#foxfacedd 𓆩⟡𓆪 01

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 It's Winterfes and people are partying in the streets. Aurelius saunters past the shops of The Uplift, eyes flitting past rolls of stalls selling toys and treats, with absolute disinterest.

"Hey, watch out!"

"Ack!"

That is, until Some Guy knocks into Some Girl and spills the tray of drinks out of her hands, causing them to splash towards the six-foot man in front of them—

Or not, as the angel freeze-frames the sodas gently in mid-air.

"Get moving," he gestures to the stranger before him.

"Unless your goal was to get splashed all along?"

feeling tipsy @foxfacedd ໒꒱

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 Aurelius nods good-naturedly to his words. No matter what the human is feeling now, he at least speaks with more ease than before. What a grand idea it was to simply drink and chat—Klaus would be proud of him, perhaps.

"Correct. Blasphemous as it sounds, death is meaningless here."

"Although I've heard the process of dying is still unpleasant, it does make for a convenient shortcut to one's bed. And there are many with the skills to kill quickly in a pinch."

His fingers tap against his glass, nails drumming a dull rhythm on the curved sides.

"So in the end, there's really very little to fear."

"Psh. Whatever." He doesn't see the point in being cagey about names- but if this guy's going to keep it from him, Mike will keep his name secret, too.

He looks out into the rest of the festival, reflecting on his day so far. "They brought me to housing, yeah. I didn't go inside." He just sort of took off on his own as soon as he was dropped off, dedicating himself quickly to wandering the place until he found a way out. He's been doing a shit job, he figures. All he's really done is meet a few weird people. An earlier conversation echoes in his mind now-

"...Someone told me dying is impossible here," he says. "That instead of dying, you wake up back at home. They called it... 'respawning,' I think?"

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 Aurelius takes the time to take one sip of his drink—something bubbly and fruity—before even deigning to reply.

"Would it feel better if you were?"

"I can do it quickly and painlessly, to spare you the agony of further thought. You may be better off waking up tomorrow in your own bed and questioning your life in the sunshine."

There was so much to explain, after all, and this human was already wound up to begin with.

"But if you'd rather keep listening, then stay put. It's a steep trip from the Uplifts to ground level if you slip, and I don't think you have any wings."

Mike is hesitant to follow, but... he's also the only person to actually give him any information so far. Magician or not, he reluctantly sits with him.

"Where... exactly, are we, then?" He asks. However he got here, however far away he is... Surely if he got a job, saved up enough, he could get a plane home, or something. How did he even get here, anyway...? "I don't even remember..." He mutters to himself. He just remembers the scooping room, and then... what? Then he was here?

"Am I dead?" He says bluntly. It's the only explanation that makes sense. He has to be dead.

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 Fun as it might be to tease a mortal, Aurelius' use of power comes from a more practical standpoint: 1) he has free rein of them in this branch of the island, and 2) he's remarkably lazy. Without admitting either point, however, the other is free to make assumptions as he wished.

"I never told you," he replies now, helping himself to a flute of champagne while replacing his empty glass. "It's hardly important."

"If we ever meet again, I'll tell you next time." After all, newcomers flitted in and out with every eclipse. It was uncertain whether this man would even last past the next one with the island's fickle whims.

"Why don't you ask me something more useful instead? For example, have you found your living quarters and roommates?"

Mike does as he's told, watching the tray float toward them by way of the stranger's magic. It's still freaky watching it happen, and he can't help but wonder if he's doing that just to get a reaction out of Mike. Still, he takes another drink, sipping it as he eyes the other guy.

"You're still-" He sputters a couple times, trying to call him out for continuing to use his powers, but not being able to come up with a decent enough insult. "Thanks. What'd you say your name was again?"

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 "I offered you a service, not a threat," Aurelius corrected gently before downing his glass. If he was going to talk, he better be well-hydrated for the task.

"Very well, truth wins the day."

"I assume you didn't read the pamphlet they provided you upon entry into this world? Then allow me to start from the beginning."

Like telling a bedtime story, Aurelius outlined the basic scenario of the island: a place of exile, where powers were stripped and random events sprinkled willy-nilly to test the resolve of its residents.

