Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"That's... what I was worried about." Idhaenna sighs.
"If you were on better terms here, I'd suggest you just go." Gaia says.
"I mean, sure, but what exactly should I do about it then?"
"Worst case scenario, maybe you could join us on the tour?" Gaia asks, turning towards her counterpart.

 

"I don't think she's doing this because you're here. She wouldn't block my telepathy without good reason. She's probably just somewhere that my messages can't get to and she doesn't realise it." Gaia explains.

"Tenebrae's king and his partner are on her islands too. If I remember what I heard correctly, they've assisted you in the past. I'm sure they'd be willing to assist you again if you explained yourself." Lux suggests.

 

"They did, albeit for a simple reason. I got too cocky thinking the Hive Master wouldn't make a move on me, and he did. They turned down my offerings as a reward, deeming them somewhat blasphemous... thus, I still don't know their opinion of me."

"Could you see if Artemis can notify her of it?" Gaia asks her counterpart.

 

"Oh, that's a brilliant idea!" Gaia says, putting a hand to her head and focusing again.

"She said she'd inform Stephanie and Praecantatia of your visit." Gaia says cheerily after a short while, turning to look at Idhaenna.

 

Idhaenna nods.
"Could you let her know I'll head over in about five minutes? If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to study the palace architecture briefly." She asks, looking at Gaia before turning to the royals.

 

Gaia nods, telepathically linking to Artemis once more.

"Feel free to explore the palace as you please." Solus says happily.

 

"I do. Right here on this shore."
I smile.

"Now, I'll be off. Got a fox' tail to chase."

 

"Good luck catching her again. You've done it before, though, so you should be fine." He chuckles, turning to head back into the ocean.

Idhaenna's hololens appears again as she flies around, scanning the palace and taking note of any murals or large statues.

"I'm so glad you know how to keep her in check." Gaia sighs, looking at her counterpart with a sign of exhaustion. "I'm sorry I keep letting her get under my skin."

 

Various murals and statues depict the current royalty, though some seem to depict royalty that have since passed - the older the statue, the older the royalty. Servants bow before Idhaenna as she passes, not wanting to show any disrespect to the deity guest.

"I think she's deeply troubled by something, which is reminded to her by her daily stresses," Gaia theorises, "We don't live a laid back lifestyle, but our less frequent interactions with mortals takes a lot of stress off of our minds."

"Perhaps you'd like to start the tour now, though? It seems better than dwelling on negative thoughts." Leilia says positively, trying to lighten the mood.

 

"Idhaenna scans pretty much everything of note in sight as she goes, nodding at the servants she passes.
Once five minutes pass, she warps to Praecantatia's island.

"I did say that I'd be ready when the rest of you were." Gaia smiles, nodding at Leilia.

 

Idhaenna finds herself on the outer islands of Praecantatia's realm, though two distinct islands seem to stand out; floating higher and further away than the rest of the islands. One seems to have a tower that stretches upwards forever, while the other seems to contain nothing more than a large grey box. Praecantatia's tree looms above them all, however, standing tall and strong in the center island.


"Then let us begin!" Solus says definitively, standing up with Leilia. Gaia and Lux also rise shortly after.

 

Idhaenna scans for an entry, not wanting to just barge in as she looks for either Praecantatia’s or a familiar soul.


Gaia nods, getting up shortly after her counterpart.

 

Idhaenna can sense Artemis' soul in the large tower, while my own soul seems to reside in the grey box. There appears to be multiple points of entry at the tree, though accessing them seems to be a little more complex.


The royalty strides proudly to the exit of the dining hall, just under half of the palace workers remaining to eat what's left of the vast feast. The gods follow as the royalty waits by the door.

 

Idhaenna checks to see if getting to you or Artemis will be easier.


Gaia sticks close to her counterpart, still trailing her slightly.

 

Artemis and I seem to be equidistant from each other, though getting to either island will take half as long as traveling to Praecantatia's tree. A few golems wander about the islands, tending to flowers or just monitoring their surrounding environment.


The royals lead the gods out of the palace and into the richer part of the city first, explaining parts of it's history, relevance and present activities in relation to it's buildings and people.

 

Idhaenna telepathically links with you.
“Hey, mind if I pop in? I don’t want to just show up in front of Lady Praecantatia, and I figure you know this place better than I do.”


Gaia seems more interested in the history, though she glances at Lux with a touch of confusion periodically.

 

"Uh, sure." I respond, sounding distracted.


"Need anything explained a little more?" Lux asks after Gaia's counterpart glances at him.

 

Cloaked, Idhaenna warps onto the edge of the island you’re on.


“No, I think I got it.” Gaia says, before linking with Lux.
“That’s a lie. How does this place have such a long history if the realm was re-created recently?”

 

The large grey box seems to have a comparatively small monitor on the side of it, which seems to be displaying what's happening inside. I seem to be running from a heat-seeking missile as a distorted clone of myself follows my every move. Golden coins shimmer in the air as I leap from gray wall to gray wall inside the box, missile exploding on the wall as I gain height toward a round button suspended near the ceiling. As I let myself drop after hitting the button, however, I come into contact with my clone and disintegrate; only to reappear in a pit covered with mines with gaps barely big enough to jump between. I curse in frustration for a short while before agilely navigating the minefield.


"Consider it less recreating the realm from scratch, and more booting up and old backup of the realm." Lux explains.

 

"I'm surprised you haven't put one of these in your palace." Idhaenna comments, standing nearby.


"That makes a lot more sense. Do the tangent histories from after backups go forgotten, or are they still recorded?"