Twei

Visrii needs better material

[...................................] This time, the bop on the head does not feel like a hug. Because yeah, no. It That Embraces is not impressed by this joke and/or blatant murderhobo-ism. Just look at those eyes. Fourteen eyes, all being incredibly disappointed in Visrii right now. [scolding, lack of amusement]

This seems to interest It That Embraces further - again, better conversation, such as it is, than the vaguely violent strangers. Besides, it might be strategically important, at least against their immediate enemy, and so she speaks to him once more. [Confusion, curiosity. 'Heartless' do not appear to be sentient. Animal intelligence at best. 'Conquest' implies organization, structure; rule/'taking over' requires sentience. Hypothesis: Are 'Heartless' minions of a greater power?]

To be fair, she doesn't even have a mouth. Or make sounds. Of COURSE she's going to speak weird. Given his blatant rudeness, the elder thing feels justified in bopping him on the head. It feels vaguely like a hug. Don't think about it too hard. To be fair, given his irreverence, he's clearly very good at that, so maybe that's not much of an issue.

She gives him The Look. Honestly, she's impressed someone misinterpreted conceptual speech, but it was bound to happen eventually. [Negative. You are thinking of 'existential angst'. Injuries to reality are far more serious.] ...actually, now that she thinks about it... [...amusement. Some realities may also be 'emotion-sick adoloscents' none the less.]

[Amusement: No need to censor yourself.] The Primordial gives the understandably paranoid blood-mage a shrug at his demands/questions. Questions worth answering, at any rate. [Apology, explanation. Location: Designation Hollow Bastion. Purpose: most likely gathered to assist in repair of existential breach. Currently seeking shelter and provisions. Reason for dragon: unknown. Amusement: I am far more exotic than Eon is. Approval for killing book abuser: negative.] Existential breach: A wound in reality itself. That's a frightening concept she's suggesting, there, though perhaps not entirely unfamiliar to some. She looks over him for a moment, releasing him fully from her grip if he didn't already wriggle his way out. Judging by the way her arms move, she could grab him up again in an instant, anyways. [Addendum: I healed some of the scars in your arms. You are welcome.] ((Edited a bunch. Apparently we heard the name earlier, but I forgot. Also addenda. :v ))

Finally, It That Embraces is able to behold the bloodmage as he awakens. And, well, able to pass her comforting, soothing aura around him. [Apology. {Solomon/That one} is an idiot.] He may not be a cannibalistic spider-woman, but surely even he responds well to soothing pats, particularly headpats. (Nevermind that he shoved her. She honestly doesn't seem to be very shovable, anyways.) [Acknowledgement. You were shadowing us in a distinctly unfriendly manner. It is, unfortunately, not that surprising.]

Ah. Thank god someone can deal with these inexplicably violent people. It That Embraces may be all-loving, but sometimes love requires a firm hand, and she can admit she can be slow to present it. [Agreement, exasperation. They are foolish, but they are still people. I do not wish to abandon them, but...] A long, mental sigh, as she picks up both Visrii and Solomon. She turns to topics more interesting and less frustrating as they proceed. [Curiosity. A time before the Heartless?]

...apparently while the Primordial was speaking, her 'friend' has awakened and promptly gotten into a fight. Mother damn it. [Cessation!] And he's already gotten himself knocked out again. ...how....

you know this would be simple enough to handle if people were ever awake at the same time as me ;~; I'm just going to pretend that this entire thing happened during ITE's speech and you can't tell me otherwise. >:v