"It shouldn't be long before they unveil their next little game," he added at the end. "My advice to you is to simply stay indoors if you'd rather not play."

"I'd do better without the threats," he grumbles. But if it were the reality that he'd died and this really is just some sort of afterlife... Well, he's not sure he'd be happy, but it'd at least make sense. Maybe, at the very least, he could find some of his family here.

"Whatever. Just tell me."

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 Oh, he's one of those.

Tutting sympathetically, Aurelius pauses to take out his phone and pay for the drinks (digital purchases were so convenient these days with Dust!) before taking his own glass.

"Do you want to sit down first?" he offers conversationally.

"I can tell you now that you're far, far away from home. The rest might sound more palatable after some refreshments."

He gestures towards a group of couches before walking towards them without looking back. It didn't matter whether the man actually followed—he had wine to keep him company now, if nothing else.

"N- no, I mean-" He isn't sure whether to focus on the general anger he's been feeling all day or the fact that this guy's doing magic like it's nothing. Mike grabs a drink from the server's tray, swishing the liquid inside around just to make sure it's real.

"Is this- Are you- I..." It's real, alright. This place is insane. Either this guy is better at sleight of hand than anyone he's ever seen, or Mike's been brought somewhere where magic is real- mundane, even. "Wh... Where the hell am I?"

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 Ah, he's spiraling.

"Do sit down," he advises the man, all while raising a hand and beckoning with his finger. "I've told you, the Uplifts are a slippery slope."

They're also cold and crowded this time of year, but he endures both anyways, for the convenience of open access to his powers in the Sky-Strewn Isles. Thus does wine come to them—not in the form of a server, but another serving tray that floats leisurely through the air from behind Mike's head to land on the table between them.

"You see, your drinks are right here."

Mike thinks he's going to be sick. He drinks what's left in his glass, before saying, "I need another drink," and standing to see where the server went.

It is something of a relief that time isn't passing without him– but if that's the case, being here is even more pointless. Should he feel grateful he was ripped away from death at the last possible second if he could return at any time? Where the hell is that server?

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 Something close to pity flickers across Aurelius' features before it's replaced with another smile. Not that it mattered with the man paying no attention to his face—but he was a type used to keeping up appearances.

"That's the question, isn't it?"

"Fortunately, it has an answer." Or as close to one as he could figure out. Leaning forward, Aurelius drops his voice and says:

"There's no way to leave—not consciously, at any rate."

"Do you understand? If you're self-aware at any time here and fancy yourself seeing your world, nine chances out of ten it's an illusion. Those who do return are unaware they ever left, and with no hours lost in the interim. Having experienced that process myself, I can confidently say that any time wasted here matters nothing whatsoever in the context of our own worlds. Of course—"

He paused to add a disclaimer. "—one must keep in mind that exceptions exist for every rule."

"Mm, no, I tossed it pretty quick," he admits. As the stranger explains this place and its workings, Mike finds the reality of his situation beginning to finally weigh on him. He spends the explanation staring into the glass of the drink he took, still holding it for some reason. He isn't dead, so that must mean... his life is going on without him, isn't it? There's so much he can't afford to miss– and he knows he's definitely not about to spend it here playing whatever games their captors have planned. Finally, he downs the drink, taking most of it at once.

"How do I leave?" he asks. "There's gotta be a way. I can't stay here."

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 Not moving?

That was fine as well. In the Sky-Strewn Isles where his powers flowed freely, it was easy enough to tip the drinks back to their glasses, the cups back on the trays, and the entire ensemble back to the stunned server's arms before the angel deigned to reply again.

"It's common for humans to celebrate this time of year."

"Cleaning after their messes is simply child's play. When I tell them to behave, they listen."

A rather quaint way to describe telekinesis, but it technically wasn't wrong.

Mike was not, in fact, planning to get splashed today. He'd wandered into the midst of this festival, trying to make some sense of this new place. Maybe it's just the noise and chaos, but it's really starting to get to him. Normally he would just move along like the stranger said, but–

"How can anyone be partying right now? Seriously." He only now seems to process the liquid being frozen mid-air. "And how did y... How are you doing that."