hugtopia_logs | 01 || Life Sucks, Then You Die, And Then Life Sucks Again

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01 || Life Sucks, Then You Die, And Then Life Sucks Again

♥ Who: Yotsuyu and whoever has the misfortune to stumble on her
♥ Where: Temples / Housing / Jail
♥ When: March 07th - 10th
♥ What: Yotsuyu wakes up in a strange new world. She hates it.
♥ Rating: Rated E for Everyone

I/ Eikons and Hugs [March 07th]
[ Most people feared death. One could even argue the fear of death is what defines people. It is what drives progress. That primal, uncontrollable fear... But Yotsuyu didn't fear death. Why would she? She had found peace upon being slain. She had accomplished her one desire, killing her tormentor. She had acknowledged what a monster she had become and accepted her fate. Through death she had been able to find peace while her victims had finally been able to get closure. For one as rotten and tainted as her, it was as happy of an ending as she could have ever hoped for.

So her awakening in this place? It was a fate far worse than death. And the very premise behind her abduction... Ahaha. Gods who needed her to go around and hug people? And why did they do it? To channel energy. To save this world and its people from destruction. From death. It all went back to it, didn't it? That primal fear of what awaits beyond. The desperation to push back the end, even if only by a little.

She'd once believed in such fantasies... Until she'd become one such entity herself, briefly. ]

Eikons, nothing more...

[ Yotsuyu spoke to herself as she stared at the statue in one of the Temples. She drew on her pipe, lost in thoughts. How ironic that this would be her fate. ]

II/ Housing (Savage) [March 08th]
[ Having spent the better part of the past day coming to terms with the fact that her life is doomed to always suck, Yotsuyu now needed sleep. She'd been told she could pick her house, and had gone through both districts. No way she was going to be happy with one of the small, basic houses. If she was going to live her life in this hellhole, she intended to spend it in a small palace.

After having spent a while looking, she finally stopped by a luxurious house that met her standards. She turned to address one of those oh-so helpful and detestable tin cans. ]

I want that one.

[ The robot replied. ]

Certainly. It will be 200 000 Dora.

[ Dora? The local currency probably. What a bother. Not only they kidnapped here, but they also expected her to pay for her own housing? This place was getting worse by the second. ]

Hmpf. And what is the best way to gain that currency? Any jobs?

Whilst this is indeed an option, the most efficient way to make money is through physical contact. Physical gestures such as hugging your companions will be compensated.

[ Oh, how swell. Being paid in exchange for physical gestures? Yes, there is a name such an activity that comes to mind. One she is all too familiar with. So truly wonderful. By the Kami, was she blessed with this second chance at life. She had expected whatsoever nothing, and somehow she still felt disappointed. ]

Until you can afford this house, you can use a free one in--

[ Yotsuyu wasn't listening any more. She had instead pulled out her pipe and was now in the process of stuffing it with as much tobacco as was humanly possible. Leaning against a nearby wall, she started smoking. Perhaps if she chain smoked for a couple hours, she would choke to death.

As if she could be that lucky. ]

III/ Go to Jail, Do Not Pass Go [March 09th]
[ Was it any surprise that Yotsuyu was in jail as early as her third day? One of the tin cans closed the door behind her and tried to be ]

You are here for your own good. You will be released tomorrow once you have calmed down. Trying to leave the city is dangerous.

[ Yotsuyu held onto the bar, looking at her surroundings. Then when she spoke it was in a low, barely audible tone. ]

Trying to keep me in the city is just as dangerous...

[ Was that a threat? It wasn't worded as one, to be sure but it certainly read as one. Regardless, she went to sit down. She didn't even have her pipe to kill time. These past few days, she'd been thinking a lot about her past. Wondering why she'd gone down such a dark path when she could have been Tsuyu. Of course, she knew why. And now she remembered why more than ever.

Being "good" didn't pay. Doing the right thing just meant painting yourself as a victim for others to abuse. This place was the proof of it. ]

IV/ Wild Card [March 10th]
[ Yotsuyu is going to explore the city, so if you'd like to find her anywhere else feel free to make your own prompt! ]

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Is there something bothering you?

