i know you, i walked with you once upon a dream

[thespaceopera]

[ Calibration Rooms ]
( for A-M characters )

Before you post your toplevel comment, please:
1. Check the first letter of your character's name as its written in our tags. A-M names comment here, and N-Z names go to the other post.
2. Make a note in your comment if anything especially triggering or graphic might show up in the Calibration. If you're not sure if something's worth noting or not, we suggest listing it anyway, just to err on the side of caution.
3. Put your character's name (it can be shortened or different from the tag, this time) in the subject of your comment. This will help visitors find you easily, and help us update the list below.
4. Post your comment! It's fine if everyone's Calibrations end up looking and reading very different from one another. As long as you're having fun and following our guidelines, you're good to go. :)
5. If you have any questions or concerns during Calibrations, you are welcome to send them towards the mod team at any time, as always.

ROOMS BY CHARACTER

A - C Aurae "Tempest" Le Paulmier Arthur Kirkland Asuka Shikinami Langley Barry Allen Belthazar Spellscry Billy Cranston Carl Grimes Chloe Price Clay Terran Cloud Strife Cogsworth

D - F Daenerys Targaryen Daeron Daryl Dixon Dezel Doudanuki Masakuni Edna Edwin Jarvis Eithan Paine Eizen Eleanor Hume Ezri Dax Fingon Felix Gaeta Felix Harrowgate Fenris Furiosa

G - I Gil Brodie Ginko Hermione Granger Ignis Scientia

J - M Jack Sparrow James "Bucky" Barnes Jayden Price Jim Kirk Kaiden Alenko Kai Gracen Katie McCoy Kaworu Nagisa Keith Khadgar Kirito Kitty Pryde Kurt Darkholme Lance Looma Red Wind Lumiére Lunafreya Nox Fleuret Peggy Carter Maglor Max Rockatansky Merlan Margaret O'Keefe Mikleo Mon-El

(last updated: 6/18/17)

Comments

eizen. ( tw: violence, death )

[rockily]

[ The room opens to a spacious cabin decorated with many different objects from all around the world, the far wall holds bottles of various sorts of alcohol, the table in the middle is decorated with the maps of various places, a dagger or two sticks out of it, as does a couple of smaller model wooden ships.

In the back left of the room sits a bearded man enjoying a bottle of whiskey, when approached an warm feeling fills the air. He doesn't seem to see any who approach, grinning widely as he talks, his words difficult to make out. Whoever he is he carries himself tall, confident, strong, and looking upon him fills the visitor with a sense of pride. But it doesn't last long, with little warning the man changes into a horned daemon filling the area around him with a thick and oppressive air. A sense of dread and panic rises quickly, followed by an anger that burns deep not for the daemon but someone else entirely. Looking closer they will notice the daemon is motionless, almost as though he were sleeping, however upon further inspection one will notice the fist size hole in his chest. Touching the daemon causes a silver flame to spread across his body and turn him back into the man, the very same hole staining his clothes, as he does a memory begins the play unbidden. Once it is finished and the visitor opens their eyes the man is gone leaving only a purple coat where he once sat.

Nearby the table sits a rather large pot, looking at it one can see that it is old, worn a little from all it's years at the sea floor but surprisingly in tact. There are intricate carvings all around it giving it distinct sort of beauty with the elegant craftsmanship, touching it summons up visions of Eizen's friends; of a woman with dark hair, a young boy, a obnoxious witch, a swordsman, a red haired exorcist, and a familiar silver haired seraph. Eizen is among them, of course, as they sail from one port to another; he sits beside the young boy as he reads a compass, he laughs with the swordsman drink in hand, he argues with the witch in front of a crowd of people, he fights alongside the dark haired woman, he watches the red haired exorcist, and he travels alongside the silver haired seraph. The images fade in and out but the air of camaraderie and affection hangs in the air, a feeling of relief that the curse had not taken them.

Further inspection of the pop will find a strange looking beetle, one that seemingly defies description, interacting with it will cause a memory to play before the beetle skitters away.

A loud roar of cheering comes from somewhere outside the room and they might notice a door leading out onto the upper deck stands ajar, if they so choose they can climb the stairs up onto the deck where the open sea air. The visitor may realize that they are in fact on a ship, a pirate ship judging by the gathering of men towards the center of the ship. They are celebrating something, cheering and raising bottles of ale, among them stands a headless daemon, lizard man, and blonde pirate with a bird in his hat. They do not notice any visitors, to engrossed in whatever it is they are celebrating.

