[His immortal soul? If his mind weren't so set on the dire situation back home, he would laugh. If he ever had anything like that, it's already been pledged to another and thoroughly degraded; there's nothing in him that's immortal at this point. He's quite serious when he replies with,]
As I said.
[Well, at least he's not giving Rosenkrantz the silent treatment, though he doesn't take his eyes off of what he's doing. Altius even humors him with another response as he hefts himself up another set of handholds, unfazed by the statement.]
There's already—a life at stake. [How selfless of him...]
[The salaryman's unimpressive response receives another glance. There's something fishy about this guy, and Rosen's not sure why. It's not as if he can sense anything. No, nothing at all. This guy appears to lack any sort of supernatural power or magic, making him as ordinary as the rest of the unlucky fuckers up here.
So, why isn't this guy freaking out about being forty stories up without a prayer to keep him from falling? That's the question Rosen has as he watches this man effortlessly climb out of the cage. Any normal person would be screaming for help right now, willing to give anything for assistance. Not this jerk, though.
Rosen is puzzled but also amused. However, his amusement ceases once the man mentions something about a life being at stake.]
Do you mean your life or someone else?
[Rosen asks, leaning up against the bars of his cell, causing it to sway slightly. There's also a slight creak when it does so, indicating that those bars aren't very secure. Not that he is concerned. It's not like Rosen could permanently die here.]
[His reply is dragged out of somewhere dark, almost unsteady despite the weight of it. Though the goal is seared clearly into his mind, even his vision, he can't speculate on the possibilities. He can only afford to focus on the singular task of returning to his home.]
The one whose blood I'm wearing.
[He pauses once his hands reach the top of the cage and he hauls his upper half on top of it, moving his feet to keep the cage itself from angling further from his weight. Amber eyes dart back to the fellow caged man and his slightly more serious expression before turning to the building and the contraption's chain, tracing a path. The bricks will at least make for an easier experience than solid stone would...]
[Ah, so the blood isn't his. Rosen suspected as much, especially since the man didn't seem injured.]
That's an awful lot of blood for someone's life to be at stake. [He chuckle.] Are you certain they're still alive?
[Rosen doubts whether the person in question is still alive, but he doesn't care. He just wants to know what happens next now that this guy has climbed out of the cell. Rosen begins to rock back and forth within his cell, causing it to sway forward. He's letting his intrusive thoughts get the better of him right now. The chain that connects their cells to the wall is a little loose.]
[If he didn't have the powers that he does, he wouldn't be certain. He'd have no real way of assuring himself of his ward's survival. Knowing that he did heal the boy well enough for him to last past those wounds is helping, but the state he was in Zekarion's last memory... he won't last long without his guardian there.
He grabs the swinging chain with a sharp look at this person who's gradually becoming an annoyance. For him to die in this place, whatever it is, however he got here? Unacceptable.]
I have to.
[It almost sounds like a threat. Don't make this harder than it has to be. He doesn't bother asking after the stranger's goals, far past caring about his typical attempts to ingratiate himself to those around him.
He pulls himself fully onto the top of the cage, carefully maneuvering with his few options for where to place his knees and then feet as he rises with the help of the chain, steadier than he should be. After that—stupidly, he's reminded of gym class in middle school. Regardless, he continues to climb, after which he'll have to use the final bar connecting it to the building to shimmy across—assuming the chain remains as is.]
[The impish smile he gives the salaryman is almost sinister. He is fully aware of what he is doing but does not want to stop. In fact, he begins shifting his weight just enough to make his cell sway closer and closer—until Rosen leaps out of it.
He lands on the other cell with a solid CLANK, the sound echoing as he quickly climbs upward. All of the rattling causes the brittle chain to wobble slightly, providing a suitable scare for the fellow above him.]
[The sudden movement does certainly startle him—but he can't say the upgrade to a nearly-immediate danger was entirely unexpected. Still, he tightens his grip around the chain and grits his teeth, irritation rising into anger.
A black crackle of energy momentarily sparks behind him, opposite of where Rosen is approaching, quick enough to be a trick of the light: a test of his powers. But it's not an offensive sort, what he's testing. He won't humor any aggression with a fight.]
Do you have nothing better to do than threaten a man who's already struggling?
