Meddlesome Gods: The Call of the Eighth God
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Rajani has partially disconnected.
Sleep was fitful. Images of various parts of the city with something chaotic going on flashes though. Sometimes it is good chaos such as a child falling from a building and being saved by many people while others scramble to do what they can to help Sometimes it is awful such as a young woman being executed by a masked figure. Everyone experiences something different than another but it is always an utterly chaotic scene (up to you if you include it in your pose). Those that experience these dreams find their day always seems to have something that gets out of hand, no matter the measures they take to control it. They are pushed to the temples of the Gods but going to the individual ones seems to make those moments longer and harder to reign in. Eventually, as if pulled by the chaos those to a historic site, the first temple ever created for the Gods. The holy and sad place that it is.
Liam made his way to the temple its been a day, a really bad day for the man, looking around the temple of the gods he shakes his head. Between the dreams of the woman being excuted and then the most simple of tasks growing chaotic and out of control he just needed to be away from it all. His fingers run through his black hair as he looks around the temple, "Why." he whispers to himself.
Rajani has partially disconnected.
Rajani's dream was an old one of hers, just amplified. She'd wake up in the pre-dawn morning as has been her wont, moving with mouse-like quiet through the mansion to her favoured window sill to watch the sun rise. The blood red of the sun's rise began, casting the Seat of the Gods into silhouette before the rapidly-reddening sky.
Then she'd wake up.
She'd move with mouse-like quiet through the mansion to her favoured window sill.
She'd watch the sun rise.
But this time the city in silhouette had massive pillars of smoke all over.
Shen she woke up. She crept to her window sill. The city was in flames.
She woke up and crept to the window sill. The city was in flames with half the tallest structures falling to ruin before her eyes.
Finally she woke up for real, shaken, fearful, and with a persistent sense of unreality that only got worse as the day progressed. A horse nearly ran her down. In the market the shelf of fabrics she'd been looking over fell on her, causing her bodyguard to lose their heads and threaten the hapless shopkeeper while she struggled free of the suffocating silks.
Her mother's temple was even worse, with people running into her and a cistern shattering, dumping its load of collected rainwater straight down upon her.
Thus it is that, drawn to the ruined temple by a compulsion she cannot understand, the wet and bedraggled princess stumbles into the Temple of the Gods, leaving her bodyguards behind as she used her magic to erase herself from their perception long enough to escape.
They'll be fine. There's no consequences to "losing" a princess, after all, if you're a bodyguard, right?
Essa has arrived.
Rajani has partially disconnected.
Behind Liam comes the familiar figure of his timid little minion. She also faced the chaoticness of dreams and the day. Her dream was no doubt involved with something happening to Liam and one of her loved ones. It is hard to say if her day was a mess because she followed behind Liam to try and help him with his woes or because she too met with the nightmares of chaos. Whatever the reason she is quick to follow her prince where ever he may go and help him to the best of her capabilities.
In the middle of the temple is a figure. From the doors one might think the figure is one of the skeletons but as Liam, Essa, and Rajani draw closer they will pick up on the distinctive feeling the Gods give off coming from the person. It is not one of the familiar current seven, which means it is a 'new God'. One that has been whispered about and hinted at by other Gods. When they can clearly see the figure it takes on the visage of the type of person that appeals the most to each person.
Rajani has partially disconnected.
Rajani has partially disconnected.
Liam looks to Essa as he realizes she is behind him, there is a smile but then he is looking at the figure in the middle of the temple. "Essa dear, do you see the figure as well?" he asks her. His feet seem to bring him in the direction of the man standing there, his eyes looking him over. His head tilting to the side, "He is very attractive isn't he?" he looks the lean figure over with his dark hair. "Interesting, Hello." he calls to the figure.
It's sometimes very fortunate for someone as poorly-able to control her reactions as Rajani to have such dark skin that blushing is almost entirely invisible. Not that it helps much in this case since the clearly-smitten girl is just staring at the god, unabashedly drinking him in, mouth slightly agape, as the being adopts a form that is a blend of all the idealized forms of all the masculine figures of her life.
The poor sheltered girl has no idea who or what she finds most attractive, so is getting them all.
When others enter her awareness she snaps out of the spell the God has cast upon her.
"Oh, ... ah ... hi."
Very eloquent.
"I'm ..." Her eyes stray to the god and her voice fades as she stares again. "... Rajani," she adds in a long sigh.
What Essa sees shifts between Liam and a Santuan woman of lavender skin. She is quite shapely. Clearly she has two types. Her prince and a preference of Santuan women. She looks a little started but is quickly distracted when she hears the 'real' Liam speak. Given her timid nature it is no surprise she flushes about being caught staring at what appeals to her. She blushes even more when she looks to Liam at his question then glances away to stare at Rajani. She instinctively dips into a proper curtsy to the princess before responding to Liam, still staring at Rajani and not Liam or the God, "Yes, your highness. PErhaps another God?" She felt the 'godly' sensation upon arrival, after all.
