vatheon | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who: Peony IX, you~~, that cute girl, and that one...~~
Where: Plaza
When: Early evening
Status: Open
Style: Anything goes?

Peony was not unfamiliar with large bodies of water, or with accidents involving it. Being that his capital city was surrounded by the sea and in fact the sea passed through the barrier and alongside Grand Chokmah's streets--which were more like bridges as a result--there was always the occasional seaspray or accident that meant someone was getting soaked. It was more where he was that proved strange. Well, it helped that it looked like he was under the sea instead of on it. He paused in his steps to tilt his head back, towel falling from his head only to be pulled over his shoulders. Just to make sure it hadn't just been a bad fall and he'd been seeing things.

Nope, still underwater.

Damn.

To be honest, he'd mostly been wandering in a circle. Pacing, in a way, to help him think. He'd spoken to a few of the shop owners, but Peony only drew the conclusion that this was all pretty crazy. This place--Vatheon, they'd called it--had to have some kind of Fonic barrier to keep the water from flooding everything. He'd mentioned the word, but gotten no sign that anyone had ever heard it before. That was mainly why it was pretty crazy. Unless you were sheltered (which, he admitted, could and did happen), you'd have to know what fonons were and possess a general understanding of how they're used in day-to-day technologies.

At some point during this walk, just before his current state of pause, he'd taken off his sandals. The squelching noise wasn't helping him think at all. It was actually pretty distracting because of how ridiculous it sounded, and the part of him that still acted like a child kept laughing at it. He held them in his left hand now, ring and little finger hooked through straps on either. The befuddled monarch pulled his towel back up over his head like a hood, wringing his hair while it was covered; he needed to do something about this. Was there anyone higher up he could speak to? A ruler? But all he found was a cluster of coral, which he hadn't realized he'd stopped so close to. Grimacing slightly, brows drawn together and upward, Peony couldn't help a small chuckle.

"Well, if anything's going to rule an underwater city, you're the best candidate." As if it could hear him. Coral wasn't alive in the sense that humans were, after all. They were everywhere though, as he recalled from books he hadn't touched in years, and this batch seemed no different.

One of the few comforts of this place was bits of what he could see were vaguely reminiscent of Grand Chokmah (if just underwater). It eased the stress of his bemusement some if only because it gave him some hope that maybe he wasn't so lost as he thought he was. This probably unintentionally made things harder by thinking this way, but he'd deal with it for now; he needed the calm. After all, answers with any real substance would make everything that much easier to digest, even if he was wrong. He'd have something else to fall back on that wasn't just confusion of the highest caliber, but in the meantime he wouldn't be panicking. ...It made sense to him, somehow.

With a heavy sigh, he turned his attention away from the glowing mass and cast his gaze out upon the shops again. He hadn't thought to ask anyone who wasn't a shop owner, just yet... Maybe that's what he should try. If he ran into a tourist, then oops. Next person. This in mind, Peony strode away from the coral to find someone else to ask. Someone who looked like they might know enough to answer his questions, anyway. Er. Well.

Okay. First person he got to!

"Hey, I was wondering if you could tell me something about this place. Where it is, if everyone gets here without knowing how and catches cold as a result, that kind of thing."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, another new arrival. This one definitely more forward than most of the others, confused but willing to ask more questions than what Ioder is used to.

He didn't mind being approached, though, and offered Peony a polite smile before answering to the best of his ability.

"I'm afraid I don't know 'where' Vatheon is located, sir, but as far as I've been told and experienced everyone arrives here in the same way."

As a rule, Peony was fairly forward unless he was playing. He found it helped things quite a bit when he met with other political and monarchical minds.

"Really? Maybe the government needs to see about a new door system, then." The tanned face adopted a brighter grin and his hands found placement upon his hips, a rich laugh slipping past his lips. "But that's at least something to go on, I guess."

That earned a return laugh from the much smaller emperor as well as an agreeing nod.

"It would be nice for those arriving, wouldn't it?" he said, "Would you like to know anything else? There's a welcome center here that has more information."

"Definitely. I'm pretty sure at least making a plush landing pad would be a good idea. Might not hurt so much to get up, then," Peony added with a chuckle. "Though anything you can tell me is much appreciated; I'll see about that center though, too."

