Merriment 3 - Evening (Video post w/ Kaiba & Atem)

[almukhtar]

( Two faces appear, one might be more familiar than the other. Both look Quite Serious™. The one with the bonkers hair starts first. )

I’ll be candid. ( He thought initially to not say anything but as the number of people coming forward grew. Well. His mind had changed. ) Many of us have received and are speaking about a vision. An overwhelming sense of fear and sorrow. A chaos I’ve never experienced before. ( And he’s been through Some Shit as many of them have. )

( Kaiba chimes in. ) And that reminded me of the end of our last mission. The swirling colors, the terror and rage. The massive entity that we’re allegedly up against. Anyone else getting the same feeling?

( Atem speaks once more, after a brief silence. Get ready for teamwork speech. ) While comparing notes, I feel it is equally important to consider action plans. We may only have vague premonitions, but with this potential connection and our combined skills and abilities, we may be able to better prepare for what’s next.

Comments

[luckydragonsfoot]

Have I mentioned I don' like this?

[He has! Multiple times. Maybe not to Atem, but he has!]

'Cause I really don't!!

[almukhtar]

We'll be alright, Jounouchi. You've made it this far, yes?

[luckydragonsfoot]

Nyyyyhhhhh I know tha' much, but I still ain't lookin' forward to it..!

I mean, I guess I did alrigh' las' time, an' I've got that pendant now...but...

[He shudders.] Really...really not lookin' forward t' the next round...

[almukhtar]

You aren't alone, either. You have us. Keep that pendant on you, Jounouchi. I think it will come in handy.

[luckydragonsfoot]

Hihhhhh, y' don' have t' tell me twice...

[blue_ice]

Neither do I. It's like watching a trainwreck come zooming straight as us.

...maybe that's not the right phrase.

[luckydragonsfoot]

Definitely not!! Definitely, definitely not!!

What even made y' pick that one!!

[blitzcheer]

It any worse than the other dreams? [ Uh, well. He thinks for a second, and- ] How many you had? If you were here for the last one...

[ That's one comparison, at least. ]

[almukhtar]

I am new here. ( He admits. ) This, along with other reasons, is why I chose not to speak at first. ( He'd spent time gathering information, learning of other missions and visions, and so forth. After some time, though. His innate inclination is to organize. Prepare. Especially as a fuller picture began to paint itself. The more he thought on Kaiba's words. ) I have experienced these things before in my world. And various dangers. If it is out of place for me to speak, I apologize. But I could not continue to hold my tongue.

[blitzcheer]

[ Whoa, formal guy! But nothing bad, Tidus shaking his head to assure- ]

Hey, nothing wrong there, plenty people do it! Helps us know there's gonna be a mission soon. [ So it's good for that, at least. ]

The dreams are always worse than the missions turn out, but they give us an idea what to expect. Kinda. [ Sometimes. He pulls a smile, a kind of helpless one. ]

But if they're our weird guy from that one mission... you pretty sure it's them?

[almukhtar]

( Welcome to Atem: Pharaoh Mode. ) The connection was made almost instantaneously. ( He looks toward Kaiba for a moment. ) I believe he will be able to speak more on the subject.

[blue_ice]

I can't know for sure, I didn't experience the vision, but I remember his warning about sucking us into his pain.

What if this is the trap he promised?

[almukhtar]

I mentioned the world cracking open, colors rushing in. A deep sorrow and fear that was not mine giving way to. ( He struggles here, not with anything other than how to even... paint a proper picture of the feeling in brought him. ) I don't think there is a word for the madness I felt, the chaos.

But -- as I understand, these things are similar to a previous mission and enemy? ( His eyes flick from Kaiba back to the new person replying. )

[blitzcheer]

[ There's a bit of a grimace at the recollection of the person's warning - geez, he actually barely remembers anything about what the guy said. It leaves a frown on Tidus's mouth regardless, and his hand does go to the back of his head as the conversation swerves back his way. ]

Yeah, I mean - I don't know what it's like getting the dreams, but they're always pretty bad. Worlds crumpling, people in danger, nonsense visions. [ He exhales a quiet breath. ]

It could be them. The last few missions've had something to do with them... we should tell people to keep those pendants we got from the fish place close by. Hand out some of the supplies, too.

[almukhtar]

( Well its a good thing he's relatively used to consistent nonsense danger, then. Atem nods. ) Then let's try to prepare our peers this way.

It may be worth gathering those who are good with dispelling and seeing through illusions to pair with those who may not have acquired pendants as well.

( A beat. ) Or attempt, at least.

[blitzcheer]

We've got some gear that can help with the illusions some. Mana drives, and some pins you can set off.

They won't last the entire time, but we can keep using the mana drives if people take them. We only have a few though - and I think about forty of the curtains. Pins. [ Whatever. ]

[almukhtar]

( He doesn't have a clear enough picture of who can do what; he hasn't been here long enough to have anywhere near a good enough connection with even a modicum of the inhabitants. He's no right, really, to take lead on such a thing. ) Who else do you know that's been here long enough to have the information required to best utilize what he have?

If this truly is the return of a larger enemy, we must be strategic.

[blitzcheer]

Uhh... [ Who? Oh- ] Wei Wuxian? The one without the animal parts. He was talking about training and having friends who can help with illusions and focusing. Maybe some of them?

[almukhtar]

I'll see if I can reach out to them. Thank you.

[oncedriven]

I assumed the same, even before I heard about the visions people are having.

[The weighty sense of loss is strong for him, too, even if it's not strictly a vision the same way others are experiencing. Or at least, it's stronger than Asch's usual background experience of the same, which is significant.]

The problem is in even knowing what we can prepare for; the illusions on the last mission didn't exactly seem to have a limit in what they would make us believe was possible.

[almukhtar]

( So, another person agrees. In ways it is good. They have some idea of what they are up against. )

The suggestion of people keeping their pendants on them might be wise. How many do we know who are good with illusions? I also wonder how much time we have to prepare.

[oncedriven]

A couple, but your buddy's been around longer than I have, so I doubt I'd be able to add anyone he doesn't already know about.

[A nod at Kaiba, whose name Asch hasn't actually managed to get yet.]

We didn't have much time to get settled in when we arrived, so - another day or two at most, I think.

[It's what they call a fast-paced work environment around here.]

[almukhtar]

That is unfortunate. ( He could work under such a short timeframe if everyone knew him; if he held the same authority here as back home but he did not. So, as much as it begrudges him, he'll need to rework his focus. )

If you would be so willing, please spread the word. Others are already speaking of it but the more people who know the better.

[helborn]

Geez... everyone's getting the same dream or vision. That makes me even more worried than before.

[almukhtar]

Oh -- this is not usually the case? ( Interesting. )

[helborn]

Not in my personal experience. Which is... limited, and usually it's been people scarred by the same sort of thing as I was - at least before I came here.

[almukhtar]

If I may ask, what's been your experience since being here? This too is different from how I experience things.

[helborn]

Since coming here? People have had different visions of different parts of the mission's world. Like... puzzle pieces from the same picture, but from different sections of it. If that makes sense?

[almukhtar]

So this is unprecedented that thus far, all the visions are the same. Certainly not good news.

[helborn]

In my experience. I dislike dealing with omens as much as the next guy, but this seems like a particularly nasty one.

[almukhtar]

It does. ( Even the idea of being so unprepared unsettles him. ) I fear I have such little knowledge here and another spoke of how little time there is between these visions and the events occurring...

[helborn]

Right. The trouble is figuring out what causes that branching path - if it's even literal. One thing's for sure.

We're not done with the illusions.

[almukhtar]

Indeed, I think we certainly are not.