At the looks from the three Echo smiles and draws closer. The more 'innocent' Rajani catches the attention of the God as he draws closer to her, lifting a hand to brush a hand to her cheek, "The lost little princess of Luminat. So lovely." the God purrs. One would almost think she was Larthin but something about him makes it clear she is not the petty God. Away from Rajani shifts to Liam and Echo's touch shifts to the adopted SAntuan Prince, "And the adopted of Kalem. Such a delight. It is always fun when people answer my call." Essa just gets a smirk from the God. Essa covered the reactions Echo would have wanted to evoke from the servant.
Liam looks to the princess nodding his head to her, but then there is movement. "Your highness." he says to the princess, but then his feet move to stand in front of Essa as if to shield her from the man in front of him. When he touches Rajani first then him, his cheek almost tilts into it but he stops himself as he watches. "You are the one who has caused all the chaos?"
"Echo..." Rajani's voice sighs out as she's touched by the god, naming him out in the open (though this is likely not yet clear). "...I remember you."
Record scratch. Whaaaaaaaaaat!?
When Echo's overwhelming presence departs to impose on Liam and Essa, he leaves behind a trembling form in his wake; the trembling not born of fear. Rajani shakes her tresses and visibly pulls herself together. Swallowing several times, she finally gets the words out of her mouth. "Why did you summon us?" Beat. And just before the idea that she's arrogantly questioning a god, adds, "How can we help?"
Rajani's eyes stray to Liam when he speaks. OK, let's be honest. They're mostly on Echo. But still she addresses Liam.
"We are pleased to make your acquaintance," she says in her rigid, formulaic, and utterly ineffective attempt to sound regal. "And gratified that you have recognized who we are. May we know whom we are addressing?"
Some people witnessing this might also suddenly have a picture of the princess stepping into something. For reasons.
When Liam steps before her she glances up and smiles to him before shifting her gaze to Echo to watch. For the time being she is doing nothing but waiting and watching. So far Liam doesn't seem to be in danger so she is not going to take any actions to protect or help him.
"Does it matter whether I am or not?" wonders Echo of Liam with a laugh. "Your day was interesting, was it not?" To Rajani she looks and smiles at her, "Of course you do. I had a good time with you when you were younger. Masquerade meddled, though. I wanted to push Mataya further." Yup, poor Rajani was used to mess with another God by Echo. He adds, as if it would make what she did better, "I would not have let you die. That would have not been as fun." Echo moves to sit on her shrine and crosses his legs at the knee. "I was bored with being a 'secret' so I decided to make myself known. Though, I am not sure if I will let you guys remember this encounter. PErhaps further testing." he muses. "Doesn't that seem like a good plan?" he inquires of all three.
Liam looks to Rajani, "Prince Liam Santua." he tells her, his eyes remain on the new god, he is quiet for the moment as he stands still a bit protective of his servant.."It could be interesting."
"Oh. Your ... Highness, right? Not Majesty, that would be your father." Rajani's thought processes are being performed out loud as she talks, her eyes off Echo for the first time as she resolves the conundrum to her satisfaction. "I'm pleased to meet you then. Princess Rajani Luminat." She pauses a heartbeat. "But you knew that already," she adds sheepishly. "I ..."
She decides to shut up about that now.
Instead she turns her gaze back to Echo and bites her lip a moment, subconsciously. "Testing?" she asks hesitantly. "What ... kind of test? And why?"
"A fun test." declares Echo to both. He likely means fun for herself. Echo seems to flipflop between doing good, bad, or nothing all the time. "Do tests need a reason to be done?" At least when a God decides to do one. The three who answered his call each get a studying look before an inquire of, "What do you think the test should cover?" A test before a test, maybe?
"I think," Rajani says, taking the initiative, "that perhaps a ... test of perception?" She tilts her head and regards Echo a moment, quietly, eyes narrowed in thought. "That seems to be what you best embody: playful warping of perception. Like now. What you look like. That's not your real appearance, is it?"
She's young. She's inexperienced. She's naive. She's not stupid.
A grin splits her face with bright white flashing in the darkness.
"But you'll find me harder to fool now than when we first met."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that." says Echo to Rajani as he stands to start walking towards the exit, "What Gods can do is far beyond what mortals can. Has that not been proven time and time again?" She glances then to Essa and Liam, seeming amused by the pair. That can't be good. Especially after the note of a test for Echo to decide if news should be spread about him, "Until the tests I have planned are complete, you can not speak of finding me or of anything about me that is not already known. People know I exist. People know I have my spoon in many pots. If it is not something that is 'general' knowledge about me, you will not be able to speak of it until after I have done my tests." With that the God disappears, leaving the group to talk of what to do.