[This is one of the reasons he wants to increase the difficulty a bit. He stomps hard on the iron bars, causing the entire jail cell to rattle erratically. They're dangling about four stories above the ground, and this insane son of a bitch is making matters worse for them both. Rosen has a sick sense of humor, especially since he knows his brand of magic is still effective here.
He just wants to know what this guy is all about. No one has nerves of steel like that, no one.]
[...hmph. Fine. So he's not really having that much trouble—so it's too easy for him to be normal. So what? A witness to him not struggling is hardly a blight.
He doesn't bother hiding his disdain as his lip curls. Those steel nerves, though, only solidify. He's lost any reason to hide his own confidence, as called out as he is now.]
If you break your legs or worse from the fall you'll have no one to blame but yourself.
[He climbs the chain despite the disruption and the shaking, keeping his eyes on this lunatic. It should only take a moment or two for him to reach that bar, which he could swing himself on top of with clearly superhuman strength, and make a final leap to grab onto the edge of the roof. He can't say whether this one will let him achieve that without further interference, though.]
[That look of disgust makes me laugh. This amuses him greatly, especially because it means he has finally gotten under the man's skin. It seems like Mr. Cool, Calm & Collected has finally lost his cool a little. What fun! Rosen was hoping to make the man crack a little under pressure but unfortunately, this guy is colder than ice.]
Don’t worry, I don’t break so easily.
[As a demonstration, Rosen leaps from the cell to the ledge above. The heel of his boot scrapes against the side of the building as he pushes off to leap higher, completely disregarding gravity's laws. Rosen grunts as he grabs the ledge, using his momentum to propel himself upward. He then effortlessly pulls himself over the side, demonstrating his athleticism and impressive inhuman strength.]
Still down there?
[He asks as he peeks over the ledge with a grin.]
Might want to hurry up!
[Rosen leans off the side there to grab the chain. He could probably crush it with his bare hands but he’ll play nice for now.]
[A show off, he thinks to himself as he watches those forceful movements, still where he is for the moment. Such personalities have worked in his favor in the past, but right now it's just an additional annoyance. Either way, the near-scowl to Altius's gaze says he's not impressed.
Still, he refuses to show all of his hand, merely continuing as he was. Between each upward reach that pulls him further up the chain in Rosen's grasp, he says almost dismissively:]
Don't waste your energy. [or my time, he decides to keep in his head.]
[C'mon! That landing was ten out of ten, a perfect score. Anyway, Rosen is almost tempted to end their brief conversation by melting the chain, but thankfully he does not. No, this guy clearly has too many cards stacked against him. This is why he simply releases the chain and moves away from the ledge.
Rosen gets his first good look at the horizon. This may not be a dream, but it doesn't seem real to him.]
[Thank God. Zekarion could have dealt with further interference, but his patience is thin enough as is; he definitely prefers this to the alternative.
A few more moments, and he's pulling himself up onto the roof—and keeping a cautious distance between them once he's on his feet, brushing the blood off his hands that's dried enough to flake. His sharp gaze moves from the man to the city with its strange, anachronistic buildings. What sort of place could this even be? His phone had no service when he checked minutes ago, and he can't make sense of what his magic detection is telling him.]
Absurd...
[Still, it is a decent view, if nothing more than for practical purposes. If he can set his eyes on it, he can go there. He's just in the middle of considering doing that when he feels a solid bump at the back of his ankle, and he turns to look with a notable tension in his posture, like he's ready to retaliate. The miniature... robot and its screen displaying WELCOME is almost enough to disarm his immediate suspicions, at least.
There's another approaching as well, that one heading for Rosen.]
[Rosen notices the antediluvian design of the sprawling city before them, particularly because it reminds him of Lumière, the City of Lights. His master's home town. Rosen hasn't thought about Luna since he arrived here, but he's suddenly reminded of his responsibilities back "home." To be honest, it makes him slightly agitated.
As he stares at the unknown, the arkana lets out what sounds like a sigh. What is one supposed to do here? He has no idea. If this isn't a dream, then what the heck is going on here? He honestly has no idea, but thankfully the welcome wagon arrives in the form of two miniature robots.]
Well, aren't they cute.
