driftfleet | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: IT'S A GAME MINGLE GET IN THE VAN
Broadcast: If you want!
Action: All of it!
When: Second half of the month.

[hey everyone! how's it been going? how's medieval-fun-time-world treating you? anyone pillaged and burned anything yet? got kicked out of the castle? been planning expeditions? registered for jousting? busy angsting for the last two weeks on your ship?

this is a mingle for everybody, whether they're hiding in the volcano, out and about in the city, or up on one of those random random stations where you can get quirky souvenirs.]

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[His behavior is odd enough that even Mattias notices it. He leaves it be for now, hopping off the rock he was perched upon. The journal, fortunately, was snapped shut upon arrival. No need for Robin to see the subject of his drawings. Ever.]

Intrigued, actually. Back home, lost souls usually took the forms of demons, not spectres. Honestly, I was hoping to gain a few samples of them, though I'm fairly uncertain how to go about that with something intangible.

[Oh. He's talking too much. And Robin... Nervously, he clears his throat and starts forward.] Will... you be alright? I neglected to mention they were inside.

[Was Robin afraid of them? It's meager and awkward but at least it's an attempt to check. See? He can be considerate.]

[he eyes the journal, but he doesn't ask. maybe someday...

but he's quick to wave off Mattias' concerns, now that they're within conversing distance and so close to the mouth of the thing.] Oh, I'll be fine. Dispelling ghosts is practically a hobby of mine.

[which is not untrue. there were a lot of restless souls in Skeleton City's underground. they were partly responsible the name. his eyes finally drag down from the mound to Mattias, proper, and a little bit of his usual cheer blinks back onto his face.]

I just find the name very odd. Almost identical to the name of the ruins upon which the Nine Kings were said to die, with this hardly being a "ruin" in its own right... Do you think it's silly of me to wonder if it's more than a mere coincidence?

[There it is. The Robin he's grow accustomed to. Mattias smiles, relaxing slightly.]

I think it'd be silly of you not to assume it was more than coincidence. Perhaps your tale of the Nine Kings stretches out this far and these ruins—[he gestures to it]—are the only remnant they can pay homage with. Or, [he grins] perhaps they simply heard you were coming and named you it to cause a bit more paranoia.

[It's a joke. He laughs to dismiss it, leading the way inside, calling back as he trots:] Either way! There's only one way to find out!

[he laughs a little too. it would be silly if he found remnants of them in here. especially if they did it wrong. he follows Mattias, not afraid and certainly not hesitant.]

I'll give it this, at least... For all the worlds we've visited, this one gets the award for most morally dubious...

[the passages inside the mound are dark, save for a couple of torches lit in remembrance. or so that visitors don't trip over loose stones. however you want to piece it.]

What? For the ruins or the—[even with the torches, Mattias manages to trip, continuing once he's recovered]—whole ruse?

[Trotting to catch up, he gets distracted halfway through by what he thinks are foreign markings. They turn out to be nothing.] I must say I have my qualms about the situation here but... [Still.] If this is the worst it's been, I'd say that's fairly fortunate.

[he'll give him a friendly pat on the back when he's within range again--but it's almost more to get him into leading them again. come on, man, get it together.]

I mean the whole thing. It could be much worse, yes, but I just hope it's not a sign of things to come...

[the tunnel seems to descend downwards. there are some stairs. and urns full of ashes. cobwebs. it gets pretty cold. he doesn't seem worried.]

...Feels almost like home down here, actually.

Like Skeleton City? [He ducks under a cobweb, shaking the threads off of his hand with slight distaste.] I must say my mental image was much more, er. Gracious?

[Yeah, that word would do. A little deeper in, he frowns, glancing around.] I do hope something shows up. I’d hate to make it look like I called you here for no reason. [The implications of that would be… telling. Maybe they already are. Honestly, he tries not to think about it.] Not much in terms of relics either. Hm.

[Disappointing.] I wouldn’t worry. About things getting worse. I don’t believe our hosts would send us to anyplace too dark. It makes for bad entertainment.

Oh, the top levels are gorgeous. No mistake. The lower levels, though... Much less developed.

[and the monsters down there eat people so often that they might as well be burial mounds. everyone knows that if you get shoved down to the lowest levels, you are there to die.

he peeks around a corner, but he can see that it just leads to a dead end.]

Human entertainment, anyway. This place seems-- [he looks back at Mattias, starting to go the other way.] Something is strange about it, but I can't put my finger on it...

[oh, hey... there are some caskets cracked open up ahead. you could peek into one of them...]

It doesn’t feel dead enough. [Distracted, he trails after Robin haltingly, peeking and prying at small nooks and corners.] It’s not solemn. There’s no age, just… [he runs his hands along a ragged brick.] … signs of it. It’s odd, I agree. [But then he beams and it’s so chipper a sunny day would be jealous.] But that just makes it all the more interesting, no? Ooh, are those caskets?

[He’s bustling over to them, brushing fingers over the scant details. When the outside has been thoroughly inspected, he moves to the interior, pushing the lid back.

And triggering the spring-loaded cutout of a… mummy? To his credit, Mattias doesn’t jump. Doesn’t even gasp. Just stares at the “mummy” for a long while before snapping its head off with sharp elbow jab. When he finally turns back to Robin, his expression is dark. He tosses him the head of the charade.] Odd, indeed.

[Robin didn't jump either, but at least he had the good sense to be surprised about it. the look keeps up even after he catches (flawlessly) the fake head and starts looking inside of it, quickly picking out a little piece of black machinery, a tiny box.

blinking light. not very medieval.]

You've got to be kidding me.

This is a desecration! [Robin's comment goes unnoticed, covered by the scraping whine of another casket opening. Mattias is going on a small rampage, it seems, opening up all of them in the hopes of finding something true. It's a vain attempt. All of them open up to the same thing.] These are abominations! Monstrosities!

[He proclaims each after every unveiling, snarling when they're all erect. With a huff, he steps back, hair falling in loose strands around his face. Annoyed, he smooths them back. They don't stay.] Let's move on.

[Brusque. He moves on without waiting.]

...Oh boy.

[he... smiles as he follows him, because he can't help but thinking it's kind of funny. culturally insensitive, yes. but watching Mattias get all worked up about it... he ends up tossing the fake head back into one of the caskets with a hollow rattling sound.]

That explains the distinct lack of disturbed spirits, I suppose.

And to think I thought I needed your protection. I feel an awful fool.

[He doesn't slow down, leading them into a new chamber. Here, a ghoul lies in wait in all it's holographic glory. This time, he's taken aback, moving back half a step before catching himself. Scowling, he picks up a spare stone and lobs it at the creature. It passes through easily.]

As if using them as entertainment wasn't distasteful enough, now they disrespect their history? Unless these tombs are lies as well.

[He speaks with sharp derision, a sneer haunting every syllable. Striding to the stone, he picks it up, turning back to Robin with fresh words tensing his shoulders.]—Is this common?

[he watches all of this in relative silence. it's very interesting. Mattias usually gives the impression that he is rather... "useless" isn't the right word, but right now he's showing a kind of competence and self-righteousness that he doesn't usually get to see.

Tek doesn't think that Mattias could possibly be dangerous, but honestly... Robin's still thinks he's got it in him, somewhere. maybe in the right situation, under the right circumstances.

he himself continues looking mostly pleasant about the whole thing, though he says--] Desecrating a house of the dead? Not really.

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