#flamesire

It's disorienting.

The sounds and lights around him seem to blare loudly and brightly in his ears and eyes. It doesn't take Clive to realize that this isn't home - nor was it their final destination to Origin. He remembers about to say goodbye to Jill and everyone else, about to leave with his brother and Dion both...

And then, nothing.

The next time he opens his eyes, he's standing in front of a giant hole with Torgal and someone urging him to follow him to his 'new home', and now he's here and frankly? He's starting to hate every second of it. It's too loud, it's too bright and it's so unfamiliar to him. How in the world did he get here? Was it his doing, or was this some random act of fate? Where was Jill? Where was anyone? Was anyone else even here - wherever this here was? His mind was racing, and he felt like he was going to faint.

Torgal's barks drags Clive out of his thoughts.

"What is it, boy?" His voice is gentle as he reaches down to pet the wolf, to try and calm his faithful hound down, until his gaze follow his. Cerulean eyes widen at the sight before him, and he freezes in place right there, unmoving like a statue. The sight of red flutters past him, a recognizable red in fact.

Even in a crowd, Clive can always spot Joshua. He's been seeing his ghost for years, after all.

The man doesn't hesitate to get his feet moving, already rushing past others to get to his brother with Torgal trailing after him - like he's always done, like he was still chasing after his ghost and just ever so out of reach.

( to be fair, clive's not even sure if he's hallucinating or not, so maybe he is chasing after an illusion. )

"Joshua!"

Perhaps it's fondness of seeing Joshua so boyish again. The way he is practically pouting at the pixies who circle around his head reminds her of when they were children, and she had been the one on the receiving end on multiple occasions.

Perhaps it's her inability to fully grasp that he's alive. She spent so many years believing him to be dead, and she had yet to have a personal conversation with him -- The threats facing their world had made sure of that.

It's not long until one of the pixies notices her and grabs the other's attention, pointing and surely mumbling about how she's here to end their fun. She looks to Joshua, offers him a helpless shrug.

"Clive told me that I might find you here. Though I can't say I wanted to believe that our captors got you as well," she says, finally stepping closer to him. Her gaze briefly travels back up to the pixies, who still didn't look pleased with her presence.

"Trouble with pixies? They seemed like they were enjoying themselves."

With a grunt, Jill pushes back against a monster and slices it in half with her rapier. Though the space station seems to be secure for now, the hordes of Latchers that are sent towards it by the Dweller threaten that safety.

With the last few slain, they're allowed a moment of peace. Her spiramonster rests at her feet with a sigh, and Jill's expression turns contemplative as she turns towards Clive and Joshua.

"She said that they were going to temporarily unlock our powers..." For Jill, it doesn't make much of a difference. For the two brothers, however... "Which means you both can use your eikons, can't you?"

Her gaze shifts to the moon dweller that resides in the distance. It's a large, terrifying thing, but it's possible that it's something that Ifrit and Phoenix could fight against. She doesn't like the idea, but she knows that if they're following the same line of thought as her, then they're surely already thinking of a plan.

Namine isn't sure if her roommates are home right now - the main areas have sounded... quiet. Now would be the best time to leave her room.

Quietly, on bare feet, the Memory Witch wandered out of her room with a spare bedsheet carefully wrapped and tied around her like a dress. It was not the best, but it worked. She is grateful that she's learned this from Kairi.

Her ruined white dress is held in her hands, and she's putting it in the sink. She doesn't know what she's doing, but she has to figure something out. This was her only set of clothes...

For some time, Richard finds himself wandering up and down the hallways of the Tempus Museum, seemingly drawn to it by its lavish and opulent façade. He's happy to aimlessly wander the halls, taking in each exhibit and art piece as he progresses with no true goal in mind to reach.

Which makes it a little confusing where, inexplicably, he ends up turning into the lobby. The first two times were simply written off as pure coincidences, but after making a conscious effort to at least try going in different directions, but always ending up at the same entrance.

her words have to be shouted over the roar of the sandstorm behind them, though the roar came not from the weather phenomenon but the face within the sand itself. it's something lauma would expect to occur within the deserts of sumeru and not in this city. then again, it's been full of surprises since her arrival so why should this be any different? even so, it wasn't how she planned this outing to go. it was meant to be a mostly peaceful one, a chance for her to better get to know her roommate.

but chaos can bond people just as well.

" Fortunately, we seem to have a lead–ah– " lauma withdraws her hand from one of joshua's shoulders, firing a dendro-infused bolt towards a pop up wooden cut-out meant to impede them. it shatters into tiny pieces as the scion hums in satisfaction.

Jill enters older sister mode almost as if on reflex, standing before Joshua and fixing the tie for him relatively easily. She's not quite used to this kind of thing herself yet, but thankfully it was just putting it back in place rather than having to retie the whole thing.

Giving it a small pat once she's done, she looks up at him with a smile.

"Better."

She turns so they are side by side again, accepting his arm when it's offered. They continue their leisurely stroll on the outskirts of the ballroom, Jill realizing in the moment that she's not particularly in a rush to return to the dance floor just yet. With a small thoughtful hum, she looks to one of the exits that leads outdoors.

"Have you seen the gardens? I've heard some say that they're just as beautiful as this room."

actions speak louder than words

book, sender helps receiver get a book from a higher part of the shelf.

"This is embarrassing, Torgal..." Clive mumbles to himself, trying to get this book that seems to be just out of reach just by a finger. Torgal barks a little, seated at Clive's side to try and encourage him to keep trying. The outlaw has never had a problem with his height before, he was at average height - maybe an inch or two above being average - and he was fine with that. Jill had a perfect headrest ( his chest, he thinks slightly flustered ), and he was content with that.

But the shelves at the Great Library of Xalphina seemed to really want him to question if he was actually alright with his height. The shelves back at the Hideaway weren't this tall!

As soon as Clive is about to give up, a hand reaches to grab the book he was reaching for... and hand it to him. As soon as Clive sees who it is, his eye twitches a little.

Joshua. And he's got quite the smug look on his face. Never mind the fact he wasn't that much taller than him and still needed to get on his tiptoes too to get the book!

"Seems like it was a little out of your reach, brother."

Clive takes the book from his younger brother. He looks down at it. Then he looks at Joshua. At the book once more.

"... I'm having Jill put extra carrots in the stew, for tonight's dinner with you. And you're going to eat it all."

The smug look falls from the younger male's face.

"You wouldn't...!"

Behind the book, Clive hides his smile as he speaks. "If you want to prove that you're mature and don't need me to play mother hen with you, and not an immature brat, then you'll eat all of the carrots. And no feeding them to Torgal, either. I'll know."