[If Yotsuyu was unlucky enough to have picked Ainea's temple to glare at, then she would also be unlucky enough to encounter a man in loose and comfortable off-white clothes with long violet hair tied up in a braid and a pleasant smile.]

[Gods can't save you now.]

Forgive me for interrupting, you just looked so pensive that I was wondering if everything was quite alright.

[ Unlucky? Yotsuyu? Perish the thought! She turned around as she heard the man. All dressed in white and fairly modest clothing... Is he a temple worker? But he's not a robot. So likely not a native. Someone like herself. Except he was able to smile. ]

...

[ She stared at the man for a few seconds and rose an eyebrow. Something was amiss... Or rather, something was missing. A completely and absolutely irrational feeling, to be sure, but one she couldn't shake off. Something about this man was incomplete. But what could it be? His sad clothes? Hmm. Something smaller than that. Perhaps he needed a hat... Yes, yes. A hat would do. But what sort of hat? Doman ones wouldn't fit... Ah, but perhaps answer didn't lie in eastern fashion. Maybe one of those Eorzean hats. Those with a mildly wide brim and indented crown. What was the name already? Ledora? Fedori?

No matter. Yes, that would suit him right. That's what is missing. Fix that please.

And as quickly as it came, the feeling was gone. Back to serious business. ]

Oh, everything was quite alright.

[ Past tense. Past tense. ]

I was enjoying the peaceful slumber of death, as it was, when these gods saw fit to bring me to this paradise.

[ She drew on her pipe once more, but exhaled the smoke away. For all of her flaws, Yotsuyu doesn't smoke into people's faces! That's... Something, right? ]

All because they cannot sustain themselves. Really pathetic, isn't it?

[Ardyn found himself wearing the kind of fixed smile one had when they realized they were talking to someone that is perhaps ill-tempered, but resolved to be polite anyway.]

It isn't all that terrible, truthfully. Though I am sorry to hear about your circumstances. Is there anything I might be able to do to assist your settling in?

Actually, yes.

[ An offer for assistance, huh? She draws on her pipe, waiting a few seconds before exhaling and replying. ]

Kill me.

[ She's so funny, isn't she? Ahahah. ]

...

[bruh]

I would prefer not to, actually.

I jest.

[ Maybe. Isn't Ardyn so happy he made such a wonderful meeting today? ]

Yotsuyu goe Brutus. I would say it's a pleasure meeting you were it not in such a place.

[A quiet laugh, of the 'not actually sure that was a joke' variety. But he quickly tried to brush that off, answering with a small bow.]

Ardyn Lucis Caelum. Regardless of location, I assure you the pleasure is mine.

Hm.

[ The poor man. He seems kind and helpful. The sort who's doomed to get trampled all over by the world and its cruelties, and still smile about it. Sad. ]

Have you been a prisoner of this world for long?

[Joke's on you, Yotsuyu, been there and done that.]

Not quite the word I'd use but...let's see, I'm fairly sure it's been somewhat over a year?

A year?!

[ She'd expected this to be a matter of days, weeks at most. ]

And you've not found a way out?

Eikons...?

[ She can't help but overhear the comment of the statue they behold, and being nearby, she replies. Pyra turns her head from the idol to the woman herself, giving her a small, friendly smile. ]

Ah, yes, I suppose it is. [ Her tone is as light as it is curious, as if inviting more thoughts from the other to share. ] But the animal characteristics make one wonder... if the people here, too, once had such traits before swapping to metal bodies.

[ Yotsuyu turned her head around. That was... No, that woman looked far too human to be a native, in spite of the weird mechanical clothes. Another lost soul abducted to this place. She shook her head though as the red-haired woman obviously misunderstood the meaning behind her words. ]

Eikon is what we call such entities where I come from. [Primals. Kamis. There were other words, but that was the one she'd grown accustomed to after her time serving the empire.] Deities that can only exist through absorbing energy and feeding upon their followers's devotion.

[ She drew on her pipe as she listened to the suggestion regarding the animal-like characteristics of the gods and their followers. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. Non-humans and humans with animal characteristics were so common back home, she hadn't even questioned it. ]

Likely. Such things are not uncommon where I hail from.