To the port side of the ship there is a ramp leading towards a towering mountain, the very peak of which is surrounded in a ominous dark cloud, looking at can fill visitors with a sense of anxiety or dread. Something terrible waits at the peak of the mountain, that much is certain. As they climb the mountain the path branches off into two paths, one climbs higher and higher towards the peak, the other leads to a climbable wall. Climbing the wall find them only expansive field dotted with flowers, the air whips around visitors up here almost vicious as though it is trying to get them to leave, as though it is trying to protect something. Towards the edge of a field a beautiful white dragon curled upon itself, approaching will reveal that there are multiple sharp jagged rocks shooting up from the ground and piercing the dragon's hide. Beside the dragon's head lays a strange, or perhaps familiar, looking gun though the dragon bears no bullet wounds there is a sense that it was used against it. Touching the gun will cause images to appear; the dragon's resounding roar shaking the very air around it, creeping malevolence, silver flames, a hand wrapped tightly around the gun, Eizen shooting himself in the head and finally killing her, Thank you.

The other path, however, leads further up the mountain with each step the sky gets darker and the air thicker. Partway up there is a shrine built into the wall, covered in wild orchids despite the oppressive air the flowers still manage to bloom even as everything around them rots. It only gets worse the further up until all light is shut out by a sickly purple glow, at the peak it almost become impossible to move, to breathe, and the air is filled with a feeling of panic, of fear. Nearby stands the silver haired seraph from before, and the suddenly the fear is for him, is for another, someone yells loudly their voice filled with desperation. Zaveid! Run! Get out of here! It won't be along now, it won't be long until─ There is a scream of pain, unimaginable pain, that turns into a roar and a large dragon looms at the peak of the mountain. Golden eyes burn and it leans down, consuming something almost impossible to make out.

You do not linger upon the mountain, you shouldn't, running back down to the shrine there is now a strange yellow bird waiting amongst the orchids. Visitor's may realize then that these birds seem to be almost everywhere, and if they wish to leave Eizen's room they need only follow them to the exit. ]

[brothersboots]

[A pirate ship...

Of course it would be a pirate ship.

Edna wanders through the cabin with whom she can only guess is Eizen's beloved Aifread—once human, then hellion, and human again through purification's flames and dead—taking front and center until his coat is left. As she processes the information she's received, she can see why he stayed so long with this human.

His presence was so free, not of malevolence, though there wasn't much of that either. No, he was large and loud and full of vigor. It would be hard to hate him, even if she tried. And Eizen was a big softie. A few kind words and he'd fall at the man's feet and stay with him. And she's tried to resent Aifread over the years for the time he had with her brother when she was alone, but it's futile. And now he's dead.

They both are.

The large vase is something she remembers distinctly. It's something she's had for over a thousand years. She's used it to store an annoying Normin, to hold other gifts from Eizen, and she even talked to it for a while, imagining her brother was there with her. It's a gift that she both loves and hates. Back home, she keeps it with the others in her parasol.

She recognizes Velvet and Eleanor right away. They're on the Fleet and she even enjoys talking to the Lord of Calamity, not that she'll say so. The daemon she's seen before and knows is a friend of her brother, but she hasn't talked to him.

And the other malak... no one talks about him.

The beetle doesn't interest her, but the scene between her brother and his daemon friend reminds her of Dezel's lectures about the beetles of Glenwood and she can't help but smile as she wipes away an errant tear. She's always had a soft spot for nerds.

She considers staying there but there's nothing more that speaks out to her and she wants to see more, to understand Eizen more. The group of pirates don't interest her. They never did. Now that she's seen Aifread, she understands. And now she wants off of this boat.

The mountain path both sings to her and makes her shudder. The dark clouds are all too familiar, but she can't stop her feet from heading towards that peak. She doesn't care about the climbable wall. It holds nothing for her. She's sure it has to do with something during his travels, but she needs to head to the peak.

When she sees the shrine, she stops and her knees give out.]

Ednas... You idiot.

