swap out

[nyktifanis]

Who: The Dioscuri (Castor, Pollux) & OPEN
When: Some times after November 4th-ish
Where: Around the boat!
Summary: Twenty questions

---

1.) Around

THREADHOP PERMISSION FOR CASTOR, Y/N?

( despite what's happened recently, she's noticed growth in her brother— not physically, but his relationships with others are starting to blossom. it's wonderful to see, actually, and maybe pollux is getting ahead of herself by having his name and an animal written in a notebook. she realizes that if this little game she learned about awhile back is true to what it says, then finding like-minded people that castor can engage with will work in his favor. she knows that he won't go out there and ask, so pollux will do so instead.

wherever your character is, pollux will wind up sitting next to them, and offers a soft smile. )

Excuse me, I hope you aren't busy. ( crossing her legs slowly because her side still hurts like a bitch, she continues. ) Do you mind answering a few questions for me?

( wait, maybe she should explain a little more. )

It's a test that's supposed to tell you a bit about yourself, would you want to try?

2.) Island Gems

( In the friendly local jewelry shop, a rather similar situation can be found. Except instead of Pollux and fun and games, you get Castor and crankiness and scowling. Well, kind of. Pollux is actually there too, occasionally offering apologetic smiles from behind her brother's shoulder, but Castor will periodically be the one who approaches passersby, while Pollux seems more intent on inspecting the diamonds with a sharp eye.

Of course, it's fine to bother Pollux too, but if you happen to be pulled over by Castor, you'll get a pretty specific line of questioning thrown your way. )

You.

( He's gotta open things up on the right foot here. )

Did you speak with any of the possessed?

3.) Playback

( both pollux and castor can be found in the playback, seated in one of the many arcade games with a vibrant screen placed in front of them. the game in question seems to be mario kart, and by the end of the round does WINNER come up on castor's screen, confetti and a gold trophy awarding him for being the best racer to race on rainbow road. pollux, who appears to be in a good mood, leans back from the wheel to clap her hands in applause praising him for his skills; racing isn't quite her forte, she deserves something like mortal kombat... as for castor? he's puffed up, proud of himself, but that's normally the default when pollux gives him any kind of attention.

it's a refreshing and warm feeling that places him in good spirits, well that's until pollux notices someone close by, it doesn't matter if they spared them a single glance and thought to keep moving, or is just here to do their own thing— pollux gets up. )

Hey, would you like to join? A third would make this even more exciting!

( pollux's hands raise, fingers pressing against one another as she stares at their guest hoping that they'll agree to join. it can't be helped that castor's sentiments on the matter are different as he leans forward against the wheel of his arcade car, looking unimpressed at whoever it is. )

4.) Wildcard

( Or throw anything else their way! If you're not sure or want to spitball ideas, feel free to PM or DM either of us! )

Comments

3

[argonautai]

[ pollux really doesn't even need to ask as soon as jason identifies the two playng at the game where he's passing by.

he puffs out his own chest a bit, placing one hand on his hip as he glances at castor and his score. ]

Say no more.

[ he slouches into the seat next to castor without any futher prompting, only pausing to see if he needs to insert money for this machine. this isn't the slots, is it!? ]

[mikraitios]

( Castor's score is very high. He rolled a nat 20. Poor Pollux.

In any case, Castor makes a face when he turns in his seat and sees Jason. He's not going to full on start whining right out the gates if it's him, sure, but the fact of the matter remains that he's still somewhat skeptical.

More importantly: )

That's Pollux's seat.

( Get out. )

[nyktifanis]

Hehe, sorry, Jason! You have to choose a team.

( a team, she says. there's only two people to choose from, and so she points at herself and then castor. )

Whose side do you want to be on?

( her brother did win, so maybe it's best he sticks with castor? )

1 and threadhop as much as your heart desires!

