For Our Eternity

||  █ ▌— the word choice that the other uses doesn’t go unnoticed by jakurai, and he gives it pause, turns ‘human’ over in his mind and latches on a little, ever so curious, but not yet certain how to formulate his questions. and, of course, netzach is right. human night vision is not phenomenal. jakurai knows he will be relying more on his hearing, but he can at least make out basic shapes. ❝ no… unfortunately it isn’t, ❞ he agrees, tilting his head slightly to the side as he looks the other over, curiously. ❝ we humans are relatively useless at night, aren’t we? ❞

he’s also still more than capable of handling himself in any sort of situation, but more than ever he longs for his microphone. an odd weapon, he knows, but it has since come to feel right in his hands. still, if either of them sustain any sort of injury, traditional methods of treating a wound will work just as well.

he takes one of the sticks. it’s solid enough, at least, for what it is. ❝ hm… i believe i’ve done more with less… ❞

it isn’t a ringing endorsement, exactly, but he’s trying to keep optimistic as best he can.

jakurai can see well enough to catch the smile on netzach’s face and returns it with one of his own as he watches them descend from the tree, focused momentarily on their movements. ❝ thank you. your own name is very interesting. is it a given name, family name, or simply what you prefer to go by? ❞ a crucial question, in determining how to address them.

Jakurai’s line of questioning gives Netzach pause. Admittedly, there is a lot to consider when one considers the merits and meaning of Sephirah. They are not a natural creation, rather the dreams of someone, and the bastardization of the bodies of human beings. Netzach, semi-unwilling in this moment to explain the delicate nature of these things, pauses for a long while as they work on worming themselves out of the tree. 

Landing with heavy footsteps, Netzach wobbles a bit before standing up completely straight, suddenly much taller than they had been moments ago. It’s a regular occurrence it seems, their ability to slouch a good six inches off of their height. 

“I suppose all we can do is move forward. Keep an eye out.” They adjust their hold on the stick, using it more like a staff rather than a blunt weapon. It won’t work as the EGO does, but Netzach figures they ought to stick to what they’re most comfortable with. Should a crossbow not be available, this will do. “I know they talked a bit about what was out there, but, you never know.” 

They turn to the subject of the name. 

     “Really, it is okay!” She smiled graciously, promising with her gaze that she was not upset. She understood mis-speaking, not filtering your words. Shy as she was, sometimes she rambled or stuttered out things without thinking, and she’d be cruel to remain so offended at someone who had not filtered their own thoughts. Honestly was better than lies, at least.

     “I think we are all a little overwhelmed, right? We kind of have to take this day by day. Remember deep breaths, and center yourself when you feel afraid, no?” She had to do this, even back home. Everything there could be overwhelming too, and this was a whole different world. But surely they would all sort it out with time!

Okay, it’s okay. Netzach, quiet for a moment, nods their head and offers this still stranger a tentative smile. It’s strange, having drawn out, casual conversations. Netzach had not typically spent much time with the agents and clerks of their department. Between their drastically shortened lifespans, and Netzach’s struggle to maintain any sort of optimism about their imprisonment, had meant they had shied away from any sort of communication. 

Here and now, with someone who knows nothing of these things and nothing of them besides the here and now, it’s a bit terrifying. Shoving that down, they end up placing their hands behind their back, nodding in agreement to the other’s words. 

“I don’t spend a lot of time with other people.” They admit to that a bit bashfully, averting their gaze. “That’s a good way to go about it, though. Good for these sorts of things.” The less life and death, the easier, right? Netzach, unsure, moves to easier things.

||  █ ▌— jakurai wants to be useful here. there’s that ever-present desire to help, if he can, even unarmed. and this won’t be his first time in difficult terrain. a forest at night isn’t the harshest circumstance under which he has conducted a mission. what little he can see within the thick array of trees suggests movement won’t be unbearably difficult. it’s a relief, if he’s honest.

he senses a hint of anxiety from the other, however, and turns toward them, slight concern on his face that he doesn’t voice just yet. perhaps there will be no need to, but he likes to keep aware of others’ emotional states. at the question, he shakes his head. ❝ not well enough to be of any use, i’m afraid. my eyes have adjusted marginally, but i’m still not capable of seeing at any significant distance. my hearing is quite good, however. ❞

he glances upward toward one of the trees. ❝ don’t worry too much about my hands. i’m a skilled enough martial artist… though i won’t say no to even a weak improvised weapon. yes, go ahead and break some branches down. they’ll do in a pinch, i think. i’ve made do with less. ❞ not willingly, but one does what one must. ❝ besides… this is somewhat exciting, isn’t it? ❞ he asks, though his tired eyes perhaps suggest otherwise.

