⚔ //001;

[discutio]

[He awoke in darkness in the coffee shop, of all places.]

[Abruptly aware of a dozen and more sounds and scents, someone was calmly pensive as if sudden self-awareness of one's postmortem existence was an everyday occurrence. It certainly seemed nothing that panicking would help with, and nothing that wouldn't await examination until after he'd finished his coffee.]

[Which he did, of course. Later on he would be found exploring the city in very cautious and deliberate steps, hand occasionally on a wall for guidance. He found he didn't have much difficulty maneuvering despite the chaotic layout--a strange problem not to have, and perhaps one warranting consideration as to what kind of person he was. An interesting quandary to examine, and more so if he wasn't the only such person.]

[...One thing he did already know for certain, however.]

[His name, if indeed that was what he was called, was almost comically ironic.]

Comments

[schardynfreude]

[The fellow doesn't stand out too much at first. He's calm. Quiet. Moving along at an even pace that seems to indicate confidence or familiarity. Could be just another wandering, sleeping soul.

But that's not it, not exactly. Something catches about him. Is it that he moves, yes, in a confident manner, but also one that indicates exploring, rather than going about ones daily business? Is it an alertness to his stance, something that just screams awareness in a way that others about town don't?

His Majesty watches, for a time. If the lad is but a dozing spirit going about his day, then no harm and no foul. And if it's someone now in the waking world? Then surely he'd find out soon enough and can help explain the situation.]

[discutio]

[His steps were confident but with a distinct caution to them; after all, it wasn't as if he could see where he was going. And the terrain felt...a little bit confusing. He couldn't pin down a proper layout that made much logical sense, but then again it did stand to some strange reason that the afterlife should take such an impossible form.]

[In a similar fashion, he had no real ability to measure the distance from which someone was watching him. But of course he could tell someone was, in that immaterial way anyone could feel eyes on them from even a distance. For the moment, he ignored it and acted as though he was unaware--for some reason he had the strangest feeling he could handle things if it proved some kind of threat.]

[schardynfreude]

[It's rude to stare, but he finds it better to keep a safe distance. Just in case.

But the fellow is here, and he's trying to find his way around, and...well, honestly, even if he's still asleep and blissfully unaware, His Majesty could still provide support. He falls in step, somewhat, with the fellow.]

Hail and well met, weary traveler. Are you going anywhere in particular?

[discutio]

[Hm. So maybe not a threat, but a manner of speaking that registered to him as oddly phrased. 'Antiquated' seemed like a good word for it.]

I must say I had nowhere specific in mind.

[schardynfreude]

Ah, out for a walk, then? [He gives a short hum like this is all Normal and everything is Normal here nothing amiss nope.] Do forgive me for asking, but I insist that it's important--have you noticed anything odd recently?

[mementomoritz]

Augh!

[From somewhere off to his left, near the counter, there's a startled noise of disgust. The cry doesn't seem hurt or alarmed, just displeased.]

Well, that's a strong negative result, then. [A scribbling noise, as might indicate a pen scratching on paper.] But what am I going to do with the rest of it...?

[Medic has, with all her usual scientific curiosity, been recording her own reactions to various foodstuffs, rediscovering her own states. As of five seconds ago, she confidently state that coffee is the worst thing she can remember tasting in her entire unlife. She's drawn a chart and everything.]

[discutio]

...I take it you find something objectionable?

[Said while calmly adjusting his sunglasses and drinking his own coffee, naturally. If he had to rate it, he would likely say it could have been better. Not that he could think of anything to compare it to, but that was the distinct feeling he got at the moment.]

[mementomoritz]

This is literally the worst thing I have ever experienced with my mouth! [She responds with a surprising amount of upbeat cheer, considering the actual words in that sentence.]

Which is only about four days of experiences, but it's been pretty eventful. [Hmm, that's surprisingly cogent and non-passive for a Specter. She tilts her head and peers at him more closely, flipping her notebook back open and picking up her pen.] Out of curiosity, would you describe yourself as awake right now? As opposed to, say... alive?

[discutio]

'Alive' does seem somewhat off the table at this point in time.

[some things never change, and sarcasm is eternal.]

But I would indeed agree that 'awake' is a reasonable descriptor for how I feel today.

[mementomoritz]

Congratulations! [She sounds genuinely sincere, at least?] Welcome back to the land of the unliving- you're the second one to wake up today. So far, at least.

[Judging by the scribbling noises, she's making a note of it.]

I'm Medic, do you know your title yet? People seem to remember them before everything else, in most cases. It should be, mmm... this sort of one thing that comes to mind, when you try to think of your identity? Not a name, just something.

exploring

[crypddyd]

[Normally he wouldn't notice another Specter wandering about. But something about how this man moves reminds him of, well himself. Being blind on one side he often had to check his distance to things by touch.