[theotherright]

[ It's Arthur's custom to choose a quiet, out-of-the-way corner of the library, and it's not as if the place gets busy, so it's a surprise to hear someone sit down next to him. He lifts his head towards the newcomer with interest, and... okay, with caution too, but can you blame him after the month everyone just had?

(For Pollux's context: it would be very hard to miss that this guy can't see. If not from the long cane laid across his chest like a seatbelt, then from the fact that the book he's reading is literally written in braille.)

Both eyebrows go up at her unexpected question. ]

Well, er, I don't know. [ Half-joking: ] Would I learn anything good?

[nyktifanis]

( don't worry, helena has prepared pollux to mind what people are reading, and so eyes like sunset manage to glance down to see what the other has chosen. besides the game she has in mind, you can really learn a lot about a person depending on what type of literature that they choose to read. )

Hehe, it depends on how you view yourself!

( of course, she's setting her items onto the table next to them. )

Some people have a few reservations when it comes to learning about themselves, but this may work in your favor! ( she's enthusiastic about it, and her voice is as honest as it has always been. ) Open up new paths you never thought of before?

[theotherright]

[ Oh well if they start getting into how he really views himself, then he might have to take his good friend April's voice and Just Lie. He'll allow the questions, though, because the young lady seems very polite. ]

If money existed here, I'd think you were trying to sell me something.

[ He says this with what the narration can best describe as 'interested bafflement'. (And a hint of remaining apprehension, because the last time somebody sat down out of the blue to ask him questions, it got really really weird.) ]

Er, a-ask away, though. I suppose it couldn't hurt. [ It could absolutely hurt, but that's never stopped him from agreeing to something before! ] Sorry, what's your name?

1.) Around (Y, by all means!)

[crushed_pearls]

Erin pauses with her boba (Undine was right, this stuff is amazing, and now you can find Erin at Sand Dollar at least once a day looking for it) halfway to her mouth when Pollux takes her seat at the table. Erin's seen the lass around the cabins but never really found a good way to walk up and say hi; now the introduction has delivered itself.

"Ain't you bold, youngblood." Erin grins and offers her free hand across the table to shake. "Erin, pleasure to meet you. I'm down for questions if you're down to get some back."

New friend?

(Don't get ahead of ourself here, clown.)

Can you. Can you wait for something to go wrong before you start the doomsaying? Alright? Okay.

[nyktifanis]

( bold? is that what they call it now? of course, that offers a small laugh from her with a shake of her head. even the compliment... she knows she's on the older side, but these little things do make her smile! )

There's no need for such kindness. ( with the hand extended, she stares at it for a moment, contemplating what to do. her brother.... won't like that...

she looks left, then right, before turning back to erin to take her hand in both of hers, shaking. )

Yes, a pleasure! It's always nice to meet new people. ( a warm smile pulls onto her face. ) I am Pollux, half of the Dioscuri that will shine bright, leading those that look to the stars for guidance. This same star, ( she takes her hand back, placing the palm over her heart. ) would love to answer your questions.

[crushed_pearls]

"Oh, wow. I feel a bit like my introduction was underdressed." Erin takes her hand back with a warm smile in the face of all this welcoming energy. "I'll uh, I'll sprinkle 'em in, yeah? You've got me curious, Pollux, not gonna lie, so - hit me with your first."

Erin takes a sip of her boba while the gunpowder around her pops in anticipation. This seems like it's gonna be good.

wildcard

[killed]

[ If one who's doomed wishes to send a final message, they roll up a piece of paper and seal it in a bottle before entrusting it to the ocean's currents. It takes a small miracle for it to reach civilization, to survive deadly storms and waves that drag down anything that drags anything that dares to enter its depths down - further, further, until they're nothing more but a decoration at the bottom of the ocean. The letter that sits atop the various other items on the bench next to him could be thought of as that - a small miracle, a letter cast out to sea in hopes that the right person would find it.

