#!octoboltflash

[originsrebirth]

simulated strangeness .

closed starter for @octoboltflash .

how odd of a place this was -- having accepted the invite to step into the simulated universe . . . the prospect of fighting herself had been one she couldn't deny , that alone was fine -- but what made it truly odd . . . was the person who just so happened to be there , ready to enter with her .

it wouldn't be the first time the two crossed paths , but that didn't mean it was any less strange , seeing a near identical version of herself , yet no mirror was present to differentiate the two .

she wouldn't question the full reasons her and acheron were identical , bubble universes were strange , they didn't really need to have an explanation , so mei didn't need one either .

what she did need , was . . . " do you have any idea where we're heading . . . ? this place is a tad confusing . " an idea of where to go

[aevitium]

✧ ˖ @octoboltflash asked:

Taking a deep breath to steady her racing heart, Acheron knew that she had a promise to make good on-- and she was, always, a woman of her word. Besides, regardless of whether it was a previous agreement or not, this was an opportunity she would take. While the fingers of one hand nervously toyed with the cuff of her dress shirt, the other carefully adjusted the lapel of her jacket. The longer she waited, the more that this knot of uncertainty would tighten in her gut. There wasn't even any point in hesitation, this was already predetermined. Striding forward, a soft clearing of her throat is the only announcement of her arrival behind the other woman... aiming to catch her attention without startling her, hopefully. "It seems the path of fate has brought me to you once again, Elysia," She began, her voice taking on a gentle yet determined tone. "I believe you owe me something." The warm smile stretching across her face belies her intentions, pausing only to offer her outstretched palm to her companion. "Do me the honor of sharing this dance with me?"

Ego stands, draped in dark satin and waiting.

And though she feigns surprise when the other approaches, her smile remains impossibly sincere. Her head tilts, considering the open invitation of a hand as though there has ever been a chance that she might do anything other than take it.

"It seems so," she chirps sweetly in response. "And here I was, hoping you might have forgotten."

A lie, though she has no doubt that Mei sees past it. Even if this Mei is not hers, no time or stretch of the Sea could truly change her. Elysia hums, as though finally coming to a decision to the thought she had been pretending. A stalling tactic, perhaps, but she has always found the things wanted most are the sweetest when waited for.

Lithe fingers curl into the open palm of the other. As when they had touched before, familiarity floods her senses. Origin, warm and inviting and hers, though it has taken a new name and face. 

And though it is not the same one she remembers meeting, all those lifetimes ago in the Golden Courtyard, she would wish for it to reside with nobody else.

"The honor is mine~♪"

[phantomiaou]

[NOODLES] Using a pool noodle much in the same way she would her sword, Acheron flashes a deadly look in Lynette's direction. Another discarded noodle lays nearby, open to use if the girl so chooses. "On the still waters of oblivion, I guide the wandering souls..."

ever since their stellar driving had made the story of legends and revised more than a few road instruction manuals, lynette would not call acheron a stranger. in short, crimes bring women together. (why were you, as a french man, standing on an aquarius queen's road? the curb included.)

and now, they meet again on the blazing sands of this mysterious beach. there is no mistaking what that look of acheron's means. perhaps fate has brought them back together—but this time on opposite sides.

roll 1d20 - 20. where da fuck was this energy in the tower of the waning sun

faster than any car, maybe faster than lightning itself, lynette bolts to the discarded noodle in a skid of sand and anemo. pilfering shadow state is nigh invisible; within it, she locks onto her target. with a pivot of her heel she's flying toward acheron, vision flickering in the center of her hairbow, the winds still steering her enigmatic feint.

"surprise,"  is lynette's only fanfare, breezing back to acheron before the foam noodle thrusts forth.

[avcnturine]

All or nothing, is it? You gamble your life away; is it that worthless to you? //HELLO SORRY GOTTA HAVE ACHERON BUG YOU

HE MUST'VE REALLY DONE SOMETHING worth noticing this time, for her to go out of her way to find him.

"hm? is that you, galaxy ranger?" fine, velvet threads of even cadence, harboring a joke for just the two of them to enjoy — before feet pivot, bringing him face to face with the stoic woman and those still, incomprehensible pools. at once shallow. . . and depthless ; as indigo as THEM, a watery stagnation, like an inkstone long abandoned by their artist, yet never able to run dry.

what a funny thing fate was, running them into each other again.

vibrant eyes blink wide with amiable surprise, extending a friendly benefit of the doubt. "what a question to ask someone. but it sounds like you have the wrong idea. precisely because it's priceless, is why i'm willing to use it as needed." his smile invites examination— yet never wavers.

"but you already knew that, right?" a card flipped, passed back to her across the table, returning the words she had handed to him not too long ago in a river drowned by the blackest sun. "you and i know each other so well, after all."

"emanator, there's no need to talk in riddles. if there's something you need my help with. . . go ahead and use me as you see fit."