❝ this place is very interesting. ah, and before i forget my manners even further, i am dr. jakurai jinguji. what might i call you? ❞ he asks, tilting a head.

Netzach is still stuck in this particular resignation in doing this. It feels like their job, containing escaped creatures and trying their best to keep everything in one piece. At least there’s no reports to write after this, and at least this person doesn’t seem petrified to the point of panic. Netzach can appreciate that at least things haven’t immediately gone to hell. 

“Basic human night vision isn’t fantastic, no. We’re-” They pause abruptly, and end up hoisting themselves into a tree, scrambling up until they’re braced in the lowest branches, working on snapping two decent switches off. “They’re not fantastic, huh?” Decent night vision seems to need some compensation, given Netzach’s observations of both other humans and abnormalities. “But if you’re sure you can handle yourself, I won’t push it too hard.” 

Should things go wrong, they would figure it out. There is no company policy tying their hands, and so, Netzach steels themselves more than they might have otherwise. 

“It’s a glow stone. One of many little things from home. I’m not sure if they have anything like it here.” She fluttered her hand down around it. Shielding the other from the bright glow until their eyes can adjust to the newly crafted beacon. Adi relaxed as the light frightened off anything that might be a little too bold in darkness depths. Adi took a breath and relaxed.

Right, things were going to get better.

“So, are you glad to be away from the hustle and bustle? I must admit it’s been a bit of a let down in these tunnels. I expected something more.. history rich, Fables and tales of old, maybe markers to indicate what goes where.”

Glow stone. Straightforward. Does what it says. Netzach isn’t all that baffled by the explanation the other gives. “The closest I could really offer you is a flashlight. Some weapons give off light, but that’s not a hard rule.” It was more of an exception, rather than anything else, but the eerie blue lights cast by weapons such as Sound of a Star are not to be ignored, just as Lamp is. Netzach finds comfort in EGO like that, but without them here, a flashlight is the next best thing. 

“It’s a little much for me.” Their fingers are tangling into their hair, letting the artificial strands slip and slide around their fingers. Less human than before, they seem just a little off, like an imagined human being, constructed by something else. “I didn’t really care what I saw, new stuff is always interesting, but tunnels like these are a little less refined than what I’m used to.” 

Less metal, less columns and other towering architecture. It seems very rudimentary to someone like them. The talk of fairy tales makes them shudder visibly, expression twisted.

The silence is as uncomfortable for Yesod as it is for Netzach. He has never been terribly personable, even with his fellow Sephirot, and he’s mentally pushing himself to not have any of his frustrated little slips. Netzach is, after all, at least attempting to be helpful.

But Yesod does not know how he feels about that admission that he (and Malkuth and Hod) have been missed.

“I see.” He does not see how Netzach has been here a month despite not being missing, but the information is filed away anyway; he does not have to understand in order to file. The mental list of everything he doesn’t know is only growing.

“There are Abnormalities known for manipulating time as well as space. It’s possible that we’ve run afoul of something that escaped before it could be cataloged.”

“… What was that about the people here being ‘nice’?”

Netzach has the distinct feeling that Yesod might not know all of the nuances they are referring to. As far as they can recall, the others in the upper layer had become a bit more cagey following their own meltdowns, and in Netzach’s memory, they had hardly been the first. Frankly, they had sat before in relative paralysis, soaked in dread and fearing what would happen to them should their own emotions overwhelm them. It had happened, though, and the blur of the meltdown and the pain of the Enkephalin had been enough to be painful to talk about. 

“I don’t think it’s that. Abnormalities aren’t just-” unable to find the proper words, they mutely wave their hands. “They’ve got a way about them, you know that. They’re not normal creatures or people.” There’s a mystic type of energy about them, an artificial sense of creation that makes Netzach feel downright badly when they spend extended time among them.

They do though. They’re notorious for it even, entering chambers of creatures from ZAYIN to WAW, sitting in the stairwells and even adjacent to the abnormalities. Given their consistence in this place, and general indestructibility, things have been fine for them. Most of the time,i that is. They can remember a dangerous misunderstanding with Snow White’s Apple that had mangled an arm that had later been replaced. 

||  █ ▌— jakurai smiles back at the other, notes that he’s in the unfamiliar position of looking up at someone, rather than down. he must admit, it’s an interesting sensation, though not one he’s going to remark on. he’s more interested in the goings-on outside the city, anyway, at least for the immediate moment, but he knows his penchant for curiosity regarding interesting individuals is likely to get the better of him sooner or later anyway and he’ll end up asking about this individual about themselves.

all things in time, however, and jakurai knows how to prioritise. ❝ the fact that you can see at all will prove very useful, ❞ he says, relief clear in his voice. he’s more or less useless in that regard, even now that his eyes have adjusted as much as they can in the gloom of night. still, his hearing is sharp, and he’s confident in his ability to navigate even by starlight, even if those stars are unfamiliar.

