[ Alright, buddy. Claude smiles thinly in response to the threat. He'd been looking for anything dust-like as a distraction or to toss into their eyes, but it's not worth it with the other captives' lives at stake. ]
Easy. I'm just getting my bearings.
[ Is the seating area inside? He'll make his way out then, toward the ports like instructed. ]
[ it's kind of like a covered patio type thing that he was in, so he can head out into the city at large.
as he does, he'll see a lot of people. they're excitedly getting ready for something - an event coming soon. there are guards around everywhere, too. he could talk to them if he wanted to! or he can just go straight to the port itself. ]
[ Are the people just more borisin or are there other types of people here? Any captives visible?
He won't talk to the guards, but he will wander closer to listen into any conversations that he can, and he if his eavesdropping gets their attention, he'll just smile innocently and point in the direction of the port. ]
[ nah, these people are more like foxians and dragon people, and regular citizens. there are no borisin out here - if there were, people would be panicking. this is just the normal city, and the place you were in was hidden away, presumably a base of operations for these borisin to work secretly.
there's a couple of merchants he can see just chattering about the upcoming wardance. which isn't important past the fact that it's just an event in town that has brought in a lot of traffic to the luofu. there are more people here than usual. they're talking about business booming, and how there haven't been any attacks recently... maybe they're safe after all.
they nod at him! they don't seem to be suspicious of him or anything, just think he's a random civilian. ]
Did you need help getting there, sir? It's busy this time of year.
So it is. I can probably find it myself with some directions. I wouldn't want to pull you from your posts.
[ He doesn't want to be seen too long with them and get the captives killed back at the base for it. Even chatting with them probably isn't the best idea.
Can he recognize this city, now that he's out? Would he know anything about it? ]
Actually, alongside those directions, you wouldn't happen to know what ships are currently in port, would you?
[ Anything that he could leverage to launch a counter against the borisin... But without jeopardizing the city. ]
[ he can, yeah! this is the xianzhou luofu, the sister ship of the xianzhou yaoqing, which is where he's originally from. it's a busy city, with a lot of trading and goods going through the area. and more than that, it's the prison for hoolay, the borisin that let him leave. you can't remember all the details of how he escaped, but it isn't important. he has. he's here, and he's waiting to crush this city under his heel. there are so many people here. the only way in and out of this ship is through the ports.
the merchants think about that. ]
There's a few trading ships out there last time I checked. Mostly spices and things. I heard there's this guy that's bringing in stuff for a noodle shop? What's his name, Ringo? He's an odd duck. Got no hands, don't know how he's going to manage.
Anyway, it's that way, just take the street and go left at the fork. Leads right to it.
off he goes! he can't sense anybody following him, but... there's no way he's alone, right? every stranger on the street could be watching him. every time someone looks in his direction, it could be one of the borisin's lackeys.
but if he keeps going, he'll find the port! it's busy. people are coming and going, and - well, ringo is hard to miss. he's putting a package away on a starskiff carefully, making sure he doesn't drop it. it's... very open, the port, which just continues to be strange. the borisin have an escape route. what's happening? why hasn't general f̷̨͖̀̈͜e̶̢̮͌́̕ḯ̶̡̖́̕x̶͓̉͝͝į̷̗̾͜a̷̗̖͝ǒ̴̳ closed the gates... ]
He feels like there's a tension pricking over his skin, everything tight and uncomfortable as he makes his way over to Ringo. Someone could be watching, but what can he do? Return back without trying anything and doom the entire city?
What's the right move here? ]
Ringo. [ Smiling, but his voice is tense. ] Are you here alone?
[ oh! ringo turns to look at him, and very excitedly grins, reaching to put a hand on claude's arm. ]
Oh! Claude! It's been so long, I missed you! I lost track of you after the war, did you do okay for yourself? Hey, do you want a bowl of noodles for old time's sake, you - wait, you asked me something. I'm here alone, sure, why?
[ Ringo's here alone. He thinks the war is over. Should he drag him back in and ask for help? No— he needs to figure this out on his own. He'd just be leading Ringo to more slaughter.
...