[ Pyra stands still and steady as the woman elaborates, and when she's done, Pyra raises a hand up to the side of her own cheek, tilting her head as a finger scratches at it. ]

Putting it that way makes it almost sound... [ She pauses, seemingly searching for a word. Vampiric? Parasitic? So many negative connotations, though! There's a soft cringe tugging at the edge of her smile, as if she's conceding to her assessment on some level. Still, it appears that actually describing the deity as anything malicious makes her uncomfortable. ]

Well, I suppose you could say that they need us. But, so, too, do we need them. [ The barrier isn't going to sustain itself without the gods working their power from touch-energy, and if it goes down, all might be lost. ]

Do we?

[ Besides the philosophical argument about gods providing the barrier and thus preventing their "thralls" from developing and doing it for themselves, there is the very simple fact that they don't really need them. ]

Perhaps we do now, after they pulled us into this situation. After they engineered a predicament in which we can no longer survive on our own.

[ She could live without such gods, thank you very much. Parasitic was the correct adjective to describe them, she would agree on that. And given her precedents, she sees nothing wrong with considering them malicious. ]

Or am I to understand you needed them before being pulled here?

[Ardbert had been taking a jog to get his mind off of things when he came across a woman trying to buy a house in the distance. Someone that was not only new but didn't seem to be the nicest of person. Which of course meant that he needed to approach her.

Unlike some others here, he was used to taking the brunt of things and could take the heat. If he could give her the lowdown on what this place was and how to survive, she'd be less likely to take it out on others. Taking one for the team is his job. So he slows down and stops near the house, glancing up at it instead of directly at her.]

For the record, just holding hands for a while is enough to count.

[If she absolutely doesn't want to be disturbed, her reaction to that one single sentence will be enough to tell him. But if she needs information, she might start pumping him. So, her call?]

[ There was something... Strangely familiar about that man. Yet she could say with absolute certainty she had never met him before. Hmm. Perhaps her imagination was playing tricks on her. ]

That's how it begins, isn't it?

[ Sweet, innocent hand-holding. ]

Holding hands, followed by a misplaced hand. Some inappropriate banter and nervous laughter to hide how uncomfortable the situation is. And then finally, negotiations for the price of a night.

[ She could tell he had no such intents. After so many year, it was easy to spot when people were interested in such unsavory things. Unfortunately, he was here now and she needed to pass her nerves on someone. ]

[[ It's a comforting soul, hard to miss.

Ardbert's mouth drops open, only slightly to his credit. He closes it with a frown and considers how to respond, knowing she's not accusing him of being that type. Ah! He looks down at his pocket as he digs into it and produces a folded up item.

He closes up the distance between them just enough so he can offer it to her, handle first, and holding the end of it enough so she won't have to touch him at all. There's intensity in his eyes. ]]

Stab him. You'll be teleported to jail instantly, so you'll be safe. Then let me know—name's Ardbert—and me and a bunch of scarier friends will make him never want to so much as look at a woman again. Men like that are cowards, so breaking him with fear should be child's play.

[[ He deliberately softens his face, although still serious. ]]

Whatever happened back 'home', I can't change. But from here on out, your body is your own. People may sometimes touch you without your permission in order to save your life from some magical effect here, but stab or otherwise hurt them anyways if they think they use that to get away with coppin' a feel.

[[ So it turns out that all Warriors of Light are three feral honey badgers in a trench coat, Ardbert included. Because he could have told her to stab the man if he didn't stop after being told, but deliberately didn't. ]]

Edited (Nevermind me playing with changing up how I do action tags for easier reading ALSO SORRY ABOUT EDITS I haven't had coffee yet) 2021-03-13 16:07 (UTC)

[ That speech... That blind willingness to help a total stranger without even knowing if she may be a mass murderer. He really does remind her of a certain someone. Well, she's not about to say no to a brand new weapon, especially seeing how she has no bullets to go with her gun. She takes it, thank you for that. Any potential Asahi or Fandaniel ever coming to this place will doubtlessly be grateful to Ardbert once they find themselves on the sharp end of this weapon.

That said, clearly there is a misunderstanding on her situation. ]

I appreciate the concern, but that isn't necessary. This rose has thorn.