[Rosen murmurs as he kneels to get a better look at the robots. He's seen something like these robots before in a dream he visited, but damn if he understands the inner workings of robotics. Rosen assumes it's just a cute toy or something. He rudely nudges it with his finger, almost knocking it over. The little robot struggles to regain its balance, but when it does, it flashes the words "WELCOME".]
It seems we have a "welcome party" after all.
[He peeks over at his silent companion with a little smirk.]
Meant to disarm, perhaps, [he grudgingly agrees, scrutinizing the thing as new messages flash on its little face-screen:
TAKE THIS
PLEASE
Zekarion's eyes narrow as parts of the machine slide open to reveal... a phone...? He doesn't look particularly pleased as he bends down to retrieve it, but the robot didn't seem to retaliate against this other man's aggression, so he's been given no reason to think he'll be subject to immediate danger by accepting it.]
Mixed signals, [he mutters as he returns to his feet. Caging them and then being welcomed with a gift?]
[The last time he dealt with these types of robots, they exploded. That nightmare was far from easy for him. Rosen almost died at the time, especially since the dream was so unstable.
Nonetheless, it appears that he has nothing to worry about right now. Hell, the little robots appear to be offering them "goodies" such as a new phone. He takes his phone from the robot, but not before giving it a little pat on the head. Rosen then begins to look through it.]
I'm used to getting freebies, but not like this.
[He mutters before inching over to peek over the man's shoulder.]
Got any contacts on there, bud? I think we're in it for the long haul.
[The look Altius fixes the other man with out of the corner of his eye is plainly meant to express his desire for Rosen to step the fuck away, and he maintains that eye contact for several uncomfortable seconds, or until Rosen breaks it—not that he expects the latter.
After that, though, he does glance over the screen he's powered on and quickly locates the list in question, which is a mix of names and what appears to be self-chosen monikers, the likes of which he'd expect from some sort of lighthearted social media forum.]
No traditional numbers, [he answers.] Only usernames. A few dozen.
[He only glances briefly through them before scrolling through the short list of apps and opening what claims to be a map, stepping towards the opposite end of the roof. He needs to see more of this place.
The welcome bots, apparently happy to have done their job, start puttering away to disappear to wherever welcome bots go. Zekarion only realizes he's missed their departure a moment too late, glancing over his shoulder to find the roof empty of anything but him and his unpleasant companion.]
[Oof. Old boy is really giving him the death glare, huh? Oh, well. Rosen deserves it after jokes about killing him earlier. Even so, he can't help but grin as the man glares at him with such annoyance.
Right, no more peeping. Although, he did get a brief glance at the layout on the salaryman's phone. It seems they're both starting off fresh, from what he could tell. His knowledge of technology is still a bit iffy. While Rosen might seem quite youthful at times, he doesn't understand the first thing about technology.]
Usernames, huh? [He couldn't help but frown once he found a particularly odd username on the list.] Love n' Thunder? Yeah, no, I don't recall adding anyone by that name.
[Rosen looks up from his phone and notices that the robots are no longer present. He glances around in confusion, unsure where the eerie bots went.]
Seems like the welcoming committee left.
[He puts his phone away for the time being and climbs onto the roof's ledge instead. Yes, this is the beginning of something big, isn't? Rosen feels it in his bones.]
[He would have liked to see where those things went, himself, but it seems there's nothing to be done for it. Instead, he watches the white-haired stranger from over his shoulder, managing to admit to himself he's curious as to what nonsense this bastard plans to get up to. Whatever it is, it's better directed at whatever else is in this town—Aldrip, if this map is to be believed—than at him.
He decides, as a treat to himself for enduring all of this thus far, to remark flatly:]
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expiationlogs2024-10-14 08:59 am
no subject
As I said.
[Well, at least he's not giving Rosenkrantz the silent treatment, though he doesn't take his eyes off of what he's doing. Altius even humors him with another response as he hefts himself up another set of handholds, unfazed by the statement.]
There's already—a life at stake. [How selfless of him...]
no subject
So, why isn't this guy freaking out about being forty stories up without a prayer to keep him from falling? That's the question Rosen has as he watches this man effortlessly climb out of the cage. Any normal person would be screaming for help right now, willing to give anything for assistance. Not this jerk, though.
Rosen is puzzled but also amused. However, his amusement ceases once the man mentions something about a life being at stake.]