❝ unfortunately, i lack any weapons of any sort. i was not given anything either, but i can certainly look around for something to use as an improvised weapon. ❞

he’d been planning to rely on his martial arts skills more than anything, he’s killed with his bare hands before, not that he’s eager to do so again, but he knows he can’t expect the same of another. still, an improvised weapon would be simple enough to locate. a kitchen knife to sharpen something larger, if nothing else… 

The immediate positive response is something to be happy about. Netzach manages to straighten up a bit, losing the curl in their shoulders and spine that seems ever present in their form. They’re not too sure about this place. While they have heard of dark forests, and forests in general, none of them were ever described more thoroughly than an infinite copse of trees and earth and shadows. Something about this is far more imposing than what Netzach’s imagination had conjured. A new type of anxiety inducing environment, given the usual high ceilings and the aura of ‘recently sterilized scene of a tragedy’. 

“You can’t see at all?” Netzach seems surprised, looking out into the world once again. It’s quiet, save for the quiet rustling of those creatures who would rather remain unseen. “That’s kind of troubling, I don’t think I’d like that much. There’s not much going on, though.” Despite the sleepy expression, they’re quite alert, and very aware of the world around them. 

“Oh, it is getting rather dull up there, isn’t it? But i’ve already done my part to help their little  forging party.” She paused before the green haired other and smiled softly. They had a very lovely energy about them! Something new~ And Adi dearly loved the new more than the old.

“my name is Adi. It’s a pleasure to meet someone whose invested in the under over the upper to be honest. You’d think passage ways like this would have more cravings, more.. something. To tell where they go? The people’s history hidden away and made secure in such passage ways. Or more than simple torches to light the way. It makes me wonder about how oft this tunnels have been used since Terra cut itself off due to the mists.”

Absent fingers dipped into a pouch and withdrew a beautiful crystal. A moment afterwards and a low, soft shine began to emit from within it’s core to brighten the area better than the torch lighting surrounding them.

Netzach hasn’t done a ton today. They’ve found a place to perch themselves, watching with tired green eyes as others stumbled among the terrors in the woods. They are eerily quiet at times, all processes frozen and body just a frozen form in the dark. It had meant that several groups of people had walked underneath, and Netzach had simply watched them go, listening idly to the conversations. They could not remember if they had seen this person go by earlier, as some of those groups had really blended together. 

“People call me Netzach.” It’s true. The name is not truly their own, an assigned thing that had been assigned to them upon their awakening. There is a time before this, a hazy, blurry thing that they don’t have a full grasp on right now. “It’s just what I’m used to, so I figured it might be a little easier to figure out.” The light of the morning sun isn’t supposed to be a treat, but here they are. 

Netzach squints their eyes as the room brightens. Something in their internal mechanics whirs, a faint song against the atmosphere of the underground. 

||  █ ▌— jakurai could not have simply sat by doing nothing. he didn’t have his microphone here, or indeed anything he could reasonably use as a weapon or for defense, but he could still be a danger to anything that might be hostile. the beasts said to roam the region could certainly prove formidable, but he’s seen enough people leaving the city for this quest to not be somewhat concerned.

his eyes are locked on the horizon. it’s too dark to see much, but he’s hyper-alert for any movement. his instincts feel somehow misplaced here, however. this isn’t combat, at least not like he’s used to–the straightforward and endless sounds of heavy gunfire. he can still remember when bullets were more common than birdsongs, but this…

this feels somehow grander. the allure of heroism, coming to the aid of a princess. it’s all very fairytale, like many other things in this place, and jakurai is unsure how to make sense of it.

when someone speaks nearby, he nods, tearing his attention away from the darkness at last. ❝ yes, ❞ he says, turning toward the one who spoke. ❝ that was my intention. i wouldn’t turn down company, especially given how dark it is. having someone else nearby to watch out for potential threats would be useful. do you have any combat training? ❞

Oh, okay, this guy actually said yes. Netzach had admittedly been setting themselves up for a bit of a rejection, a goodbye drawn up in the back of their throat. They drop that little bit as soon as things go their way, and Netzach even manages to smile. They’ve never done true abnormality work, but they know the how to do every one of those operations inside and out. While notoriously apathetic, Netzach is a capable being when it becomes necessary of them to be that way. This doesn’t quite seem like one of those times, but fueling themselves via curiosity works just as well. 

