and sometimes as an advisor. Her tone had a hopefulness to it - it was clear she was expecting some sort of spark of recognition from her master, but none came.

"My apologies, but... reliable memories are a rare thing to all of Us," the god replied. "I cannot recall much of anything of my life before the Fading."

Diogenes chuckled again as Libra sunk a couple of dejected inches in the air. "See, I tried to warn you about that. All of the gods around here can barely remember who they are, so what makes you think he would still know you?"

David bristled from the back of their mind; he would have been glowering at the zombie if he were in control. I don't like this guy. He's kind of a d**k.

Glaucon was quick to agree with that thought... but he wasn't about to say it out loud. On the other hand, his host's desire to give a disapproving look at Diogenes and how was deriding the tiny sprite was something that was more than willingly fulfilled, their shared blue gaze turning icy at the chuckling zombie. "My memory loss should not be an obstacle to you, however."

His eyes turned back towards Libra, warming as his voice did when he spoke with her. "If you sought me out to continue in your service, you will do so with my utmost gratitude." At this point he would have offered to share her hand - but it would have been a bit of an awkward affair, so he settled with giving her a gentle nod. Offering a small smile, he added, "I am sure that I will develop some new, fond memories of you in the process."

Oh... oh, thank you, Lord Justice! The sprite's voice jingled with a mixture of reverence and joy, and her very form seemed to jitter from the sudden excitement she was feeling. We both look forward to helping you regain your former glory, and extending it beyond what it once was.

"Both...?"

A glance back at the zombie revealed that he was enjoying yet another low, rattling laugh. "But of course. Why, are you surprised that you forgot me, too?"

...Lord Justice? David...?

Please, Lord Justice, wake up!

The tiny sprite bobbled and drifted around the room Endiovar had provided for Judgment and his host, stopping to hover over David's sleeping form. She hung in the air over his face to see if he had stirred any... and agitatedly began to dip and bounce around his head like a provoked insect after realizing that her mental prodding hadn't done anything at all. How can you still be asleep at a time like this?! Please get up!

"Mngh..." A limp hand reached up in reply, clumsily trying to swat Libra away before falling back on the covers with a small thump. The sudden noise was enough to drive a wedge into whatever dreams he had been having, though, and his eyes creaked open to blearily stare at the space the sprite was zigzagging in. It was hard to tell because of how she kept waxing and waning around in the air - not to mention that she didn't have much in the way of a face - but she seemed more than a little upset. What was going on?

Downstairs-- quickly-- oh no, oh no...

And then she zipped off to phase through the door, leaving David to deal with a blend of confusion and sleepiness, blinking slowly and flexing his aching limbs a bit. The god he shared a body with was feeling similar, though there was a spark of concern that flickered enough to chase away the darkness provided by half-closed eyelids. The feeling burned on kindling made of unease as his host slowly pulled his body upward. His hands wobbled out and reached for the floor, fumbling around for his cane until finally gripping it and using it to climb to a standing position.

Diogenes sat near the door, his arms crossed over his knees as usual. Glaucon and David both had little idea who he was besides his name and his abrasive way of talking to them and to Libra, but they had seen enough of him to know that he normally wore a cheeky grin on his half-of-a-face. At this moment, however, the smile was gone - replaced by a quiet, blank look of shock. Libra must have told him what was causing her to panic so much. A stifled choking noise led them to see Eudocia trembling on the floor nearby, hands clasped over her mouth, anxiety and terror trickling from her eyes that sparkled in the candlelight of the room.

"s**t, did someone die or something?"

The way that the other faces in the room replied to David made him start to fear that his question was sickeningly close to the truth. He immediately regretted breaking the silence in the room in such a way.

Libra must have been trying to wake us for quite a while, Judgment remarked, pensiveness bleeding off from his mind. We should follow her downstairs and see what it is she witnessed.

It took what felt like ages to oblige that agreement - David had to take things quite literally one step at a time, feeling for the stairs in the dark and gripping the banister and taking every precaution he knew of not to fall. However, he didn't have to descend them completely to see that something was amiss. A few of the broken windows of the Pantheon hung at the edges of his vision. There were some people, or gods or Aoidei, staring out at them, some dumbfounded and others in clear despair. Noises of choking panic bounced across the walls, a hollow echo of the knot that was tightening in the chests of everyone who was foolish enough to look up.

There was nothing to see above the horizon. It was empty. Blank.

The teeth of Void were reaching out over All.

"Oh, <******** now, what must have been minutes after the falling of the sky, David could hear whispers and murmurs about the world ending after all. That all of the efforts they were putting forth were pointless. The stars and the velvet canvas they hung from had been devoured... so how long did they have until the ground beneath their feet was eaten away as well? The active milling about in the Pantheon that had been building up since the return from Baadris had sighed and slumped on itself, all of the bright hope the people have been carried on dropping them back into the muddy, gray pit of despair they had been trying so hard to climb their way out of. It felt like the week of Sloth all over again.

As distant as those days after the first Wave of Gehenna seemed now, David could remember how little he had cared for the fate of the world around him - an apocalypse was looming in wait to drag all of existence into oblivion, and he wouldn't have even bothered to try and make it difficult for whatever force was behind it. Even as the effects of each Week jerked his mood and health in every direction that one could think of, he had allowed it without much complaint.

He could see similar attitudes starting to crop up in the other mortals around him. And as close to some of his sentiments as they were... well, seeing it made him almost more sick than the sight of the nothingness above the horizon did. It could have been partially because of how much it reminded him of himself. Whatever the case may be, whether it was some sort of guilt or a sense of righteousness that he had caught from the god residing in his mind, he knew that the lack of stars and clouds wasn't the only threat to existence that he could currently see. Knuckles white on his cane and a weary determination set on his face, he carefully descended the rest of the stairs so he could melt into the crowds below.

David... what are you hoping to accomplish here?

"We're going to get all these people to stop whining and get back on track."

But the Sky is gone--

"Everything else isn't."