Do you mean your life or someone else?
[Rosen asks, leaning up against the bars of his cell, causing it to sway slightly. There's also a slight creak when it does so, indicating that those bars aren't very secure. Not that he is concerned. It's not like Rosen could permanently die here.]
no subject
The one whose blood I'm wearing.
[He pauses once his hands reach the top of the cage and he hauls his upper half on top of it, moving his feet to keep the cage itself from angling further from his weight. Amber eyes dart back to the fellow caged man and his slightly more serious expression before turning to the building and the contraption's chain, tracing a path. The bricks will at least make for an easier experience than solid stone would...]
no subject
That's an awful lot of blood for someone's life to be at stake. [He chuckle.] Are you certain they're still alive?
[Rosen doubts whether the person in question is still alive, but he doesn't care. He just wants to know what happens next now that this guy has climbed out of the cell. Rosen begins to rock back and forth within his cell, causing it to sway forward. He's letting his intrusive thoughts get the better of him right now. The chain that connects their cells to the wall is a little loose.]
Are you certain you'll survive all this?
no subject
He grabs the swinging chain with a sharp look at this person who's gradually becoming an annoyance. For him to die in this place, whatever it is, however he got here? Unacceptable.]
I have to.
[It almost sounds like a threat. Don't make this harder than it has to be. He doesn't bother asking after the stranger's goals, far past caring about his typical attempts to ingratiate himself to those around him.
He pulls himself fully onto the top of the cage, carefully maneuvering with his few options for where to place his knees and then feet as he rises with the help of the chain, steadier than he should be. After that—stupidly, he's reminded of gym class in middle school. Regardless, he continues to climb, after which he'll have to use the final bar connecting it to the building to shimmy across—assuming the chain remains as is.]
no subject
[The impish smile he gives the salaryman is almost sinister. He is fully aware of what he is doing but does not want to stop. In fact, he begins shifting his weight just enough to make his cell sway closer and closer—until Rosen leaps out of it.
He lands on the other cell with a solid CLANK, the sound echoing as he quickly climbs upward. All of the rattling causes the brittle chain to wobble slightly, providing a suitable scare for the fellow above him.]
Let's see if you can survive.
no subject
A black crackle of energy momentarily sparks behind him, opposite of where Rosen is approaching, quick enough to be a trick of the light: a test of his powers. But it's not an offensive sort, what he's testing. He won't humor any aggression with a fight.]
Do you have nothing better to do than threaten a man who's already struggling?
no subject
[He lets out a cheerful, almost maniacal laugh.]
You don't seem to be struggling at all, friend!
[This is one of the reasons he wants to increase the difficulty a bit. He stomps hard on the iron bars, causing the entire jail cell to rattle erratically. They're dangling about four stories above the ground, and this insane son of a bitch is making matters worse for them both. Rosen has a sick sense of humor, especially since he knows his brand of magic is still effective here.
He just wants to know what this guy is all about. No one has nerves of steel like that, no one.]
Not at all~
no subject
He doesn't bother hiding his disdain as his lip curls. Those steel nerves, though, only solidify. He's lost any reason to hide his own confidence, as called out as he is now.]
If you break your legs or worse from the fall you'll have no one to blame but yourself.
[He climbs the chain despite the disruption and the shaking, keeping his eyes on this lunatic. It should only take a moment or two for him to reach that bar, which he could swing himself on top of with clearly superhuman strength, and make a final leap to grab onto the edge of the roof. He can't say whether this one will let him achieve that without further interference, though.]
no subject
Don’t worry, I don’t break so easily.
[As a demonstration, Rosen leaps from the cell to the ledge above. The heel of his boot scrapes against the side of the building as he pushes off to leap higher, completely disregarding gravity's laws. Rosen grunts as he grabs the ledge, using his momentum to propel himself upward. He then effortlessly pulls himself over the side, demonstrating his athleticism and impressive inhuman strength.]
Still down there?
[He asks as he peeks over the ledge with a grin.]
Might want to hurry up!
[Rosen leans off the side there to grab the chain. He could probably crush it with his bare hands but he’ll play nice for now.]
no subject
Still, he refuses to show all of his hand, merely continuing as he was. Between each upward reach that pulls him further up the chain in Rosen's grasp, he says almost dismissively:]
Don't waste your energy. [or my time, he decides to keep in his head.]
no subject
Rosen gets his first good look at the horizon. This may not be a dream, but it doesn't seem real to him.]