[rockily]

[ Eizen doesn't appear to be present for most of her wanderings, not until she begins to climb the mountain does it seem as though something is watching her. Some part of him becomes aware of how long she wanders to the peak, to the danger that lurks up there, and in response a sylphjay flutters after her, chirping what almost seems like warnings.

No, don't go up there! Don't go!

It lands on top of the shrine when she stops, head twitching this way and that as realization seems to hit her. The sylphjay chirps again jumping off the shrine to hop beside her, wings flapping about to gain some speed, as the bird reaches her it makes another noise, jumping onto her leg as though to provide her with some sort of comfort. ]

Aye.

[ The voice comes from above her, from about the shrine, on a small outcrop that overlooks it that is where Eizen, or at least some version of him, sits his gaze focused on the looming dark clouds that swirl about the peak. ]

I was going to bring some back to Rayflake and plant them there. I am sure they would have taken to it, we could have had fields of them across our home. I had some seeds in a box, I would have sent them to you with the Turtlez but I wanted to show you them myself.

[brothersboots]

[She doesn't actually need her brother around to feel him there. It's the strangest feeling, but it isn't bad. No, it's... almost like when he hugged her when they were reunited, both foreign and welcome at the same time.

And it's easy enough to ignore the sylphjay as she walks. Living as long as she has means lots of experience in ignoring a great deal of things while doing what she wants, if she's honest. There's more important things to pay attention to than a silly little bird.

Like the voice that belongs to someone she loves more than she can put into words or show others, even him.]

There were wildflowers, not as pretty or temperamental, but hardy and sturdy nonetheless. [She's used them for many graves and the shrine she maintained for centuries.] They survived your domain for a long time.

[rockily]

[ The bird doesn't seem to mind being ignored, it keeps close to her anyway picking at flecks of random dirt, flapping it's wings to jump this way and that. It will stay close even if she tries to shoo it away, because that is what Eizen wants it to do.

The seraph himself, or this figment of him, turns his attention to her all the way below him, to the shrine he knows lays beneath. ]

Did they?

[ He wishes he could remember them but those memories are clouded in a swirling vortex of malevolence, difficult to take hold of─ above them the cloud swirling at the mountain's peak let out a thunderous sound. ]

I imagine they will thrive now that it's gone.

:)

[airily]

[ He climbs the mountain because he has no other option. He knows where he's going - it's a path he's walked a dozen times, feeling like a thousand, most of them ending in disappointment. There's no hope to be found at the peak, but at the same time... There's no where else for him to go. There is no other option when this pathway is laid bare for him, ready and waiting, almost as if it's calling him up and up and up to where his heart feels heaviest.

The purple is familiar. The thick air, the dark sky, the pain and uncertainty - Zaveid remembers it. When he feels the panic thrum through him and hears the echo of words... A part of him wants to break. He wants to fall apart and give into the urge to shudder into pieces, as if it's an option. As if he's somehow lost all of his strength, had it ripped out of his hands by the sheer presence of the memory, the reminder of all that he had lost and what he had gained because of it.

He knows the dragon, and he wants to fall to his knees, but he doesn't. Instead, he watches, reliving his own memories, feeling his own pain and regret, until he presses the heel of his palm into his eye, trying to fight back the tears that rise high despite his control. There's no escaping it, really, he thinks, and it shudders through him like a sad, desperate echo. ]

You idiot...

[rockily]

[ I'll take his attention, I'll make the bastard focus on me. Just get out of here Zaveid... please, I don't want to hurt you.

There are thoughts there in the thick air, feelings that reach out and seek to wrap around the wind seraph, to smother him like a blanket. Something in the room seems becomes incredibly aware of his presence, so much that it seems to shift towards him. Emotions centered around him surge to the surface, the fear of hurting him chief among them, knowing how close he was to becoming a monster and how close one of his dearest friends, his loved ones, was standing.

I'm s─

The scene plays out without pause, there was no stopping it then and there is no stopping it now, the memories of the event burned so keenly into his mind. If he could forget it... no, he wouldn't. As stupid and selfish as it was Eizen won't forget it, won't ever come to regret it. He would make the same decision if he ever had the chance, if it meant saving someone he cared about─ someone that he still cares about. ]

Don't do this to yourself.

[ Even though he wasn't there before Eizen stands before Zaveid now, hands stuffed into the pockets of his pants, using his body to block out the memory behind him. His expression is grim, jaw tight, the images clearly affecting even this version of himself. ]

You're only going to make it hurt more.