“Yeah it’s, not great. I can still sort of see, it’s not fantastic, but it’s better than nothing.” The shapes are fuzzy black and grey, a limited night vision built to just barely enhance the human basis that Netzach came from. Most cannot see in the dark, only in the faint blue shadows that develop into photo finish the longer we spend away from the light. “But uh, yeah, I know what I’m doing. I work best with spears, and crossbows, and I’m good with my hands, I guess.” 

That much is true. While Netzach does not have the same raw skill without EGO, the motions of some of the weapons are inscribed into their head. Heaven, a spear, and Faint Aroma, a crossbow, had been favorites of their’s for a long, long time. Others, like Paradise Lost, a rare treat in their hands. For now, they look to the trees. 

Well, this person seems rather well equipped coming out of all of this. A small collection of things from the Blackgrove, as far as Netzach can tell. It’s all in the sound of how someone moves, the weight of the footsteps and the motion of tools against each other.  All they have are useless trinkets. Dried leaves and berries and pieces of bark and leaf. Things to study the color and change of, given that they have never done so before. Netzach has no interest in the needs of others, in this moment. Freedom is a very personal thing, and so, they stick to their personal pleasures. 

Pockets full, they’re heading out of the tunnels this time, trailing their fingers along the wall in search of carvings. Something with meaning, something that tells a story. They’re finding nothing of the sort, and instead, find themselves stiffening at the sight of someone else’s shadow approaching. 

This had been a mistake. Netzach wasn’t too sure what had overtaken them, hearing of wolves and going off into Blackgrove to get a look at them. It wasn’t something they were keen on ever doing, given their experiences with the canine abnormalities of the facility. Wolves were the all-consumer, a gluttonous dark heart in a permanent hunting cycle. Netzach did not like the wolf they knew, and what that wolf became when free of its fetters. 

Upon actually seeing it, they had frozen, all wide green eyes and trembling hands. Their limbs did not fail them, but when the creature had spotted them, Netzach had felt something terrible wash over them. It had only grown worse when the wolf came closer, and Netzach had turned heel and ran when the thing had growled and snapped at them.

Screw that. Screw this. 

At this point, they’re up a tree, limbs tangled in the main branch of a rather tall tree. Given the smooth first ten feet of trunk, it’s a wonder how they managed to climb up there. Nevertheless, someone is coming back, and Netzach takes the opportunity to call out.

“Hey! Hey- you there.”

The tunnels are most interesting piece of this, Netzach thinks. They are not unlike the hallways that criss-cross the facility. leading people from one place to the next without the pesky affect of seeing the sky. Netzach isn’t all that fond of it, but these, at least from the first few feet they’ve explored, have lacked the doors into stairwells leading into suspended chambers, each with its own fresh horror inside. 

So, it’s an abject horror when they manage to get themselves turned around in here. It shouldn’t be this hard, but Netzach, prone to periods of being dazed and confused, had managed to do so. It’s been a number of hours since then, now, and while Netzach does not need to eat or drink, being alone in the dark makes them a little stir-crazy. 

Hearing the sound of someone coming their way, hopefully also intending to explore, Netzach unflattens themselves from the wall, and peers out into the darkness. It’s not the most settling thing, a pair of glowing green eyes blinking back at you from the night.

Netzach had not particularly wanted to help. When they had heard the pleas, they had curled into themselves, a particular burning dread in their chest. The pleas for help meant simply that things were going terribly, dreadfully wrong, and that things were beyond the possible control of where things started. It had happened many a time before, where a breach in one department would mean that their own department needed to come in, lest they lose everyone.  

This though, as time goes on, isn’t quite the same. Monsters don’t creep out of the darkness in the way they’re used to, and no matter how long Netzach looks for them, there are no golden eyes waiting out there. It helps, at least some, and so, they end up coming out of their hiding spaces to toe the edge of the known and unknown. 

Someone else is there too, a small relief from being truly alone in all of this.