Hiyori is the right person. He has to be, as he's the only one who could find it folded up and tucked away in his pocket. To anyone else it would no doubt be insulting to have their body used as the bottle cast out to sea, but he's not one to throw tantrums. His tears dried up early in his youth. It might have been difficult, but never once troubled others by kicking and screaming but buried it down instead. It's why he's so beloved, a man who none can find fault with and whom none could take the place of.

That's right, it's because he held it all in that he became a wonderful adult. It's a mantra he tells himself over and over. It keeps the complaints at bay. It erases the frustration of having his body used as a toy right until the end, and the absolute fury of knowing that the knowledge that he'd so carefully collected over years of hard work was utilized by common trash is tempered. The more he pieces together of what had transpired, of how much others had learned about him. It's because he can keep going after somebody stuck their filthy hands over every part of his life that he's a wonderful adult.


He sits at the piano bench at John's with several items sitting next to him, carefully stacked up. There's a laptop, a notebook, a letter that's been carefully smoothed out and read multiple times. The melody he plays is of the moon that shines light upon them along with the stars; a soft melody that's supposed to soothe even the moon and lost souls, one that should comfort children as much as a loving mother might. It does nothing to ease his nerves, and nor does noticing the added presence in the room. He brings it to completion though, and it's only after hitting the last note that he looks up to examine his audience.

He hasn't quite reached the point where he can comfortably address others, being a man who takes such care in his address and who's so thoughtful, but there's not even a hint of his true feelings in his posture nor the soft, slightly sheepish smile that crinkles his eyes. He wasn't ready, but he wasn't during his childhood either. If he wasn't studying then he was socializing, always with the right people of course, pushed and prodded, but he didn't mind. He handled it with grace and kindness, then and now, after all -

It's because he held it all in that he was able to become the wonderful adult that he is now.

But people always mean well, and he finds that this is the ideal situation. If he were to drag out his absence any longer it would cause issues and widen the rift. ]

If I'd known I would have company I would have chosen a more lively melody.

[ Those words are soft and gentle, with just the fainted hint of an apology. The moon and the stars, the currents and a bottle struggling to stay afloat within it, the stranger who finds it hiding in the sand and the souls who entrusted them to to the sea - it's a song that can reach none of its intended recipients here. He would know, having traded one Hell for another in coming and leaving this vessel. ]

[mikraitios]

( It's a somber sounding melody, light and gentle, but not necessarily playful or light-hearted in its sound, and the two of them follow it hand in hand. When inside, they find one of their possessed companions (and one with whom they had dealt, no less,) a glance to meet one another's eyes is all it takes for the two of them to understand that they will wait for his acknowledgment—reluctant as Castor is to wait after all of this.

It isn't necessarily that he's oblivious to the atmosphere now, but rather, that surrendering to such a dreary atmosphere has never been his preference when there is work still awaiting them. To ignore it, that too is a problem, but there's value to be had in continuing through such things—he's never been one to stand aside and lament his fate when there's action to be taken. For those individuals under his and Pollux's care, too, even if one happens to find it distasteful, it's a lesson they are expected to learn.

And so, as Hiyori finally addresses them, Castor tips up his chin. )

You should have said something, Human. ( That he was back, Castor means. ) It's a waste of Pollux's time to worry over the likes of you.

[nyktifanis]

I do not fault him, Brother. I won't have you act as if you didn't care! Besides, what we did was to see him again... you were just as concerned.

( the song never fell on deaf ears, and it's a song that she wouldn't particularly say matches hiyori's mood— why is it so painful, yet soft that she wouldn't have expected a note cheerier than this. if she could make a comment that the song belongs to the spirits who offered their final goodbye, then it would match perfect, but for now for someone who has been missing for quite awhile does worry her heart. well, it's because she's always worried over humans, and while hiyori may not completely be one, that doesn't separate him from the fact that he is a friend of theirs.

do not be mistaken, she will not allow castor to say such a thing! he may do better with his feelings, but... in the end, they still wanted hiyori to return. )

What was lost is now found, and knowing he's doing well I can be at ease.

( ... )

May we join you?