Talk about a breathtaking view, right?
no subject
A few more moments, and he's pulling himself up onto the roof—and keeping a cautious distance between them once he's on his feet, brushing the blood off his hands that's dried enough to flake. His sharp gaze moves from the man to the city with its strange, anachronistic buildings. What sort of place could this even be? His phone had no service when he checked minutes ago, and he can't make sense of what his magic detection is telling him.]
Absurd...
[Still, it is a decent view, if nothing more than for practical purposes. If he can set his eyes on it, he can go there. He's just in the middle of considering doing that when he feels a solid bump at the back of his ankle, and he turns to look with a notable tension in his posture, like he's ready to retaliate. The miniature... robot and its screen displaying WELCOME is almost enough to disarm his immediate suspicions, at least.
There's another approaching as well, that one heading for Rosen.]
no subject
As he stares at the unknown, the arkana lets out what sounds like a sigh. What is one supposed to do here? He has no idea. If this isn't a dream, then what the heck is going on here? He honestly has no idea, but thankfully the welcome wagon arrives in the form of two miniature robots.]
Well, aren't they cute.
[Rosen murmurs as he kneels to get a better look at the robots. He's seen something like these robots before in a dream he visited, but damn if he understands the inner workings of robotics. Rosen assumes it's just a cute toy or something. He rudely nudges it with his finger, almost knocking it over. The little robot struggles to regain its balance, but when it does, it flashes the words "WELCOME".]
It seems we have a "welcome party" after all.
[He peeks over at his silent companion with a little smirk.]
What do you think? A little fishy, huh?
no subject
TAKE THIS
PLEASE
Zekarion's eyes narrow as parts of the machine slide open to reveal... a phone...? He doesn't look particularly pleased as he bends down to retrieve it, but the robot didn't seem to retaliate against this other man's aggression, so he's been given no reason to think he'll be subject to immediate danger by accepting it.]
Mixed signals, [he mutters as he returns to his feet. Caging them and then being welcomed with a gift?]
no subject
[The last time he dealt with these types of robots, they exploded. That nightmare was far from easy for him. Rosen almost died at the time, especially since the dream was so unstable.
Nonetheless, it appears that he has nothing to worry about right now. Hell, the little robots appear to be offering them "goodies" such as a new phone. He takes his phone from the robot, but not before giving it a little pat on the head. Rosen then begins to look through it.]
I'm used to getting freebies, but not like this.
[He mutters before inching over to peek over the man's shoulder.]
Got any contacts on there, bud? I think we're in it for the long haul.
no subject
After that, though, he does glance over the screen he's powered on and quickly locates the list in question, which is a mix of names and what appears to be self-chosen monikers, the likes of which he'd expect from some sort of lighthearted social media forum.]
No traditional numbers, [he answers.] Only usernames. A few dozen.
[He only glances briefly through them before scrolling through the short list of apps and opening what claims to be a map, stepping towards the opposite end of the roof. He needs to see more of this place.
The welcome bots, apparently happy to have done their job, start puttering away to disappear to wherever welcome bots go. Zekarion only realizes he's missed their departure a moment too late, glancing over his shoulder to find the roof empty of anything but him and his unpleasant companion.]
no subject
Right, no more peeping. Although, he did get a brief glance at the layout on the salaryman's phone. It seems they're both starting off fresh, from what he could tell. His knowledge of technology is still a bit iffy. While Rosen might seem quite youthful at times, he doesn't understand the first thing about technology.]
Usernames, huh? [He couldn't help but frown once he found a particularly odd username on the list.] Love n' Thunder? Yeah, no, I don't recall adding anyone by that name.
[Rosen looks up from his phone and notices that the robots are no longer present. He glances around in confusion, unsure where the eerie bots went.]
Seems like the welcoming committee left.
[He puts his phone away for the time being and climbs onto the roof's ledge instead. Yes, this is the beginning of something big, isn't? Rosen feels it in his bones.]
Time to paint the town red~!
no subject
He decides, as a treat to himself for enduring all of this thus far, to remark flatly:]
Try not to have too much fun.