But... if you can't trust your friends, who can you trust? ]
[ STOP I AM WRITING FOUR THREADS AT ONCE i also didn't want to say stump.
anyway. ringo listens. he listens closely, and he frowns deeply as claude describes the threat. by the end of it, he's wildly alarmed, but he's determined, too. they can't let the borisin win, right? they have to save all these people. so, ringo takes a deep breath, and nods. he tells claude that he will help him stop them. ]
You have any sort of plan? Can you keep them occupied while I go alert the guards? I can do that, you can trust me.
They have to save these people. And Ringo can be bright and cheery, maybe come off as naive in his enthusiasm, but Claude doesn't doubt his commitment. He's seen the same things as the rest of them have, and hadn't backed down.
He nods. ]
I will. I'll keep them occupied as long as I can.
[ ... ]
But don't leave me hanging too long, okay? I'm unarmed.
He will take a look around the port, gather up whatever information he needs to take back. Is there a weapon that he could neatly tuck into his clothes? A little knife, or some rope? ]
[ he can probably snatch a little like... paring knife off a starskiff! if he wants to do that. he can hide it in his clothes. the port is open, just like hoolay suspected - but there's nothing else really of note here now that ringo has gone off to find help. ]
[ Okay! Hopefully this knife isn't used against him later on.
He's kind of pissed about it, but he will wander back. Is it possible for him to see what's happening in the seated area as he returns without actually entering the clutches? See if the other captives are okay? ]
one of the captives is dead. a foxian man that claude doesn't recognize is a husk on the ground, thrown there haphazardly. it looks like something... well, something ate him. hoolay is waiting expectantly for claude to return. this is a video game so the cutscene doesn't trigger until claude walks into the seated area properly. but rest assured. there is a cutscene waiting. ]
well, he walks in. hoolay glances at him, and raises an eyebrow. waits for claude to tell him whether or not the ports are closed. he seems... sort of smug? for some reason. and he also keeps flickering in and out. like a bad television set. ]
[ and for a second - he looks familiar. like a woman that was important to him in another life. like judith. like shez. like nader, back and forth, all at once. people who would not betray you. who would not want to hurt you, right? they wouldn't.
nader reaches across and grabs claude by the hair, yanking his head back. and as he does, a foxian man drags ringo into the seating area, and throws him to the ground. he's bloody and beaten, looking up at claude dazedly through half-open eyes.
shez grins widely at claude. too wide. makes him look at ringo on the ground. ]
Do you know what happens when you disobey, foxian?
But that's not right. He made the right choice: taken a risk, believed in a friend. That's what he'd learned -- after the ambush in northern Siward. That's what Judith had beat into his head. People aren't pawns, and he's no game master controlling them behind the shadows.
So Ringo... don't be there. Don't get hurt any further. ]
Sure. You said to go, look, and come back. Didn't mention anything about what not to do.
[ He remembers this feeling too. Scrambling to keep crumbling pieces together, fixing one piece of the map only for another to set off in flame.
His head hurts with possibilities and options, and it's been so many months now. Did he screw up too many times? Did Shez lose trust in him once and for all? He really had everyone's best interests at heart, he just wasn't great at communicating it.
Now, if he can just help... If only he can get Ringo out here, that's something. He still has his hands free, right? Because he's going to pull out the knife he's hidden and try to slice the hand holding his hair. ]
[ he trusted ringo. it was the right decision, right? because it's important to trust people you care about, because they'll take care of you. ringo wants to take care of you. for all the times you treated him like a human worthy of respect, the good times and the bad times, he was by your side. maybe it wasn't that long, but it was enough. you don't have to know someone for a century to have an impact on their life.
he does still have his hands free. and when he slices at the hand holding his hair, it hits, without question, shez lets out a yelp and drops him, and then - cackles. grins, feral, and opens her mouth wide enough to swallow someone whole.
she lunges forward and catches claude's arm in her jaw, and aims to snap it. behind her, ringo shouts in alarm and tries to move out of the way, because he doesn't have a weapon. the other foxian is advancing on him. inside you, claude, there's a little bit of rage that you hid from your friends. a yellow flower waiting to bloom. maybe if you set it off, you can make this work.
who will you save? is there ever a world where you can save everybody? ]
[ Oh, rage is dangerous, but not unfamiliar. Claude's earliest memories are of anger.
It's something that he'd turned off. Because anger is a reaction, and he never wanted to give his antagonists the satisfaction of seeing him react. Rage is destructive, and for all that he'd experienced and been hurt, he never wanted to destroy, he only wanted to build. He just wanted better. He just wanted to feel like the world was a little better for him having been in it.