1 + OF COURSE <333 I love Castor

[konpeito_aji]

Okay. [Soka. He should have said soka. WHATEVER. Translation is like that.] Is there a way to win the test?

[Everything is a competition, he will die on this hill, this mountain, this castle, this temple, in a fiery blaze of glory and do it all over again. Let's go!]

[nyktifanis]

You win by learning something you never knew!

( that's all the winning that's happening here, because this isn't a competition... she has so much to teach him. )

Hehe, you really don't like to lose, do you?

[konpeito_aji]

Yay! [He loves learning!]

[And a headtilt. He's a dEmOn KiNg. Of course he hates losing. But also--] That's not quite true. Before you and Amaterasu I never lost at anything ever. Usually, losing would mean death. And while, I don't wish to die but... I have not minded losing here. Losing my delusion that Amaterasu abandoned us, was worth any amount of loss. Knowing there are those who can be faster than me... [Pollux herself of course.]

Crichton won the drinking contest, but other than Klaus, he is my best friend! [He's so proud!!!! He has FRIENDS now Pollux! Be proud of him!] Ruby Rose won the costume contest. [That didn't exist, just like the drinking contest, Nobunaga just declares it so.] And I feel honored to have merely participated, and born witness to it.

But I have to always give it my best and get stronger. The emotions should run high, and prove to the Captain and others that despair isn't the easiest or best way to achieve usable emotions! [Don!]

Ah, but that wasn't your first question, I assume?

1., let him in

[decrypter]

A test? I'll do my best to answer the questions for you, but I can't promise I know the answers.

[caution, caution - but she'd go along with anything Pollux suggested right now. she owes her, after all, so a simple test isn't going to be anything hard. laying aside her book - but keeping her hand on it so it won't disappear - she sits at attention.]

[nyktifanis]

Alright, Helena, you're out on a voyage in a small boat surrounded by water, and on your boat is a horse, a cow, a lion and a monkey.

( writing down helena's name in her book, she places a dash next to her name as she leans back watching her. )

You've done well fishing, the sea breeze tickles your nose, and the warm sun caresses the back of your neck. Taking this small ride means that after twenty days, you'll be able to return home safely. You have enough food for the first three days to feed your companions, but... it's a stormy day, and the fish within the ocean have gotten scared and swam off!

( that's horrible right? what will helena eat, what will all the other animals eat? )

You realize that you and the animals won't make it back home safely together, and so you must let one go. Who do you choose, and why is that?

[decrypter]

Before I answer...can they swim? If I let them go, will they be able to make it to elsewhere?

[this is important, when dealing with sacrifice. she's thinking about it in depth, her expression gone thoughtful.]

1 (castor welcome!)

[obeyseventually]

After a month of relying on the buffet for food, Jack's happy to broaden his choices again, which means he's in The Drunken Sailor picking through a basket of fish and chips when Pollux joins him.

(Mikabo's was tempting but given the ghost chefs having knives right out there in the open, maybe not a great idea immediately after Halloween.)

"Oh, sure!" Jack says - and since she's joining him, he nudges the fish and chips basket over, fries-side out. There's always more than enough of those, and it's not like it'd cost him any to order more, right?

[nyktifanis]

( her lucky prize being jack means it's someone she can relax around, and it's when the food is proffered is where pollux perks up a bit. the thing is between her and castor sharing one spiritual core, and the fact that he's unable to eat while natsuno has to try and learn to use his powers... they really have to rely on as much food as they can get.

normally she'd pass, but... there's the sound of her stomach growling loud, making itself known that it is in fact hungry. she seems a little troubled, but with a shake of her head, a sheepish smile appears on her face. )

You're always aware of what I need.

( be it a pick me up, or checking in her with to show that he's alive as that's something she relatively enjoys. pollux reaches over to pinch the side of the basket with both her thumb and index finger, pulling it closer. )

Thank you for your kindness, hehe. It feels so long ago when you seemed wary of me... now we're sharing in a meal.

