Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"Did time pass that fast?"
He opens his eyes.

 

The rat scurries down the desk and back down the vent.


“I am a paradox child. The best explanation is for there to be nothing.” Petunia says.


Xlentia turns to face the direction indicated.
“Thanks.” She smiles, starting to head off by walking before attempting to use her wings to swim/fly.

________________________________

You find yourself on the Leviathan, who’s laying on the beach on the island.
“Yes, now come on, everyone went off ahead of us!”

 

“...Sure.”
I nod, pulling out coins.

 

Shadow Stephanie follows the rat, jumping back down the vent.


Fia glances at Praecantatia, uncertain. Praecantatia just responds with a smile.


Water currents pick up beneath Xlentia, and she glides through the water as if it wasn't there. Gaia waves as Xlentia swims away.

 

He gets up and slowly climbs down from the Leviathan.
"Thanks for the ride, Mark. I'll see ya later."

 

Someone walks in and sits down.
“Ugh, really? Sick of weeding out the vamps.” They grumble. “Today really isn’t my day...”


Petunia rolls one eye back, returning to her half-youth, half-undead appearance.


Xlentia smiles, happy with the pseudo-swimming as she tries to pick up speed.

“Stay safe, my friend. Keep in touch, I’d like to hear your vows.” He nods.

Anne trots off towards the forest.

________________________________

He sighs, measuring out and marking 25 lengths, which warrants him spinning it around a smaller roll.
“...Twenty five, right?” He asks, grabbing a pair of scissors.

 

Shadow Stephanie tries to stay hidden, listening.


Praecantatia seems to realise something, before getting up and teleporting away. Fia looks toward the huge tree on the centre island, before glancing back at Petunia.


The currents seem to recognise Xlentia's movements, speeding her up as she swims toward higher and higher ground.

 

There's some sounds of writing, then another sigh.
"You kidding me? Those three swore they'd be... bah, to hell with it." They grunt, slamming papers on their desk and storming out.


Petunia glances at Fia.
"...Is that normal?"


She slows as the water gets more shallow, deciding to try and surface partway there.

 

Shadow Stephanie carefully lifts up the vent, looking around to see if the coast is clear.


"She's just gone to get something." Fia says, Praecantatia reappearing a moment later.

"Hold this." Praecantatia says, offering a large, round coin. It appears to be made out of a purplish-black substance.


As Xlentia surfaces, she sees a long beach in the distance, hundreds of guardians of different types enjoying it. Palm trees dot the beach; a wooden hut rests on one side being held up by two trees. Quite a few guardians can be seen going to and fro the hut.

 

He waves goodbye before he rushes after Anne.

"To the village!"

 

It is once again, the rat scrambling up just before she can.


"Paradoxium?" Petunia says, taking the coin.


She slows down, as not to make too big of a wave as she approaches.

She nods.
"I gotta go make sure my people are okay first, I'll meet you there!" She calls.

 

Shadow Stephanie looks at the desk again.


Praecantatia nods. The coin appears to be mostly stable.


Xlentia still manages to create a wave that washes up a few water guardians in the shallows trying to flirt with the boys on the beach.

Xlentia notices most people have either coconuts or bottles made of ice with them. A forest guardian cooks over a campfire further up the beach, their food smelling delicious.

 

There's a scattered file with more bets, plus complaints that payouts were messed up. Apparently the audience wants whoever just walked in and out dead.


Petunia lets go with one hand, and it becomes immensely unstable, before touching it with her other hand again as it returns to being mostly stable.
"...It's like one of the toys mommy left me." Her youthful side says, smiling. Her other half remains quiet.


"Sorry." She says, trying to find an empty space on the sand to people watch.

 

Shadow Stephanie tries reading names, looking for her target.


"Can you shape it?" Praecantatia asks.


People move out of Xlentia's way, making a space for her.

Young guardians build sand castles and dig holes, while older guardians sun bathe. A strong looking human in swim shorts walks across the beach with sunglasses on, water guardians watching him from the ocean. The human turns and lowers his sunglasses, winking at the guardians and making them giggle. A ball bounces off of Xlentia's side, a fire guardian running to collect it before staring up at Xlentia.

Xlentia notices something shifting the sand, creating a small trail toward the hut before a sand guardian blasts out of the ground. A forest guardian scales one of the palm trees over the hut, taking a coconut from it and throwing it down to a water guardian, who passes it to a death guardian. The death guardian seems to use a knife made out of bone to remove the outer layer of the coconut, before passing it back to the water guardian who takes a sharp piece of bone and makes a hole in the coconut. The water guardian then takes a small piece of hollow bamboo and slips it into the coconut to make a straw, passing it to one of the customers as the sand guardian approaches.

The customer walks off with their coconut drink, happily sipping it.

 

“Yes.”
I nod, placing the correct amount of coins down in neat stacks of five wherever it’s convenient.

 

There's a name of the attendant: Orn Moore.


Petunia takes the coin, smiles, then stretches it out to the shape of a boomerang, then a ball, then a cube.
"I remember playing with this when I was just born... I haven't had the chance in a while. Daddy keeps me away from it."


Xlentia looks down at the fire guardian.
"Do you need me to move?" She asks, glancing at the sand guardian.

________________________________

There's a small desk off to the side.
"Alright..." He says, cutting the fabric and using a needle to keep it from unrolling. "Here you go. Thanks for your business, sir!"

 

I take the bundle under my arm and nod, smiling.
“Thank you.”
I then walk off, checking out some of the other caravans.

 

Shadow Stephanie looks around for an ink and quill, pencil or even inkwell pen.


"Can you turn it into a weapon?" Praecantatia asks, thinking.


"Are you an elder dragon or something?" The fire guardian asks, looking at Xlentia in awe.

The sand guardian gets an ice bottle from the hut, before sinking back into the sand.

 

There's one merchant selling caged birds, another selling bread, one selling alcohol... three others seem to be packing up to leave.

________________________________

The ink and quill are on the desk.


Petunia brings it through the shield and touches the cube against her teeth, smile growing a bit scary as they turn into kunai that hang off her teeth.
"I'm the only one I know who can wield it in its most unstable state, other than mommy." She says, hundreds of other dagger projections floating around her.


"Oh, no. I'm just visiting Gaia. I'm a goddess." She smiles.

 

Shadow Stephanie takes quill and dips it into the ink with a grin, adding 'Watch p' before Orn and scribbling out an o of 'Moore'. Shadow Stephanie looks at her work with a cheeky smile.


"Would your father be affected by it?" Praecantatia asks, face lighting up.


"Are you a new goddess?" The fire guardian asks.