boxfullofzeroes | voicetest the voiceless

They're not dead.

Less dead than they'd felt, at least. Their shell doesn't normally take so long to reform.

Then again. Their shell doesn't usually break of their own violation as they ascended in a boiling rage, ate at least one realm, a god, and all the Godseekers.

(That last point is debatable, actually. There's some odd sense, deep under their...shell? Void? Wherever they once stored things like Isma's Tear, much deeper now...that the sea-mind is still there, sluggish and held in a stasis. They're already adjusting enough, and they don't seem to be dying or trying to kill them, so that problem is neatly sorted as 'for later'.)

They push their body to stand. Their horn clangs uncomfortably loudly against the grate they've apparently woken up beneath. They're somewhere in the Royal Waterways. A quick check of the map--or, not so quick, as it takes time to locate where it had been--shows they've risen about halfway through, closer to the City of Tears than the White Palace. They'll go to the Stag Station in the City Storerooms next.

So they think. Complications arise on the way.

The Infection is gone, leaving dead Flukes, Pilflips, and Hwurmps in piles enough it takes time to force their way past. Their body seems too small. No, their body is fine--there's something wrong with perception itself. That will take time to adjust to.

Then, they discover the Monarch Wings now stretch and warp when used, twisting around the nearest pipes after landing before the Knight forcibly calls them back. Shade Wings, they decide to call these.

Once they're high enough to hear the rain above, they realize a noise they'd ascribed to water running in the distance is, in fact, something swirling behind their mask. Many somethings. All the fragments of Siblings with enough self left, staring out from their eyes. It's disconcerting.

By the time they actually get out of the Waterways, they're using their Shade Wings to grip ledges and drag themselves up, with those holding onto things better than their own arms are with the Mantis Claw.

The Knight faceplants awkwardly onto the floor of the building Lemm's shop is in. If the City is the same as below, there's little left to try killing them in the area.

They'll just take a moment here, thanks.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

capitalcurator

The tense atmosphere is diffused as they go, and a short, scornful snicker is dragged out of Lemm. There is a strange, universal rule that everything is funnier right after the stress fades.

"You've such a knack for detail," he informs them. "I'll have to meet this Zote. In fact I'm adding him to the list. You'll introduce me, and with a Relic Seeker onlooking to record the result we'll have you break the record for 'furthest anyone has ever been flung'. Millibelle can watch." A beat. "And know she's next."

From:

focusedvoid

I share the most pertinent facts I can recall, they inform him primly, before promptly collapsing forward until they're nearly flat on their face.

They still reach to the paper, now at their side, to write. The text is slightly more legible than their attempt with the tendrils. Flinging Them- excellenT idea. YOU get to Organize. Had enOugh zOte.

Edited Date: 2022-12-05 11:18 pm (UTC)

From:

capitalcurator

The sight of them doubling over is the final thread that snaps, and Lemm succumbs to a very undignified snicker-fit.

(The sheer U-turn of this interaction, as opposed to how he dreaded it would go! He is beside himself. It does not help with the almost-hysterics.)

"Hm-- I'll arm myself with a - Journal," he manages, one hand curling in front of his mouth like he's stifling himself (and not managing), "and we'll - take turns..." Shaking near-silently and pressing his fist to his forehead, the fingers of his other hand flap impotently against the desk as he summons the strength to finish. "No, we'll each take one, we'll see who knocks theirs the furthest--"

The last part is rushed out and Lemm's horn thunks lightly against the desk, mouth firmly planted in his hand to try and silence himself, wracked with tremors.

From:

focusedvoid

The Knight nods in agreement. Fantastic idea. They'll steal some journals from the Soul Sanctum, the correct amount of dignity.

Their arm flops when they try to write this lovely idea out, just drawing a line to scratch all the way off the paper onto the counter. No, they're done. That's just fine. The quill goes onto the counter too.

After a few moments, they reach over--a little gingerly--to pat the middle of Lemm's more prominent horn.

From:

capitalcurator

Lemm is still cracking up quietly into the counter for a bit, though the terribly, terribly violent assault of humour leaves him in reasonable waves.

The pat does call some sense back into him, and eventually he heaves a typically Lemm-style sigh into his hand, pinned against the counter as it is.

He tilts his head slightly as he raises back up into a sitting position, letting the Knight's paw fall away, and he sits there just meditating a bit. It's hard to recover after something like that.

He can't think of anything to say, so he just reaches out and pats the back of the Knight's hand in turn. It seems the two of them are a disaster. (His hand lingers there, however long before they move theirs.)

From:

focusedvoid

They stay there a while, 'til the warmth of wild amusement is less than the warmth of the hand on their mask. When they finally move, it's only to roll over.

Directly off the counter.

This is genuine miscalculation on their part. They wildly flail with a too-long wing-slap that does absolutely nothing but fling them into clanking a bit of horn against the window before they finally manage to stand.

Well.

From:

capitalcurator

That stirs him. Lemm snaps to attention from his quiet haze of recovery and instinctively looks at the Knight.

