vatheon | (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

Moreso to those who have lives left to live.

[Nope, Dhaos isn't going to explain that cryptic statement.]

[That... is... Peony arches a brow, not entirely sure what to make of the statement.]

That's an interesting way to put things.

Is it?

Mm-hm. You make it sound like there are people plucked up from some time that conflicts.

[Maybe he's just overthinking...]

[Nope. Getting uncomfortably close to the mark there.]

Some...will not live long when returned...

[He unconsciously shifts beneath his cloak to rest his hand against the sloppily-mended tear in his bodysuit, left from his own brush with death.]

[Lips purse before pressing into a line, his heart skipping. Is that so?]

So anyone here could be a dead man walking.

[He isn't worried for himself, there's no reason to be. But the prospect is still...]

........

[Dhaos nods.]

[Peony shifts a bit, hips redistributing weight while he turns this new information over in his head. A place like this could prove helpful in many disastrous situations, but... Being trapped in an entirely new world doesn't make for a good vehicle for rescue. He turns the rest of his responses internal, the sigh not reach his lips and his shoulders remaining square.]

I wonder how it decides that one.

A good question. If its powers could be studied... harnessed...

[Dhaos pauses and studies the emperor for a moment.]

You have thoughts on the matter?

I do.

[Peony's quiet for a beat, organizing his thoughts.]

A lot of lives were lost recently, and so much was beyond the scope of our understanding at the time--both of monarchs and those seeking to personally address the problems--that we were unable to prevent it.

[Dhaos simply looks at Peony for a moment, analyzing the situation. The way the man in front of him was talking, it sounded almost like...

His gaze seems far away as he begins to speak.]

...Something similar happened on my homeworld some time ago. A war between two of the smaller nations broke out. Many lives were lost before one side finally won. But...the losing side...chose to take as many people possible with them.

[He pauses for a moment, taking a slightly shaky breath.]

Over one hundred-fifty thousand people...soldiers and civilians alike...all gone in an instant...

[Peony grimaces, but it's sympathy that takes his features. He reaches out, a hand coming to rest on one of Dhaos' shoulders. With a squeeze, Peony recalls Malkuth's own losses.]

It's never easy. They're the numbers you never want to know, and never want to need to know. All you can do for them is grieve and move on for them, and keep them in your heart.

[It's hard to find the words to say, but he's wary of carrying on too much. He doesn't know Dhaos enough to find a way to speak to him about this, but he thinks he's on the right track, at least. His grin doesn't return, but instead it's a sad smile. Just gotta keep on keepin' on.]

[Dhaos accepts the hand on his shoulder, returning the sad smile.]

...And do our best to save the rest.

[There's something in the way the other man speaks that suggests that perhaps, just perhaps, he's not speaking from the point of view of a mere citizen or even a soldier. And if that's the case...]

My name is Dhaos. I am a prince of Derris Kharlan.

[He squeezes the shoulder again, returning the sad smile with what he hopes is one a little more encouraging.]

Exactly.

[The only aspect of the introduction that fazes him at all is the locale of the other man's kingdom. Never heard of it. Doesn't mean this Derris Kharlan place doesn't exist, maybe in an as-of-yet unexplored bit of Auldrant? When you think you know everything, after all. And tit for tat.]

Peony. I'd give you my full name, but it's a mouthful. Emperor of Malkuth.

[Now hopefully that doesn't put a damper on their conversation.]

Malkuth...

[He pauses a moment, trying to remember if he's heard of such a place.]

Forgive me if this seems a strange question, but is that a country or a planet?

[Because casually hinting that you're a space alien is a fantastic plan.]

[Well, at least it doesn't look like Dhaos is too bothered by status! Which is great, because maaaan... That would suck. Sure he's just met the guy and it's mostly been either quiet or comforting, but still. Peony likes to keep progress with people open rather than having a door shut on them. He shrugs off the strangeness. They had a city under the planet's levitating crust, so why not?]

Country. You have full planets that interact with each other?

[There's... probably a little bit in the way of fascination on Peony's face, at least in his eyes. That's awesome~~~ The things you read about in books as a kid stay with you forever, don't judge.]