[airily]

[ It's not like Zaveid can look away - it's not his memory but it might as well be. He recognises it for what it is, echoes of a time and a place long in his own history, burning into his eyes and ripping him apart even as he stares forward. The purple of the world, the burn of malevolence, familiar from Thedora, the scream of Eizen's voice as it twists and shapes into a roar, the shout of the Lord of Calamity... That's what he can remember and it makes him feel sick, makes his stomach twist with sadness and discomfort, all thoughts that he had pushed to one side for so long.

He doesn't move, barely reacts, when he sees Eizen suddenly appear in his line of sight. It doesn't seem to matter to him and his teeth clench as he stares forward, as if drinking the memory in for all that it's worth. He's devouring it, reliving it, because he doesn't want to forget. Zaveid can't let himself forget this one moment where the last person he had in the world sacrificed himself to save it and all he could do was stand and watch.

It hurts. It hurts so much. He lost everything in a single moment and he can't make it better.

It takes him a little while to find the words to speak and his chest feels thick and heavy, weighted with the malevolence and with the pain of existing, wanting to reach out and save Eizen but knowing he doesn't have the power and the strength. He's not pure. He doesn't have that power. Laphicet isn't here. ]

Where else am I gonna go, huh?

[ His arms cross over his chest before he finally turns his head to look at Eizen. He tries to steel himself, to keep himself set and sure, but it's not that easy. It's certainly not that simple. ]

It's not gonna hurt any less.

[rockily]

Zaveid.

[ He keeps standing there in front of him, this Eizen, a near useless barrier against the horrible memory that burns deep into their minds, into their hearts. Impossible to ignore, impossible to forget. It is there always in the back of his mind, the moment he threw himself into the malevolence to save the world, to save Edna, to save Zaveid. Still he tries to shield him from it, stepping in close enough to obscure the view though not the screams and roars. His hands reach up to take the either side of the other seraph's face, to drag his focus away from the memory. ]

Anywhere but here.

[ He doesn't want Zaveid to hurt like this, doesn't want him to relieve such painful moments of his life─ of their lives. The mountain is full of nothing but pain even the ship is stained with it, with things lesser men might try to forget to spare themselves the pain but they never will. Zaveid has suffered enough because of him, because of the promise made centuries ago, because of the Fleet bringing Eizen back into his life.

It needs to stop. ]

Leave the mountain, Zaveid. Please.

[nerdeology]

[The cabin alone is a delight to Mikleo from the moment he arrives. His gaze drifts from feature to feature, eyes wide and gleeful. He leans on the table to check the maps - so different from the world he knows, but some of the same shapes are still there if he squints - and he reads the spines of the books for titles new and old that catch his attention.

The man in the back is recognizable only by the coat, but when Mikleo tries to approach and he changes, the sudden darkness in the air scares him off. Instead he returns to the main part of the cabin, more cautious this time, but still enthused by what he sees. He'll watch his back, it's just- it's impossible to resist the lure of what he sees around him.]

Amazing... so this is what a sailing ship feels like?

[rockily]

Her name is the Van Eltia.

[ Eizen seems to appear from thin air to occupy one of the empty seats, feet resting comfortably on top of the table. He looks comfortable here in the cabin, regardless of the man in the corner, almost as if he is home. ]

One of the best ships out there.

[ Tilting his head to the he regards Mikleo with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. ]

Beautiful, isn't she?

[nerdeology]

From what I can see, yeah.

[Mikleo peers out one of the side windows, getting a better look at the rest of the ship. He's never been to a port town before, so he has no idea how it might compare to any other ship, but there's no denying what he can see is grand and elegant, a sleek build made to cut through waves of any kind.]

No wonder you love it. It must feel amazing out on the water...

[searingedgelord]

[Velvet recognizes the ship as she wanders through the lower decks. Of course she does. She's spent a lot of time traveling with Eizen since they met. She pauses her perusal to touch the vase, when she sees it. She can't help it. She recognizes it.

As the memories fade she smiles faintly to herself.]

Seems like the Reaper really is soft.

[She says, as if she, herself, doesn't harbor the exact same sorts of feelings for their motley crew of misfits.

She notices the beetle, too, and isn't all surprised by the memory she sees. She huffs a little. That stupid bug, she thinks. Though it's not a hostile, thought.