"Oh, that would have been a comfort when I arrived!" Ioder pointed out with another laugh.

"Well... if you haven't heard already, it's called Vatheon. Location is... otherwise unknown but for some reason people are pulled here from all sorts of worlds, all different times and places. Some one from your past, present or future could be here right now and you might not even know it!"

He removed his SFC from his pocket, showing it to Peony.

"Ah... these... looked different last week. I'm not entirely sure why they changed. However this is a common means of communication around here. You should have one as well."

"Worlds?" Peony repeated, eyes widening a fraction. "Times?" That was... Well, that was unsettling, to say the least. With an uncertain shift, he folded his arms across his chest, brows furrowing some. "That's pretty unbelievable. But I guess Auldrant can't be the only world in the universe. But times...?" Something about that... The man suppressed a shudder. That was too strange.

The item was sufficient distraction, and a grin passed over his lips once more.

"I'm sure Gailardia would find that fascinating." Hands returned to his hips. He couldn't really remember getting one, but it... probably had gone unnoticed while he was wandering around initially, if he had.

"I'm afraid so... though I can't elaborate on it much more than that. I've only barely experienced it myself," Ioder continued, noting the momentary discomfort on the man's face. He wished he could explain more or give some sort of reassurance, but there really wasn't any that he could think of.

"Gailardia? A friend of yours?" he asked at the name, focusing on the SFC for the time being.

"Well, we can create replicas of people, and the world has an aggregate sentience for each fonon element. It's not too far a stretch to think some other world would be able to violate the laws of space and time." ...Alright, it really was a stretch, but it helped him feel better to put it like that. Shoulders lifted and fell as he sighed, shaking his head. It wasn't that big a deal. So long as he could get out of here before anyone started panicking, he'd be fine.

"You could say that," Peony grinned, appreciating this topic far more than the one that broke the laws Professor Nebilim had introduced to them all those years ago. Aah, maybe Gailardia would walk the rappigs without being asked...? "He's an invaluable person."

"Ahh..."

Most of that went right over Ioder's head, and by no fault of being as small as he was. He understood the very basic idea of what Peony was saying, but trying to compare it to anything in his world for a better grasp just left the poor emperor staring blankly for several seconds before he gave up.

He shook his head clear of the confusing thoughts and managed a smile at the talk of his acquaintance. That was a much easier topic.

"I see! Well, there's always a chance some one you know is here. I believe there's a resident listing on this device that you could check at your leisure, when you're more settled."

Peony watched Ioder's face for a moment, not quite sure what to make of the confusion, but eventually he allowed himself a laugh. Well, if they're from different worlds, things might well not work the same way. He chuckled an apology shortly after, swallowing his amusement, and from there he continued into explaining Gailardia.

"He's also a fan of fontech, or any other kind of technology depending on the world of origin, I'd imagine. I can see him trying to either take it apart or just gushing over its capabilities, whatever they may be." Lips quirked a bit higher at the corner, and Peony ran one tanned hand through his hair. Nervous habit? Maybe. Aaah, this place was catching up to him. "Maybe. How does one get settled in an underwater bubble city?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what fontech is, but I can understand an interest in technology. I know some one who is sort of like that."

Ioder took note of the motions, but didn't comment on it. He could understand the feeling of uncertainty that came with arriving there, even if he himself hadn't acted much on those feelings.

"Well, housing is free, for a start. You just have to find a place. You can live alone or ask for roommates... ah... it's all a bit new to me still. I'm far too used to living in the imperial palace."

"Really." Peony arched a brow with housing cost revealed. That was interesting; many cities thrived on that market. The idea of living alone after living so long either escaping lonely mansions and living in a palace filled with other people and an attached military headquarters was terribly unappealing. "That makes two of us, then," he told Ioder easily. While Peony wasn't sure he'd have noted the kid as some form of royalty or palace-dweller, he wasn't sure he wouldn't have, either. It took all sorts, right?

Ioder had thought it odd, too, but everyone he spoke to had said it was always that way. Questioning it further would have been pointless.

A faint memory had come back to him as they talked, though, and he blinked a bit. Why did that name he said earlier sound so familiar?

"Ah, pardon but... what was your friend's name again?"