He's never seen a Specter show any disability- even when he was 'asleep' it hadn't bothered him, he thinks. So his first thought is a new Executor 'waking up', and can't help a bit of a thrill at the idea, like meeting a new sibling]

Ah, Sir? Excuse me?

[discutio]

Yes?

[He tilted his head slightly to hear the speaker better, with the added effect of making considerable scars behind mirrored lenses a little more immediately visible.]

Was there something you needed?

[crypddyd]

[The scaring is shocking but not unfamiliar- he thinks 'those look like burns' without really knowing WHY he recognizes what that kind of damage would look like- they are certainly different from the scaring around his own eye]

Ah, no, not exactly. I do have a question: do you... know your name?

[discutio]

[Did he? In a sense, yes--he knew something that felt distinctly like his name, at the very least. That was a good start.]

...Phoenix.

[Which probably didn't help with the assessment of those scars as burns, or perhaps it did.]

[crypddyd]

[Lion's smile is clear in his voice]

So, you 'woke up' today?

exploring

[emberserker]

[If Phoenix continues down close to an alleyway, he'll hear the faint sounds of ice cracking and shattering and fire flaring up with a crackle, accompanied by the angry grumbling of a teenage girl. Should he approach, Wolfsbane, transformed, has made a disposal bin into a training target, magic circles writing themselves in the air as she shoots fireball after ice crystal at it.]

I've got to be able to do more than this.

[discutio]

[That certainly sounded and felt like something significant. Familiar? He wasn't sure. Whatever it was, the girl responsible sounded quite dissatisfied.]

More than what, exactly?

[emberserker]

This magic! If I was a mage in life, shouldn't I be able to do more now? It isn't like there's a seal or --

[She turns to look at the man at the end of the alleyway.]

...you're newly awake, I presume. We're multiplying, then. I suppose it's better than the alternative.

[discutio]

Just today, in fact. [He had a hand resting lightly on the nearest wall, tilting his head slightly to better hear her.]

I would agree, though either option raises as many questions as to the reasoning.

[emberserker]

You're aware of Revenants, then. What a Spectre can become if they're stuck here too long, which is unfortunately quite the problem as of late.

[alcahest]

[ not all of the Executors live together, or nearby, but for those of them that do, Magnum Opus likes to be the one doing grocery runs. something about it feels familiar, but more than that, she likes that it's something she can do to be useful. she worries, lately, that when it comes time to fight, she won't be of much help. and if that's the case, then she should do much, much more to make herself useful to the others outside of combat. she just isn't sure yet what she can do, and she lacks the force of will to try anything that isn't as certain as these little chores.

that's on her mind, her arms full of groceries, when she walks by the man exploring the city in a manner that is very much not the mindless, mechanical patterns of a Specter. he hears the click, click of her boots as she passes him. a moment of silent realisation, her steps halted, hesitating. and then: clickclickclick, hurrying back in his direction— ]

Um, excuse me... Are you one of us?

[ top 10 things to say that make you sound like you're in a cult. ]

[discutio]

I might assume that I am, yes.

[He'd stopped walking when the clicking approached, on guard against what could have been a threat but finding he wasn't overly concerned about the possibility. Her voice set that idea aside fairly well, at any rate.]

[alcahest]

Oh... I didn't know people were still waking up.

[ her voice is soft and serene, even edging into slightly monotonous. she speaks slowly, mechanical. there's a rustling as she shifts the grocery bags in her arms — what should she do... when everyone woke up at the same time, it meant they were on the same page. she just followed everyone else's lead. but in this situation, she actually has more experience than someone else, so she should help him somehow, shouldn't she...?

... she's not really sure how. she has the desire to help. the element that would translate that desire into wilful or independent action still seems to be missing. ]

Do you... need any help? We don't all live together, but I can show you where some of the houses are...

[discutio]

That would be of some help to me, actually. I'm afraid I'm just a bit at a loss for what to do in the short term of things. [which is a lot of words to say: now what]

[alcahest]

[ she picked a helpful thing...!! even if he can't see it, she nods sagely in response to his sentiment. ]

I'm the same... It's hard to know what to do with yourself. [ especially in this empty, pointless place, though she means it in general too. over the days since they woke up, she's found that if no one tells her what she should do, she's a little lost. out of sympathy for that feeling, she adds: ] We have meetings at the coffee bar every morning... and we've been training to help Rei.

[ while they talk, she turns to start walking at a leisurely pace in the direction she was headed earlier. he didn't seem to need any assistance getting around when she saw him, so she only looks back to make sure that he's following. ]