essek.

[tactic]

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w1, thursday.

[tactic]

[ WHERE IS ESSEK RIGHT NOW ]

[unconsecuted]

[HELLO????

i

ON A DEAD THURSDAY???? idk probably wandering around the indoor garden. he likes to garden.]

[tactic]

[ OKAY.

SHOWS UP WITH HIS TRASH CAKE IN TOW. ]

There you are. I've been looking for you.

w2, monday

[unconsecuted]

[There is someone in the Fort. The skin color is familiar, the hair is familiar, but maybe they're a little extra smaller than normal? It's a boy who is too taciturn for a boy this age.

He is focused on getting through the fort carefully, heading from one area to another. There is a Chuckle Tingle book under his arm which probably is telling where he has come from.

It's probably fine.]

[tactic]

[ The way Aventurine is just watching this familiar looking child move around the fort.

That is, until he spots the book under that tiny arm. Wow, start them young, he guesses. But okay, he will follow after him into part of the fort. ]

What have you got there?

[unconsecuted]

[Look, sometimes you just pilfer some things because you don't know yet, and you're, like, 12? 13? It's fine.

He stops in such a sudden way as if he has been caught doing something naughty, but then he looks exasperated when he sees Aventurine.]

Why do you want to know?

w3, monday.

[tactic]

[ NEW SUITE LOCATION JUST DROPPED and Aventurine is living his best life exploring the one he's claimed for himself. Except that, unbeknownst to him, the room suddenly changes on him, and when he opens the door to the bathroom, he ends up opening the door to someone else's bathroom suite.

Essek better be decent. Makes you start our first memshare. ]

[unconsecuted]

[DON'T JUST PORT INTO HIS FUCKING BATHROOM AND THEN DEMAND HE BE DECENT?

He is decent. And he is extremely dressed down. His hair isn't even styled, but a messy little wave on top of his head. The yelp-like scream Essek gives from being startled is swallowed up halfway through by the voracious metaphysical suction of being pulled into a whole other experience.

The situation is not familiar to Aventurine, but the people present are - he's someone with indigo skin, looking across at three others: a eyepatched man with wolf ears, a young woman blonde woman wearing a laurel crown, and a ponytailed man in a lab coat.

Scien is typing on a digital device while the four of them stand by a strange machine. Scien says, "It's still unstable. We need to do more work on it."

And Muelsyse, taking notes, responds, "This would be way easier if we could just steal more tech, but if we tried to bring in any more parts they'd probably notice..."

Nehan, sweet Nehan, takes some readings from the machine. "...It's almost been a week since they made a move," he reminds them. "We might not have much time."

Aventurine knows it's true and feels a churn in his stomach. There are sacrifices here now, and there isn't a lot of time left to do the things they need to do: to find a way to open some kind of pocket of safe space for the innocents which have been pulled in. If they fail, the people here die for the sake of whatever wish the four of them desperately need.

Not looking up from the book of magical research in his hands, Aventurine feels himself say, "We will have to work with what we have for now."

Scien instructs Aventurine to help them input magical parameters into the machine, hopefully balancing the marriage of magic and technology. They truly have no Viktor Arcane when they really needed it. Aventurine is worried about the instability, the forced mesh between these two almost incongruent practices. Scien is stubborn, naturally, and Muelsyse and Nehan are caught between the two of them.

The machine doesn't look very great. It is built as sturdy as it can be, but the gauges on it are yelling the impending dangers of overclocking.

Helpfully, Nehan posts up at the machine to help punch in data. Aventurine turns away to go retrieve another book, but Scien and Muelsyse have already started drawing the sigil on the floor beneath the machine. The reason it is finished so quickly is because it is done so poorly. By the time Aventurine turns around, they have stepped back to look over their work. Aventurine's eyes jump from shoddy corner to shoddy corner of the star. My gods. It's the worst induction sigil he has ever seen in his entire life. His stomach drops.

"Don't--"

Why didn't he draw it? Why didn't they let him draw it, Aventurine wonders, hearing tinny static and a deep ringing in his ears. His eyes flutter open, and he isn't sure when he had closed them. His lungs fill suddenly with smoke and dust as he inhales, and he chokes. His eyes focus on the rumble left behind; it feels like a dream. He struggles to sit up, counts two bodies off to his left. Muelsyse and Scien, dirty, stunned, but beginning to move. Quickly, he searches everywhere else. Two, two. The third. Where is the third?