Maybe that's where he'd gone wrong. He's too selfish, too calculating, too prone to thinking with his head and not his heart.
So is this the next right decision? Let himself feel that rage, if that's what it takes to save someone?
There's only a moment to decide, and he's good at making snap decisions. Pain flares in his arm, and he knows he won't be able to wield the knife or a boy again, so this is his last defence isn't it?
Give into the little sprout that's taken root, and do all he can to protect his friend. ]
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holyspirits) wrote2025-02-16 05:05 pm
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Easy. I'm just getting my bearings.
[ Is the seating area inside? He'll make his way out then, toward the ports like instructed. ]
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as he does, he'll see a lot of people. they're excitedly getting ready for something - an event coming soon. there are guards around everywhere, too. he could talk to them if he wanted to! or he can just go straight to the port itself. ]
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He won't talk to the guards, but he will wander closer to listen into any conversations that he can, and he if his eavesdropping gets their attention, he'll just smile innocently and point in the direction of the port. ]
The port's that way, right?
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there's a couple of merchants he can see just chattering about the upcoming wardance. which isn't important past the fact that it's just an event in town that has brought in a lot of traffic to the luofu. there are more people here than usual. they're talking about business booming, and how there haven't been any attacks recently... maybe they're safe after all.
they nod at him! they don't seem to be suspicious of him or anything, just think he's a random civilian. ]
Did you need help getting there, sir? It's busy this time of year.
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[ He doesn't want to be seen too long with them and get the captives killed back at the base for it. Even chatting with them probably isn't the best idea.
Can he recognize this city, now that he's out? Would he know anything about it? ]
Actually, alongside those directions, you wouldn't happen to know what ships are currently in port, would you?
[ Anything that he could leverage to launch a counter against the borisin... But without jeopardizing the city. ]
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the merchants think about that. ]
There's a few trading ships out there last time I checked. Mostly spices and things. I heard there's this guy that's bringing in stuff for a noodle shop? What's his name, Ringo? He's an odd duck. Got no hands, don't know how he's going to manage.
Anyway, it's that way, just take the street and go left at the fork. Leads right to it.
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Claude does his best not to let his fear or relief show, just smiling at the merchants. ]
Thanks, that's exactly what I wanted to know.
[ He's going to beeline it to the port in that case, keeping an eye out around him. Would he be able to check if he's being followed at all? ]
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off he goes! he can't sense anybody following him, but... there's no way he's alone, right? every stranger on the street could be watching him. every time someone looks in his direction, it could be one of the borisin's lackeys.
but if he keeps going, he'll find the port! it's busy. people are coming and going, and - well, ringo is hard to miss. he's putting a package away on a starskiff carefully, making sure he doesn't drop it. it's... very open, the port, which just continues to be strange. the borisin have an escape route. what's happening? why hasn't general f̷̨͖̀̈͜e̶̢̮͌́̕ḯ̶̡̖́̕x̶͓̉͝͝į̷̗̾͜a̷̗̖͝ǒ̴̳ closed the gates... ]
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Why is it... so open?
He feels like there's a tension pricking over his skin, everything tight and uncomfortable as he makes his way over to Ringo. Someone could be watching, but what can he do? Return back without trying anything and doom the entire city?
What's the right move here? ]
Ringo. [ Smiling, but his voice is tense. ] Are you here alone?
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Oh! Claude! It's been so long, I missed you! I lost track of you after the war, did you do okay for yourself? Hey, do you want a bowl of noodles for old time's sake, you - wait, you asked me something. I'm here alone, sure, why?
[ do you tell him about the borisin threat? ]
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After the war? What "after"? ]
What are you- the war isn't...
[ Ringo's here alone. He thinks the war is over. Should he drag him back in and ask for help? No— he needs to figure this out on his own. He'd just be leading Ringo to more slaughter.
...
But... if you can't trust your friends, who can you trust? ]
Ringo, listen to me.
[ He will tell him about Hoolay and the base. ]
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anyway. ringo listens. he listens closely, and he frowns deeply as claude describes the threat. by the end of it, he's wildly alarmed, but he's determined, too. they can't let the borisin win, right? they have to save all these people. so, ringo takes a deep breath, and nods. he tells claude that he will help him stop them. ]
You have any sort of plan? Can you keep them occupied while I go alert the guards? I can do that, you can trust me.