They are not there.

He glances around a bit, first over the wrong side of his desk then over the other side of his seat, and finally he leans over to peer down at the only remaining place they could be.

With a hand braced on the counter, Lemm stares. His laughter is hard-won and he has just recovered from some, still aching around his middle. So, instead:

The Knight receives perhaps the most smug look Lemm has ever given them. This one is going in the record.

From:

focusedvoid

The Knight meets his gaze. What is that look for. Nothing happened. They got off the counter, as they wanted to do at some point. Forget the noise. That wasn't anything. They're just going to turn around and stare out at the rain now.

They're a little dusty, clearly because his counter needs more use and not because they stirred up plenty of the floor.

From:

capitalcurator

Alright, alright. Lemm relents, peeling away from the scene to sit back in his chair and just... enjoy the silence, for a bit, with his chin resting on both hands. (He will replay this in his head later. Probably many times. The Knight doesn't need to know.)

Eventually he slides out of his seat.

"I don't know what I can get you," he says, "but I think I need water after that."

He hovers a bit before entering the back room, just in case they come up with something they actually do want. Not that he has much.

From:

focusedvoid

They flick their arm, as if waving him to the other room. No, they don't need anything. (They need a moment to work out why he might need water in the first place.)

Though they'll use the time alone to wave their wings and brush the worst of the clinging stuff off. There's still a smear of ink on the crown of their head, too, as they only somewhat see in their reflection. They can wash that off in the rain, or a hot spring if that won't suffice.

They glare at the counter for a moment or two before hopping back onto it, looking the gamepieces over one more time.

From:

capitalcurator

He is gone a little while. As familiar as he is with his own clutter there's still so much of it that there's a little faint clunking and rustling as he steps over some things and leans around the rest.

When he eventually emerges, there's a once-rather-ornate pillow tucked under the arm not holding his cup of water. This is wordlessly placed near the end of his desk, slightly nudged into some suggestion of neat alignment, and then dismissed as something he will not bring up again.

"You can keep one if you like." As he slides back into his own seat, Lemm gestures to the game board. "Might be a good reference if you look for spares... Or have them made." He takes a sip. "None of my concern how you finish the set." It is absolutely a task he's assigning them, though.

He kind of wants them to have the board game. Nothing doing without a challenge clause, though.

From:

focusedvoid

The Knight absolutely turns to peer at the pillow, but what Lemm says next absolutely knocks them from doing so much as point at it.

The comfortable warmth is back, all along them. They pick the Stag bell, naturally, though that one hadn't been cleaned as well as the rest. It's not the first gift they've gotten from him, but this one is more to their tastes--perhaps that's why it shakes them to their core. They just hold it delicately in their claws, staring at it for a time as they think.

Made...? That seems odd, for one who wants to collect relics, the original things. They can do something like that, though. Fill in what seems to make sense, and then find the pieces and compare, if they're particularly lucky.

The Knight bows.

From:

capitalcurator

They can bow with all the quiet appreciation they like - Lemm will not be responding to it with the dignity it deserves this time. He's not in the habit of giving things away and this is the first time it's felt right and he knows the rest will be going to them, too, eventually. He knows this, even if they don't.

One little piece borrowed against the rest is hardly a bother.

Barely considering it, Lemm pats them on the head while they're bowing and takes another sip of his water.

From:

focusedvoid

Theirs now. Whether or not he requests it back eventually, theirs now. Living in the moment is hardly foreign to the Knight, whether it be surviving a battle or enjoying a bauble.

They're patted and pleased about it, though they're not to ignore the pillow forever, no matter how many distractions reach them. They crouch, switching the bell to the hand they write less with.

Thank you. I appreciate this. And 'this' encompasses more than only the little gift.

-If you'd like to sleep now, you have an entire pile of pillows better than the counter.

From:

capitalcurator

He is a little floaty, after everything. It'd be easy to get sidetracked, but he has nothing to get sidetracked with right now. His headache is gone, he has navigated one of the most important conversations in his recent memory, and he is content to just... exist, and not work, and not fuss.

He peers down at the page and swirls his cup idly.

"No. I'm sick of seeing you sitting on that hard surface. Heretic." He takes another sip and closes his eyes, comfortably zoning out. The pillow, he has already decided, will be there whenever they are.

From:

focusedvoid

Ah.

They eye the pillow. Alright, then. Telling him they don't need it would be rude. This is another gift, small and freely offered.

...Important. Important, in a physical symbol that indicates their having a place here.

The Knight pats it once and settles in.

They'll need a few moments to adjust, admittedly. They're, as ever, rather small. Even a slightly raised soft surface is enough to put them at a strange angle they need to wriggle a bit to keep from being more inconvenient than not.

From:

capitalcurator

At the soft rustling of someone fidgeting in their seat he blinks a little more alert and watches them a moment.

Lemm kind of wants to see how long they'd fidget just to be polite.

"Not very comfortable, are you?" He can't help being a bit amused. "I'll admit I'm not sure what else to offer you."

From:

focusedvoid

Now, that's just a challenge.