[ Maybe if Ardbert was to time travel a couple years into the past... Now yes, that would be useful. Before Zenos gave her absolute power over her people, before she'd accepted she was rotten to the core. Unfortunately, her case was a lost cause today. Or so she perceived it, at any rate.

Still, she can't help but smile bemusedly. For lack of a better word, it's cute. Cute that he seems to think she can be helped. Cute that he has such an optimistic view on the world. Cute and sad. Some times ago, she would have endeavored to crush this optimism. Now? She just feels sorry she can't share in it. She feels sorry that he is exactly the kind of person who could end up being as she was. She looks at the knife he just gave her, and then...

She points it at him. Straight at his neck. Considering he'd lowered his guard, she may very well have been able to stab him, had she really wanted to. ]

See how kindness rewards you? How the world does not care for your efforts to do the right thing? [She pulls the knife away and pockets it.] You ought to be more careful who you lower your guard around. Had I been an enemy, you would be dead.

[[ Ardbert most certainly wasn't expecting the knife to be pointed at him and looks utterly surprised. She stops short of a kill. Yotsuyu removes the blade just before he uses an ability to make himself a bit hardier.

He's going to take a step back now as he eyes her warily.]]

I'm glad for the warning instead of a final lesson. [[ He straddles the line between serious and sarcastic. ]] If the gods here would have let you in the first place.

Edited (FFFF I forgot it isn't common knowledge about death here like literally all of the other games I've been in whoops) 2021-03-16 01:19 (UTC)

Why wouldn't they?

[ Trust in the gods's benevolence, heh? The poor boy. His type was becoming more and more obvious by the second. The type that's full of faith in the goodness of people, who thinks the world can be made a fair and just place, who thinks he can right the world's wrongs.

The type that ends up destroyed when the world reveals itself to be a cruel and uncaring place. ]

Those gods tore us from our homes. Why, they went so far as to meddle with death itself.

[ That probably revealed a tad more about her-- That said, for a supposedly dead woman, she didn't look so bad. ]

They don't care for our well-being.

Edited 2021-03-16 13:01 (UTC)

[[ Ardbert crosses his arms and considers her words. Her, too, eh? ]]

They need us alive. Neither of us were useful to them dead. So they care for that amount of our well being.

[[ Ardbert thinks it's more than just that minimum of care, but he's certain saying as much would fall on deaf ears. This place has no war or poverty. It's easy to care about your fellow 'man', especially when they're the only ones that can save your world. ]]

[It's the mention of "eikons" that catches Emet-Selch's attention. True, he has been aware, however dimly, of the arrival of another soul that would seem to have belonged to the Source (even here, they have a way of standing out) but that alone would hardly have been enough to have him particularly interested in seeking the owner of said soul out.

(Had her soul been one that he had had some direct familiarity with, matters might have been different. But they are not, and so he had simply left matters be.)]

Eikons, yes. But ones without those who might seek to summon them.

[While his voice may not be particularly familiar, his face may very well be, even though he has left the vast majority of his more obviously familiar outfit behind, today. Though his tendency to prefer fur trim and gloves is still very much present.]

Edited 2021-03-14 21:05 (UTC)

[ Yotsuyu shifted as someone recognized the word Eikon. The third eye... A Garlean, here? And one that looked familiar at that. Had she perhaps seen him at one of those never-ending official reception? There had been quite a few at Doma Castle she had had to attend to in her time as acting Viceroy. But no... Familiar as his face was, she couldn't remember ever seeing the man face-to-face. Maybe she'd seen his face in personnel records?

Unfortunately, Yotsuyu didn't really care for Garlean history. Useful as the Empire had been to help her get out of misery, she had never really been that invested in their cause. Just a means to an end. She'd certainly seen that face while skimming through an history book but unlike Urianger, she doesn't know said history books by heart. ]

That would be us then, wouldn't it?

[ She had to wonder... If she made her name and station known to him, could she perhaps order this Garlean around? Of course she no longer served the Empire, but he didn't have to know that. Sometimes she missed her brute. Having someone who would carry her stuff and do the hugging for her would certainly be useful. But...