Eventually she finds her way to the upper decks, and of course recognizes the people she sees there. She doesn't approach them, though. Instead she wanders over to look out at the sea.]

I've missed this.

[rockily]

[ The room seems to take quick notice of her as she wanders, fond attention focusing on her as she views the memories from the pot and the beetle. The crew seems to get louder as she gets onto the deck, almost as though celebrating her appearance though none of them see her, they laugh and cheer and Benwick says her name amongst the racket; Three cheers for Velvet, three cheers for Eizen!

What does notice her, however, are the sylphjays that fly about the ship's sails. A couple swoop down to join her, landing on the railing and chirping, making short hops from side to side. ]

Yeah, so have I.

[ His voice is the only warning she gets before he appears beside her, leaning against the ships rails and watching the crew gathered some distance away from them. ]

It's... been too long.

[searingedgelord]

[Her head tilts just slightly toward the sound of the cheers, a faint smile playing on her lips. She watches the birds for a moment, before glancing up at the sound of Eizen's voice.]

Space just isn't the same.

[Even though space is vast, there's something freeing about being on the sea.]

[monolike]

[There's so much to look at, so much to see and do that Sorey can hardly contain himself. He can hear the cheers from outside, see the man acting out a script yet unknown to him in the corner but what really catches his eye is the large pot in the corner, obviously old, and covered in an old motif that seems familiar, but doesn't exactly match anything Sorey's ever seen before.

Cue geeking out.]

Whoaaa, is this- this has to be from the Temperance of Avarost. There's no- the curvature on the carvings around the rim-

[The second Sorey lays hands on it, images flash into his mind; some of them he recognizes, like Velvet, Rokurou and the exorcist Eleanor. But some of them...the woman with the books at her waist, and the little boy- though he feels familiar too, as if Sorey's known him all his life. And then of course Zaveid, looking half as troubled and twice as clothed as Sorey remembers him, all of them walking together, arguing, laughing; Velvet's face softening as she looks over the young malak, Eizen, Rokurou and Zaveid all sharing a drink. Eleanor teaching the malak a game with bits of stone and lines scratched into the dirt, the other woman he doesn't know poking at a normin in a strange hat.

Something pulses through him, warmth, relief, but when Sorey reaches out a hand toward the images they vanish before his eyes like a mirage dispelled and he's left there, in a cabin that doesn't see him, with a man who no longer exists, and a crew that celebrates a victory without him at their sides.]

...Eizen, [Sorey murmurs, eyes burning just a bit.] Is this yours...?

[rockily]

[ This image of Eizen appears just as Sorey touches to pot watching in silence as the memories start to rush through his head. The room fills with the very same warmth, the relief, wisps of feeling floating about the room on a soft sea breeze. He does not speak at first, only stands beside the pot and waits for the memories to be finished, blue eyes moving from the Shepherd to the beetle that skitters across the pot.

Attention that snaps right back when he hears Sorey speak, arms crossing across his chest as he nods. ]

Aye, those are my memories of when I traveled with Velvet and her friends. [ A beat. ] My friends.

[ Those memories feel like a hundred lifetimes ago now and something in his chest aches; his friends are all dead now, he is sure, and hopefully after living long lives. All but Laphicet who he has not spoke too for over two hundred years. He misses that kid. ]

[monolike]

[Sorey spins, still clutching the edge of the pot. He hadn't expected anyone to show up but now that he's here, Sorey can't help but notice just how perfectly Eizen fits in with the setting of the cabin. It's almost laughable; an Earth seraph, so comfortable and at home on a ship in the middle of the water, and yet it's clear to see that this is much a home to Eizen as anywhere on land.]

Your crew...they're all human?

[sylphystia]

[Dezel is incredibly curious about the earth seraph, but he doesn't want to piss off a dragon, either. He doesn't know if getting eaten in a dream will hurt him outside of it yet. Even so... he can't help examining the large pot and noticing the memories surrounding it. The beetle argument reminds him quite a bit of himself-- and he actually smiles to himself, miracle of miracles.

It's the promise of hearty ocean wind that brings him to the top deck at last. He watches the obviously hellionized people having normal lives, laughing and drinking and having fun. Dezel feels like he missed some vital piece of the puzzle. The feeling here, however, is unmistakable. These are Eizen's family. These are Eizen's crew.