They scoot to be better-centered (if feeling significantly worse-balanced) and start messing about with their Charms. See, that's functional enough, letting the Knight casually look at Joni's Blessing.

From:

capitalcurator

Fine, then. If they'd rather save face, Lemm will oblige. He's mildly touched that they'd bother, anyway, because he certainly wouldn't stand for it.

He eyes the charm with obvious curiosity.

"What's that one about, then? S'got a nice shine to it."

I don't suppose you'd- this is snapped off before it starts, again. Despite the open door, as far as he's concerned right now his shop is closed - they just happen to be sitting in it.

From:

focusedvoid

Heretic, he'd said. The Knight's mind went to this one, no matter how jokingly his words were aimed. They don't need to have it on, but perhaps they should for the sake of another hidden spirit's honor.

Joni's Blessing. Transfigures vital fluids into lifeblood. Helps in more difficult trials that will cause consistently-calculable damage but impedes actual healing.

Edited Date: 2022-12-06 11:03 am (UTC)

From:

capitalcurator

He gives an interested hum.

"I believe that stuff was prohibited here back in the day, at least in the City. You've no qualms with it, I see."

...What vital fluids. Void? Is Void a - he is getting sidetracked.

"Anyway what d'you need something like that for, now?" Lemm looks mildly disapproving. "You're not visiting that arena I've heard about, are you? Everyone who passed through seemed so fixated on it."

From:

focusedvoid

It is at least somewhat above. There's someone in the Crossroads who sells charms (not this one) who informed me as much. I'm not certain why.

Another Higher Being's domain? They tack this on after a moment's thought. Joni's Blessing had assisted them in reaching something's Dream at the edge of the Abyss until they were removed with all the grace of the White Palace. Another thing they should check on, though when they think to reach (and the air grows heavy for a few long seconds) across Hallownest for a hint, the only thing they catch a flicker of is their distant Sibling, startled enough to take moments to hide it.

Not quite realizing they'd done something palpable, the Knight continues with some smugness.

I did. I didn't use this Charm for them, but I passed all three Trials. The last one wasn't worth it.

From:

capitalcurator

Lemm shrugs - he doesn't have a reliably consistent reason to offer them. There would be different answers depending on who you asked, he thinks, which is usually a good indicator that the real reason has been forgotten. (...Hmm. That's for thinking about later - he's already got two major projects on his hands.)

"Another? Just how many Higher Beings are in this wreck of a kingdom?" He sounds a little exasperated - but that curious spark that drew him here is thrilled that there still seems to be so much he doesn't know. It's starting to feel like he may never run out of things to learn, here.

Wait. All three-?

His disdain for the Coliseum is momentarily replaced by morbid curiosity. "...What was it like?"

From:

focusedvoid

...That's a good question, in truth.

Formerly Pale King, Radiance
White Lady
Unn
Lifeblood being that hid in dark dreams(saw from a distance) possibly?
Nightmare's Heart (visiting)
Myself?/Lord of Shades

That is a fairly significant number. They hadn't quite sat down to count it. No wonder Hallownest had rend itself to pieces under Higher Beings' struggles. If it wasn't the Radiance and her seething disease of hated dreams, it would have been something else, most likely.

--This is a poor angle to write from. The Knight shuffles a little before standing up, moving back and falling forward, lying across the cushion on their stomach.

It's known as the 'Coliseum of Fools'. This is a fitting name.

They can't quite remember most of what happened in which trial. They write down a good amount, about the armored creatures down to armoring Squits, and encountering the strange beings they hadn't been braced for--the ones from the Soul Sanctum, some of the Mantis Traitors from clear across the kingdom. A taste of their irritation while adding information about the shifting platforms and spikes bleeds through.

Edited Date: 2022-12-06 02:42 pm (UTC)

From:

capitalcurator

Lemm isn't sure what he was expecting. Did he think they wouldn't provide him with a notarised list? Honestly.

He stares down at all of those with profound, burning curiosity. This does give him somewhere to start if the mood strikes to research these things. (And it will. He can already feel that familiar obsession rising, and forces himself to keep a lid on it for now. One can only pursue so many topics at once!)

"That is altogether too many higher powers," he declares simply, but there's no hiding the quiet excitement in his voice. "I might ask you about the less familiar ones some other time, if you don't mind. That's fascinating."

The rest of the information on the Coliseum is read with a great deal of input from himself - they get some solid reactions out of him regarding some of the more formidable-sounding opponents, and he interjects with questions here and there as well as a hefty allowance of scorn for the whole concept of the Coliseum as it is. But it becomes clear on some level that Lemm is quietly impressed with their achievements there; he's not a warrior, but he can appreciate the struggle.

"...I wonder what that place looks like without the Radiance's particular madness clouding it?" he finishes, after a hefty line of questioning about the dungeon. "Quieter I'd imagine, but who knows? With its reputation I wouldn't be surprised if it kept attracting warrior types long into the future." He shakes his head. "Unpleasant business, that. I don't much like having it so near."