It’s…fine? Such simple words, spoken softly enough to be missed; and yet it seems like that is enough to relieve Sara of something: it is a sorely old habit to have some kind of expectations on her shoulders, that she has already put that burden on herself without any prompting. She doesn’t visibly relax any ( given your current circumstances, that seems like a bit much ), but she seems eased nonetheless. Right, it’s fine… that’s why people depend on each other to figure out the things they don’t know. Right. “So you really don’t know much about it either.” More of a murmured observation to herself than a comment directed towards them— not that she’d really doubted that much, given the question, but…she’d be lying if she said it was easy giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, at times. Not after what lengths she’d seen people go to for information and their own survival ( and what losses came with it ).

“I see. I guess it’d be asking a bit much to expect people to understand everything right away, hm?” Which, if anything, is even more of a reason why she has such a need to try and understand— maybe that just speaks to the kind of person she is though. Even if some people might not consider that expression a smile, she certainly can tell that was their intention— for someone like herself that comes off a little too serious at times, she sympathizes a bit. Even if the topic at hand is as odd as the situation they’re in, in this strange world they’ve found themselves in; it’s at least a comfort to know they have that much in common, so she returns that gesture with her own tentative smile. “My name is Sara, by the way. You mentioned earlier that you’re not from around here either, right?”

That said, she’s still a little caught off guard by the question posed towards her— more than she probably should be, since it’s far from the first ( and likely, last ) time that someone wants her input on their current situation. She just wishes that she had a bit more to go off of right now. “Again, not much. I was looking for information on the sages, since they’re the source of the magic around here…well, technically speaking, that’s not true. I believe the power comes from the goddess of this land, just the sages are like stand ins, I suppose. Anyways, I figured it’d be a pretty good starting point, since that’s one of the few things I’d known coming here, but I’m beginning to wonder if it would’ve been more informative to visit one of the temples instead.” A moment’s pause as she gathers her thoughts a bit better. “I believe there are twelve of them, in total. Many people are granted magic by them, but not everyone. I was hoping to figure out more than that, but so far my search has been pretty unsuccessful.”

They’re intuitive enough to realize that their words have had an impact. Netzach stays quiet for a moment, intuitive gaze flickering to Sara, before they focus once again on the bustling square around them. Other people here seem far more comfortable, and Netzach, facing this with a companion in the confusion, tries to set themselves against their own anxiety about the entire situation.

“Nah, I really don’t. Honestly, I’m not your best bet for most of these sorts of things.” In fact, Netzach is painfully out of touch with the more normal aspects of the world. Confined from such luxuries (they’re not, really), they’ve found even the simplest of things fascinating and new. “But I think they’re pretty cool, so, I’m guessing I’ll pick it up pretty quick.” 

When legitimately interested, Netzach fairs far better with these sorts of new environments. 

Despite the weight of Netzach’s stare, Yesod is, as usual, all business, with only the slight crease between his eyebrows to give away exactly how troubled he is.

“There was something about being assigned housing.” He speaks vaguely despite recalling it clearly. “I believe I have been assigned to M7. Do you know what this supposed punishment for leaving is to be?” For he has no intention to stay.

The crease between his eyebrows deepens as he regards Netzach. He moves on despite his question.

“… You weren’t gone at all.” It sounds like he is only just connecting those dots himself; the last time Yesod saw Netzach, the other was wasted on the floor, yet, clearly, from Netzach’s own words the head of the Safety Team has been here for significantly longer than Yesod has.

The timeline’s between each of their stories aren’t quite lining up. To put it lightly? Vexing. It makes him itch.

But now that Yesod was thinking about that, he was starting to notice how something seemed different about his companion that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Have they done anything to you?”

Netzach doesn’t quite appreciate it. They know Yesod well, and despite this, still wish that the other was perhaps, a bit less callous. A basic personality trait isn’t something one can change with their bare hands though, and Netzach sits in long suffering silence instead. They won’t say anything right now, it’s just not worth the heart to heart on emotional availability towards your friends. 

“I mean, they didn’t say, but the implications weren’t fantastic.” They’re not fond of the idea of being torn apart. After all, Netzach has learned, to some degree, to value their life. Even if they feel at odds with the world at times, there are things worth exploring, and frankly, they’ve enjoyed the relative freedom this place provides. “It’s better than being locked underground, so honestly? I’m not complaining.” Maybe Yesod can see the light as well. 

Not gone? They pale slightly, dread like a rock in their stomach. “That’s, weird. I’ve been here for at least a month. I’ve missed you and Hod and Malkuth.” It’s a quiet admission, gaze averted. 

NOVICE --> COMMONER 

// I should probably do some event stuff, yeah? I bet that would be cool. So, let’s do some part 2 stuff, because I want that sweet sweet participation.