Maybe they're not so different after all.

He wants to know more about this curse he heard whispered at the edges of the malevolence, but he doesn't know who to ask. Instead he leans out over the railing and closes his eyes, letting the wind sort through his hair and his jacket. It's so alien-- he doesn't remember ever sailing across an ocean-- but he kind of loves it.]

[rockily]

[ Though Eizen does not appear straight away something else does, the birds that flit about the ship and the mountain seem to take great notice in Dezel, flocking from all over. Most stick to the higher perches of the ship but a few fly closer, landing on the railing and chirping.

Behind him the crew seem to laugh talking about something or other, a time that they was pushed off course by a freak storm and they found some old ruins.

A couple more sylphjays seem to join the mix, one landing higher up the main mast while the second lands right beside Dezel, it's head jerking from side to side, inspecting the wind seraph. A moment passes before the creature decides to hop closer, flapping it's wings as though about to take off again. ]

They seem to like you.

[ A little further down the rail Eizen appears, leaning against the wood with his arms cross across his chest. ]

They've only ever flocked around myself or Benwick.

[uwannagobro]

[ The cheering catches his ear, and it nearly pulls his attention away, the way any good, rousing sound would when you're a daemon always on the look for a fight. He can make out the voices with some familiarity, so he doesn't have any doubts about what's waiting for him up on that deck, but right now, there's just one thing that sounds out to him as unfamiliar, and that keeps his attention the most. He's caught on the sight of the other man in the room, watching the shift from man to daemon with an idle curiosity. All he knew about Aifread he's heard from Eizen, but the stories sounded like just as much fun as he'd had traveling around with Velvet and her gang. Even he got why Eizen and the rest of his crew looked so hard for him. ]

[ He'd only seen Aifread as a daemon a small handful of times, and he'd only ever seen the man once as a human. And not under the best circumstances then. So he commits the sight of the pirate to memory, the way he's sure Eizen remembers him as well. ]

[ There's an itch to take out the last of the sake he's got stored in a bottle in his kimono, but he settles for a nod toward the daemon in front of him, solemn and respectful toward the man who influenced his friend so much. ]

Really was a shame we never got to meet. You seemed like a hell of a guy to be around.

[rockily]

[ The image of Eizen is quick to appear to Rokurou, seated nearby Aifread as he shifts into something monstrous only to disappear entirely, leaving all but his coat behind. He doesn't look at the coat, nor his daemon visitor, staring instead straight ahead out one of the windows to the endless expanse of ocean. ]

He really was.

[ There is a sorrow there, in his voice and in the room, faded and distant but there. For all that he has accepted Aifread's death, for all he does not regret his part in it, it still saddens him. ]

You would have liked him, you all would have.

[aspearing]

[ She's never been on a ship before.

Sailing is nothing but a dream right now. Not an impossible one, she thinks - but still a dream. With thinking about exploring ruins as she has also comes the thought of exploring ones that may very well be outside of Glenwood - to possibly see what the world has to offer. However, her duties remained at home, with her people - with those who need her or her help, should she need it.

She looks around the cabin, taking in everything she can before she has to leave - the faint smell of salt, the feeling of the boat moving through the ocean's water. She doesn't miss the man that seems to stand out, feeling more at ease with the warmth that he seems to spread throughout the room. ]

This... all of this. It really is amazing. [ She says quietly, softly. She wants to remember this moment to the best of her ability. ]

[rockily]

[ Something in the room notices her quickly, notices the strange presence without the slightest bit of familiarity, and watches her from the shadows. It's not threatening, whatever it is, more curious than anything else, uncertain of what to make of the visitor. The cabin shifts slightly with the waves causing the wall of bottles to clink against each other, the sound they make chime-like.

The bearded man laughs off in the corner and calls out for Eizen, waving over someone seemingly only he can see, the cabin shifts again and bottles clink together. It's uncertain whether or not Eizen appears because of Aifread's call or not, but he appears all the same, back to the door leading up onto the ship's deck. ]

Aye, she is a grand ship.

[aspearing]

[ Shlooks to the source of the voice, blinking a little in surprise before offering a small smile. ]

It certainly seems that way. [ She responds softly before nodding politely. ] Please, excuse my intrusion.