"Gailardia." The taller royal's expression shifted towards curiosity. ...And he really wished one of his rappigs had come through with him, suddenly. Ah, to have something small and unbearably cute to fuss over... But he turned his attention back more firmly onto Ioder once more. "Something come to mind?"

"OH! Yes! He's here in Vatheon!" Ioder suddenly exclaimed with a laugh. That's right, a friend of Estelle's! "Though I suppose I didn't catch it right away because he insists on going by Guy."

"Ah, maybe it's then if he does." That is, if he chose to believe that bit about people coming from different times. Maybe it wasn't like different points in a person's life, but general history, though. No use thinking too much on it without any evidence. Nevertheless, Peony grinned at the news. "Hopefully I run into him soon, then. Though I think first I need to get myself better situated." Hm.

Surprisingly, Ioder understood that. He knew there were slight discrepancies in the times and dates he, Duke, Estelle and Rita all recalled, which only made the 'from different times' thing more believable once they'd all realized it. Vague as the comment was, Ioder could only smile at Peony. They'd figure it all out eventually, he was sure.

"Well, if nothing else, it's good to have some one you know here yes? Even if ah... Gailardia is from a different point in your lives than you are. I found it made it easier to adjust, if nothing else."

It would really take seeing to believe that there were temporal inconsistencies, but that would be solved whenever it was encountered personally. He couldn't imagine how it would work all on his own, creative as he might be. As for the vagueness of his comment, Peony really hadn't meant to be so; it was more voicing his own thoughts than trying to communicate a point. But he did take a few from Jade's book at times and was intentionally vague. Just... now wasn't one of those times. He answered the shorter blond's cheer with a bob of his head, chuckling.

"In that case, I should be pretty set, especially if there are those of similar dispositions to yours around." Because nice, cheerful people were usually the most helpful and the nicest about it. Now, then... "Where would you suggest I start this whole process?"

"Hmn..." Ioder had to think for a moment, giving a tilt of his head to the side as he did so. When he'd first arrived, his cousin had been called by way of Duke because of his injuries, so he'd skirted around the normal way most people entered Vatheon.

"I believe most people start at the welcome center," he finally answered, pointing to it once he recalled where it was, "Or you can see if you can track down your friend first?"

"Then that sounds like a good place to start~" Peony hummed, amusement flitting openly across his features. "He won't miss me if he doesn't know I'm here." Which was to say, Guy wouldn't start a fit of some nature if he didn't know Peony was here. If it could be called a fit.

Provided they were even from the same time and knew the same things.

Ah, well!

"That's... certainly one way to look at it."

The amusement was catching, even if Ioder didn't completely understand it himself. He chuckled awkwardly himself, though the smile he gave was little more than polite confusion. Peony was... different, but not in a way that was bothersome.

"Well, if you ever need any further assistance, I'd be happy to help you in the future."

He got that a lot. Either different or eccentric, or sometimes just plain weird. Well, Ioder hadn't met him in Grand Chokmah. If he had, well... That would have been more than just a little confusing and more than just a little different. But odd choice in pets aside, Peony chuckles a bit. Ah, poor guy. Poor Guy, as well.

"I'll offer you the same, even if I don't think I'd be very useful around here just yet. Peony, by the way." He held out his hand to the other blond.

Ioder wasn't normally bothered by 'different', even if he was confused for the moment. Anything was a breath of fresh air from the stuffiness of palace life - even Vatheon and it's often strange residents.

"Oh, that's quite alright. I'm sure if you're intent on repaying the favor you'll find some way," Ioder said cheerfully, taking the man's hand in a surprisingly firm grip, "Ioder. I won't bore you with my full name. It's a pleasure to meet you, Peony."

Peony'd agree with that. It took a lot to get him out of the palace and not by his own design. He'd rather be out wandering the city, but nope. Between the council and his status, that was definitely a no-go.

"I'll definitely try." Peony chuckled, and again at the grip he was met with. "And I'm no stranger to long names, but the pleasure's mine."

A bit of distraction took Ioder then, mostly because he caught the time in a near by clock. Not that time had much sway over day and night in Vatheon, but it did concern him when he knew he'd been away from home long enough for Estelle to worry.

"Well, I do hope you settle in well. And of course my offer of help remains, should you need it."