That would be petty. The kind of behavior she's sworn off. The kind of behavior that would disappoint him. She sighed as she chased the thought. ]

That's why we're here. To be their thralls; or so I have been led to believe.

[Records, certainly. But if she doesn't immediately recognize his face, he is hardly about to suggest otherwise. After all, it's not as if he can say he recognizes her, in turn, for all that her use of the term 'eikon' offers at least some suggestions as to where she hails from. And for the time, that is enough.

(He has some suspicions, based on her appearance. But neither does he care enough to try and confirm them.)]

Ah, not precisely. We are certainly being asked to assist in their cause, yes. But there is little enough here to enforce that same thralldom.

[Which is just as well, to be perfectly honest. It means that he's less likely to need to come up with a reason for why he might be immune to the touch of any would-be eikon.]

And lest you wonder, I have not seen any present here who have fallen prey to the eikons of this world. But it would nonetheless be best to be wary.

[After all, he knows very well that the desire to save a world can cause a people to summon such an entity. And while he cannot say for certain whether or not the natives have the ability to do so, better to be prepared than not.]

[ She knew little about that place, but hm... Didn't they need to actually hug and engage in other scandalous activities such as hand-holding to make money? And thus, be able to live decently? ]

I would argue the need for basic living necessities is equivalent to thralldom.

[ Yotsuyu remained silent a moment... As if lost in thoughts, pondering over something. Did she dare...? Hmm. Being curious was no crime, was it? ]

You are a Garlean in service of the Empire, are you not?

[ Nothing more than sheer curiosity! She didn't have to act upon whatever he would end up saying. That would indeed be pretty petty for her to try using her (former) rank... But existence here is already promising to be so miserable, isn't she allowed some form of pettiness? Besides, Emet has only himself to blame for having created an empire encouraging this sort of behavior. ]

[Akechi had been wandering around at this point. On occasion, he ended up in the housing area. He doubted he'd be able to afford one any time soon, but with nothing to do, why not window shop? He was also someone who'd made that connection of what this all sounded like when he'd arrived, so he couldn't exactly blame her for how she reacted.]

That'll definitely solve your Dora problem.

[He really has the knack of... not being helpful sometimes...]

[ Oh wow, a smartass. Color her impressed, she'd never met one before. She draws on her pipe without even looking at him, before turning her stare his way. She was smiling, and yet her eyes were obviously ready for murder. Thank goodness, she's not going to break her non-killing streak for something that silly. ]

You concern for my finances is appreciated. [Can she sound more unamused? The world may never know.] Why, if you are so concerned, please feel free to transfer your earnings to my account.

[ Can you hear the sheer sarcasm behind how dry she sounds? But really, that would indeed solve her Dora problem. Not that bad of an idea. ]

[He's here to serve. The expression didn't go unnoticed, considering he'd masked his own expressions for a long time himself. The difference is that he could tell she was not happy with it and amused at her response. He's not a nice guy, sorry.]

But you know... If I did that, who would pay for my dream house? Would you be willing to help me get mine once you got yours?

[He's dishing the sarcasm back to her.]

[ His dream house? Who cares? Certainly not her. Unfortunately, she could hardly argue with his logic. ]

Did you come here only to irritate me? [She drew on her pipe and exhaled-- Away from his face, at least.] If so, my most sincere congratulations: you are succeeding.

[ She's so pleasant, isn't she? ]

[It's not like he gives a shit about getting a "dream house" here in the first place.]

Well, you know that I'm infatuated enough to plan my entire day around what you do. In fact, I casually decided to stroll by with the intent of acting like I didn't know you'd be here.

Is it working?

[Stop him... He's making the situation worse. He knows he would be better of disengaging, but it's not like he's exactly trying to uphold a reputation necessarily here like he was back home.]

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01 || Life Sucks, Then You Die, And Then Life Sucks Again

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II. Because this can't end well

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Nevermind this is going amazing

I'm so sorry, Ardbert is too pure for Yotsuyu's bullshit

Like I said, amazing

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FFFFF SORRY I've been slower than shit due to IRL and just... time blindness wtf where did time go

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fffff sorry about taking a bit to get back to this

no worries!

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