[trailblczed]

It wasn't uncommon for Caelus to miss his friends- he's often told that he a sort of separation anxiety by a few of the medical staff he's seen on the occasion (Natasha and Joanne from Herta's Space Station being the only two recurring Doctors he's willing to see due to obvious reasons). So it should surprise no one that after about a month has past since the end of Penacony's Charmony Festival, that as Caelus scrolls through his phone's chat records and sees a name of someone he hasn't seen since then, the nerves push him hastily forward into typing out a few dozen messages to send.

Caelus just hopes that his texting won't inevitably be in vain- though deep down he knows the chance of actually getting a response is highly unlikely, a small part whispers to himself that he just has to be patient and wait (not matter how hard a task that is for his wild self).

@octoboltflash

[dukemeropide]

... I seem to be quite lost. Do you mind telling me the way to the exit? //hello!!! i haven't had a chance to say hi yet (:

There's a first for everything, and in the five or so years that the Duke has managed the Fortress of Meropide, this would be the first he's ever been asked so earnestly for directions for the way out. He stops mid-stride to turn and regard this peculiar stranger. A woman of such elegance and mystery, with an impressive longsword that - even now, in the middle of the relative peace and quiet of the administrative floor - she clasps her clawed fingers around like a tether, would have thrown flags across all of her records the moment she stepped foot off the elevator. But he can't seem to recall her arrival. And she hadn't been among the inmates he'd grown up with either.

It's hard to imagine someone could have simply stumbled their way inside a facility at the bottom of the sea, past a series of guards, to wind up here, even if that someone had a Vision. The Duke crosses his arms, his icy edges thawed only a little by the woman's apparent sincerity.

"Depends on where you want to go," he answers after a moment's scrutiny. Having finished their once-over, steel blue eyes lift back up in search of any sign of duplicity. What he finds instead is moon-pale emptiness.

"Do you know where you are?"

[almightyelectro]

@octoboltflash asked:

[NOODLES] Hand resting on the end of the pool noodle as if it were her actual sword, Acheron makes a swift movement mimicking that of an unsheathing. Her 'blade' is brandished in a challenge, eyes narrowing as her focus attenuates to the other woman before her. "A storm's on the horizon. Will you weather the gales, or be consumed by oblivion?"

x x x

Such strange toys. While it makes sense that they wouldn't want anyone using a real sword during what was meant to be a 'fun time at the beach' (something she learned first hand by being challenged by another stranger, summoning her sword only for other beachgoers to run in fear), such flimsy things could hardly be used the same as a sword.

Still, she raises her blade, the 'tip' pointed towards her opponent. A...familiar looking woman, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. No, it was more like she didn't want to admit it.

"A storm...worry not, I have no intention of stepping down because of a little bad weather." There is the slightest hint of a spark in her eyes at the mention of oblivion. Such a concept...was an enemy of hers. Her nails dig into the foam, though she doesn't dare move. Such was the way of an honorable battle. "Never will I give in to oblivion-- not so long as the storm guides my blade."

...Even if it was a fake one.

[aevitium]

✧ ˖ @octoboltflash asked:

[SUNSCREEN] With her pale complexion, the Emanator was more than aware that if she didn't take the necessary precautions, she'd end up burnt to a crisp from the intense rays of the sun. Her arms had already begun to tint red, and she frowned at the presence of the heat extending across the surface of her skin. Lathering a majority of her body had been easy, but... Her back would certainly end up scorched, considering she had removed her beloved vacation-print shirt not long ago. Honestly? Mei would die before she'd ask one of the others to help. But there was one person that she at least held some sort of strange familiarity with. Against her better judgment, she had quietly approached the other woman, bottle of sunscreen in hand-- standing awkwardly as she gauged her options, unsure of how to even begin to navigate this situation.

"Ah... Elysia, was it? I have a favor to ask of you, if you'll hear me out." Acheron squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment, already feeling her face beginning to heat up. She motions to the bottle in her hands, clearing her throat before continuing. "I ... can't reach my back. I could use a hand." Quite literally, actually... (ic: frendraws)

It cannot be helped; Elysia erupts into a fit of giggles.

Between the look on the poor girl's face and the stiffness in her every action, it's impossible to keep a straight face. All to ask something so simple, of course. In classic Mei fashion.

Some things simply transcend the bubbles of their universes, laws and facts of life that bend and morph and take new shapes but always remain. This one among them.

"With that look I half expected you to ask something much worse~" Words managed through her laughter, though hardly. Elysia swings both legs over the edge of her chair and hops up from it, still stifling giggles beneath one hand while the other reaches to pluck the bottle out of Mei's.

"Silly girl, it would be my pleasure ♪"

Composure regained and hearty amount of sunscreen squeezed out into her palm, Ego smiles triumphantly.

"Go on then, turn around! It's going to feel cold at first-"