It That Embraces looks out over the ruined city- and the not so ruined city that it surrounds. This is the fortress where this area's denizens defend themselves from the local monsters? Hmm. For a last bastion, it seems... sub-optimal. An important thing, for it is also their home, if she is not mistaken. She may not be She Who Was, nor a veteran of the war that ended her, but she still knows a thing or two about fortification. With a sharp motion, she turns to Leon and begins to speak. Telepathy worked well with Eon, so she repurposes that particular art, her maternal voice turned into something sharper, like a finely honed blade. (That the others will not hear her is no great loss. Her companions are merely passing through, after all. It is those who live here who must defend it.) "You are under siege, are you not? These defenses, they could be improved. The ruins around you provide shelter for enemies and obstruct your line of sight. As you are already short on manpower, thus precluding moving your defenses further out, I would suggest you clear the ruins out to give better angles for projectiles and artillery. The walls could be reinforced with materials thus gathered, or they could be used to make weapons and armor - or perhaps autonomous defenses?" It is, honestly, a suboptimal speech. She may pretend to be a general, but she is no general; she cannot guide them on the finer details of defensive tactics, or forge them into many times more than the sum of their parts under her unyielding command. She may know of fortification, but she is no siege engineer; she cannot design optimal positions of guards and siege engines, or build living walls of the Mother's near-impenetrable skin. She understands the need for supplies, but she does not study logistics; she cannot show them the best ways to make use of their supplies, she cannot turn water into wine or conjure rations for an army. It will do for now, nonetheless. She hides the unconscious (and definitely not wounded because HEALING) man behind her back while she speaks. It helps preserve her image, which is actually rather important here.

"[Amusement, approval]" Someone's getting lazy, apparently. Or perhaps just testing that she can do it the old way? But, really, what else is she going to say? He's being rather silly, and judging by the mirth in her eyes, she's rather okay with this.

"The fabric of existence may or may not be intelligent at all, so..." She gives something like a mental shrug. It can't be helped. The Primordial's reaction to what she did earlier, though, is... strained. "...no. I do not want to speak of it more than I need to. Not yet. Apologies." ...also, what even. She gives Aurora a pet on the sidelines, at least two of her arms still securing the unconscious man, but seriously. What even, Solomon. Why would you even think that, much less say it?

The Primordial's telepathic voice, as it happens, sounds something like a kindly maternal figure- although most maternal figures aren't nearly so ancient, 'grandmother' perhaps implies less direct comfort and more sage wisdom, so motherly it is. "What we are getting into...? Oh!" Her subject matter, however, is anything but kindly and comforting. A certain thunder rolls into her voice, though it's... somehow more like she's channeling someone else's thunder than actually using her own feelings to sound that way? Making herself more commanding than she naturally is? Odd. It's certainly her own rage by the end, at least. "I was created for this. The fabric of existence - no, Existences, the fabric of all existences tears and shudders and calls for aid. Not just this world, but all worlds are under threat, and I will not allow them to be destroyed as I was. Never again." It That Embraces trails off, her body shuddering with that uncharacteristic righteous fury... which slowly fades, to reveal sheepishness in her eyes. "...though I do not know what this place requires of us in the short term. But I assume we are here for a purpose."

Unfortunately, It That Embraces can't read Solomon's mind, nor any others. Otherwise, she would appreciate the supreme irony of his thoughts. What the Primordial could certainly do, however, was hear Eon's telepathic speech. And indeed, she could respond to it, 'speaking' directly to him instead of blindly broadcasting [Meaning] through the world around her. In fact, if she just... did things slightly differently, then... "Yes! Testing, testing. Hrm. This may be useful for overcoming my lack of vocal chords."

Embra: a shortening of the simple translation of the Primordial's name. Similarly constructed to 'ember', suggesting fire. Given the limitations of the spoken word, it's an acceptable designation/pseudonym/nickname, even if she dislikes the one who originated it. His current words do not endear him to her any more. Self-sacrifice more dangerous than taking life from others? It's his life to give, rightly or wrongly. [Acknowledgement.] Which is to say, she hears him. Yes, she technically can do it, but she's not going to. She can take care of the man, and Solomon seems like a person who only takes care of himself, at best. They're older injuries, anyways, it's not like he's bleeding out right now. That would be a bit absurd.