[obeyseventually]

No problem, and there's more where that came from.

[Jack gives her a smile and doesn't stop her from pulling his food closer. By now, he's more used to her fancy way of speaking and the way she makes gestures sound grander than they are, but there's still something nice about it.

It was off-putting at first, maybe, but as Pollux pointed out, he got used to it.]

Heh, I guess that's the difference a few months makes. [A pause while Jack does the math, and frowns slightly.] Huh, two months.

[He shrugs it off and is back to smiling.]

A long two months, though, right?

[Two months, and being shy about admitting the drinking age thing.]

1 (u know castor's welcome, time for 20 questions with magical wine)

[neverleave]

[The Dioscuri are on Natsuno's mind even before Pollux shows up; if the ghost managed to use his body to channel energy, he can do it as well, which means he should learn more about magic. Natsuno has several people he can ask, from different school of magic: Jade, Palamedes, Rita. However, all three of them will no doubt scold him for entering a magical contract, so he needs to think about how to present the topic.

He's sitting in Sand Dollars with a cup of coffee and a notebook, writing down talking points, when Pollux slides next to him.]

...yeah, sure. [He closes the notebook. It's kinda weird, but if they're Master and Servants then it makes sense she'd want to get to know him better.] Ask.

[1/1] cannot wait for the liquor to be involved

[nyktifanis]

I hope you're ready, Master.

( flipping open her own, she starts writing down a few options, and if he peeks he can see a few names already written: erin peters, oda nobunaga, jack, helena adams, so on and so forth of people she's already spoken to. for what reason? who knows.

this is her master, and so speaking with him, doing anything with him comes easy to her due to their connection. rather than writing down natsuno's name, she writes, "master", and begins: )

It's a sunny day. The clouds are puffy white, not a spec of grey in sight on them which tells you your journey at the bottom of his mountain will be fine. You look up, and there's a ring of clouds around the tip, but that doesn't strike you as odd as the greenery that grows alongside the rocks giving it an appearance as if this place has been tended to look like this. In some of the bushes you noticed beautiful white flowers, some vibrant red, and ones you couldn't even place the color of! In your hand is a map, and in your other hand is a brown sack filled with meat and fruit that will hold you through your travels.

( all types of fruits, and luckily for him the meat can be cooked if he decides to cut down some trees, and pick twigs to make tinder. )

You know that you must trek to the top of this mountain to obtain medicine for a dear friend who is sick— we could name this friend Rita, to give you extra motivation! Alongside you are four animals: a horse, a cow, a monkey and a lion. Would you like to tell me what they look like, and how'd you name them?

[hellonspectacles]

[Palamedes is sitting in Sand Dollars with a pile of books beside him and a notebook before him when Pollux—or is it Castor?—slides into the chair across from him. He has been aware of the twins for some time, of course, but has thus far kept his distance. Something about them unsettles him, something he can’t quite put his finger on.

Still, he offers his new companion a polite enough smile. Palamedes has always been good at tests.]

By all means.

[1/1]

[nyktifanis]

( he sounds raring to go which is a pretty good starting impression with her— no ifs, ands or buts, which makes her peg him as the type curious of what the outcomes are. when they were all told to come to the library to talk, she also noticed him from far, as he had a list of ideas and points to speak on. even now, she wonders if there's a chance to bring up those past ideas.

for now... )

It's hot

( the start of this journey, and it's time to tell him the state of this hell. ) The sun's scorching rays of light beams down on you, and your four companions: a lion, a horse, a monkey and a cow. You all trek through brown sand, the weight of it on everyone's feet slows you down but none of you give up. There's something compelling you to move forward, which you are rewarded for doing so as you come upon a Laperrine's Olive tree. You and your four friends move to settle beneath it, drinking in the shade as sweat drips down your forehead, and the curve of your neck.

In your sack you have more food than water, realizing that you have to ration the latter. You look to your companions, and...

( ... )

What would you like to name them?