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They have to save these people. And Ringo can be bright and cheery, maybe come off as naive in his enthusiasm, but Claude doesn't doubt his commitment. He's seen the same things as the rest of them have, and hadn't backed down.
He nods. ]
I will. I'll keep them occupied as long as I can.
[ ... ]
But don't leave me hanging too long, okay? I'm unarmed.
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[ he beams, and pats claude gently.
will claude head right back to the borisin? ]
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anyway
He will take a look around the port, gather up whatever information he needs to take back. Is there a weapon that he could neatly tuck into his clothes? A little knife, or some rope? ]
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He's kind of pissed about it, but he will wander back. Is it possible for him to see what's happening in the seated area as he returns without actually entering the clutches? See if the other captives are okay? ]
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one of the captives is dead. a foxian man that claude doesn't recognize is a husk on the ground, thrown there haphazardly. it looks like something... well, something ate him. hoolay is waiting expectantly for claude to return. this is a video game so the cutscene doesn't trigger until claude walks into the seated area properly. but rest assured. there is a cutscene waiting. ]
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But he asked Ringo for backup, so it's not hopeless. So he's going to marching into the space. ]
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well, he walks in. hoolay glances at him, and raises an eyebrow. waits for claude to tell him whether or not the ports are closed. he seems... sort of smug? for some reason. and he also keeps flickering in and out. like a bad television set. ]
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You seem like you already know the answer.
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[ and for a second - he looks familiar. like a woman that was important to him in another life. like judith. like shez. like nader, back and forth, all at once. people who would not betray you. who would not want to hurt you, right? they wouldn't.
nader reaches across and grabs claude by the hair, yanking his head back. and as he does, a foxian man drags ringo into the seating area, and throws him to the ground. he's bloody and beaten, looking up at claude dazedly through half-open eyes.
shez grins widely at claude. too wide. makes him look at ringo on the ground. ]
Do you know what happens when you disobey, foxian?
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But that's not right. He made the right choice: taken a risk, believed in a friend. That's what he'd learned -- after the ambush in northern Siward. That's what Judith had beat into his head. People aren't pawns, and he's no game master controlling them behind the shadows.
So Ringo... don't be there. Don't get hurt any further. ]
Sure. You said to go, look, and come back. Didn't mention anything about what not to do.
[ He remembers this feeling too. Scrambling to keep crumbling pieces together, fixing one piece of the map only for another to set off in flame.
His head hurts with possibilities and options, and it's been so many months now. Did he screw up too many times? Did Shez lose trust in him once and for all? He really had everyone's best interests at heart, he just wasn't great at communicating it.
Now, if he can just help... If only he can get Ringo out here, that's something. He still has his hands free, right? Because he's going to pull out the knife he's hidden and try to slice the hand holding his hair. ]
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he does still have his hands free. and when he slices at the hand holding his hair, it hits, without question, shez lets out a yelp and drops him, and then - cackles. grins, feral, and opens her mouth wide enough to swallow someone whole.
she lunges forward and catches claude's arm in her jaw, and aims to snap it. behind her, ringo shouts in alarm and tries to move out of the way, because he doesn't have a weapon. the other foxian is advancing on him. inside you, claude, there's a little bit of rage that you hid from your friends. a yellow flower waiting to bloom. maybe if you set it off, you can make this work.
who will you save? is there ever a world where you can save everybody? ]
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It's something that he'd turned off. Because anger is a reaction, and he never wanted to give his antagonists the satisfaction of seeing him react. Rage is destructive, and for all that he'd experienced and been hurt, he never wanted to destroy, he only wanted to build. He just wanted better. He just wanted to feel like the world was a little better for him having been in it.
Maybe that's where he'd gone wrong. He's too selfish, too calculating, too prone to thinking with his head and not his heart.
So is this the next right decision? Let himself feel that rage, if that's what it takes to save someone?
There's only a moment to decide, and he's good at making snap decisions. Pain flares in his arm, and he knows he won't be able to wield the knife or a boy again, so this is his last defence isn't it?
Give into the little sprout that's taken root, and do all he can to protect his friend. ]
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