The cloak shifts ever so slightly. Not much, but enough to get a better look. A polite gesture, given that the Primordial doesn't need to actually move it to look at him - as seen by the eyes blinking in and out of reality. [broken nose has been healed. Old injuries on hands and arms... contemplation. Injuries on hands and arms follow veins cleanly. Repeated, consistent application. Injuries self-inflicted? Medical knowledge limited, but it appears odd for a wound... like it was split open from inside... overuse of channeling magic or life force through own blood?]

[Disagreement. Restrain: hold back, not assault. Disagreement: Minds are not separate from bodies. Manipulation of the mind does not require telepathy. Disagreement: not taking staff, sign of trust. Trust vital for team cohesion. All are together.] There's something sad about that last part. Everyone's in it together because they all have a common foe. Something that makes It That Embraces shudder ever so slightly just touching upon the concept. Something that she must unite people against.

Solomon, that is his name. He gave it out a bit earlier. The Primordial shakes her head, still holding the unconscious man close, letting her particular brand of peace and contentment roll over him in his sleep. [Amusement, disagreement. If he attacks, I will restrain him.] If she can calm down an animal, she can probably calm down a human.

.... who are you even talking about? Visrii???

[Amusement] Radiating her general sense of entertainment at the shenanigans of mortals (and some immortals), It That Embraces drifts back for a moment to pick up the red-headed man (Visrii) who had so unfortunately dashed himself upon the rocks. Seeing as he doesn't wake up even after some healing, despite his clearly being alive, she elects to carry him forward such that he does not get left behind. As it turns out, she's surprisingly good at carrying people. Speaking of which! It seems they are, officially, heading to the town where sustenance can be found now, after a few false starts. They only needed a native to pull them on the way. His explanations, while a bit sad, are not unexpected, and enlightening at the very least; his favor should not be much trouble, and it will give them a direction to move forward in in any event. [Gratitude, assistance]

but chronos, ITE doesn't emit light, she's just ultra-ultra-ultra-ultra white :v

It That Embraces regards the floating platform of books with a small burst of [Amusement]. It is a conveyance, at the very least. Somehow, she suspects it is a suboptimal use of books. And not especially stealthy.

So apparently we can go to ruined castle or to town place, something I managed to not realize and I (and probably other people with similar lack of attention to detail? thought we had only one way to go. SHOW OF HANDS, WHO WANTS TO GO TO TOWN VS RUINCASTLE *raises hand for town* :V spoiler alert: no one's supposed to go to ruined castle location is confusing sometimes

[Fond amusement] The mother-like Primordial smiled idly as her companions spoke and bonded with one another. A pleasant activity, and one she would normally participate more strongly in. But this group was too large to lavish attention on every single member - what she did for Aurora she could not do for everyone, not without techniques specifically for that purpose. Perhaps something to look towards in the future? Then conversation turned towards the more practical. For instance, the town that they were oh so slowly approaching. Who would make contact, who would speak, who would scout, who would skulk in the shadows? Given some of their group's... less than friendly pre-conceptions, It That Embraces suspected there might be some wisdom in skulking in shadows. Not something she could ever do, of course, as she was essentially the opposite of stealthy. [greeting, self: It That Embraces] There were at least two new arrivals- new to her, at any rate. An ethereal, angel-like man, or perhaps ghost; and a flamboyant artist who flitted amongst the others. She kept her introduction brief, so as not to distract them too utterly- though they'd probably end up distracted by her more-than-real appearance none the less. Most people seemed to react that way. Ah, they were still arguing. Debating? Debating. The angel wished for company while he scouted the town... the Primordial hummed. And then glanced forward along the path, her eyes twisting and turning in reality. Wait a minute. Was that...? Yes, yes it absolutely was a reasonable amount of the group leaving them far behind. [Amusement: {Snow} and {Izumi} have already moved forward. No scouting needed. Perhaps we should catch up to them?] {Snow} and {Izumi}: concepts of their appearance/observed mannerisms/etc. She doesn't know their names either, sorry. ((FINALLY FINISHED THIS POST THANK GOD.))