Half of a body is sticking out of smoldering debris, the familiar cut out in grey clothes, exposing scarred skin beneath.

Aventurine jolts upright through the streak of pain and the burn of his throat. He tries to scream, "Nehan!" but the only thing that comes out is a broken, croaky half of a name.

]

[tactic]

[ I WON'T FORGIVE YOU FOR THISSSSSSS

He'd been holding it together so well until now, passing off his lack of sleep to other reasons besides the truth, his desire to be left alone just whimsy, but even Aventurine has his limits. Once the memory comes to a close, he's sinking to his knees in this bathroom that doesn't even belong to him, trying to keep it together as he grips at his head and squeezes his eyes shut in a poor attempt to chase the image of Nehan's dead body away.

WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO HIM ]

w4, tues

[unconsecuted]

[What do you want........ The fact I have to start this is really what makes him scared. You know what, unless there is some wild ass reason they can't, they are now in the x-ray fun house.

Aventurine can see that he has a lot of piercings.]

[tactic]

[ STOP BEING SCARED

Aventurine is being so normal right now as they walk through the maze, up until he sees all the piercings. He immediately stops to grab Essek and hold him still.

Describe all the piercings. ]

[unconsecuted]

[This isn't normal at all.

He is looking at Aventurine with his brows together. Freak. Anyhow, there are a lot of floating jewelry around where his ears would be. That's normal. There are some around the middle of his face. That's normal.

There's two floating bars on each side of his chest and two floating bars at his pelvis.]

Problem?

w5, monday.

[tactic]

[ Wherever Essek is, Aventurine is grabbing his arm and dragging him to somewhere more private. Somewhere like... the Rat Cultural Center Concert Hall?

There's no concert at the moment, so it's just an exhibit about rats. Aventurine is not paying attention to the rats, though, as he rounds on Essek. ]

Tell me everything.

[unconsecuted]

[DON'T BRING US TO THE FUCKING RAT CENTER!!!!!!! I can't stand you.

Essek also can't stand Aventurine. He gives Aventurine a LOOK.]

You are so nosy. There isn't anything to tell...

[tactic]

[ ........... HUH ]

Are you lying to me, Essek?

w6, monday night specifically

[unconsecuted]

[SO MUCH FUCKING HAPPENED TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, he is deadass just leaning on the outside of Aventurine's door WAITING for Aventurine to come back to the room.

Unfortunately it is thought week, so Aventurine can hear the very quiet, distant, You are being such a fool. I have never seen you act so messily outside of the lack of forethought with the beacons.

He has his eyes closed and head back. His brows are furrowed.]

[tactic]

[ Oh, this is mildly concerning!!

He hears Essek's thought before he sees him, and when he rounds the corner to his room, he pauses for just a moment before striding forward, pushing open both the door and then Essek so that they're both inside. ]

What are you being a fool about?

[ Closes the door behind them. ]

w6, thursday night.

[tactic]

[ WHERE ARE WE WHERE ARE WE WHERE ARE WE

It doesn't matter! Aventurine spots Essek in the distance, hurries to catch up with him, and immediately tosses an arm around his shoulders! ]

Essek!

[unconsecuted]

[This is destroying me. WE HAVE 270 COMMENTS OF IDIOCY IN HERE!!!!!!! THEY'RE I DON'T FUCKING KNOW THEY'RE SOMEWHERE

Imagine I said Essek was silently crying and upset, putting Aventurine once again in the worst possibly light. No, it's fine, he isn't. He does fucking startle, as usual, but more as if he had been lost in his own thoughts while walking than anything.]

Would you stop running up suddenly like that?

[ELBOWING HIM.]

w6, sunday after pardi hope nothing insane happens we have to retcon

[unconsecuted]

[hi again 🥺

About the time the party games get good, Essek is oddly missing. Frumpkin is still there, but the drow has disappeared. Aventurine will have to walk down the lane a little way to find him. The scene is a familiar one: Essek is laid out on the ground - fortunately not in vineyard dirt this time - on a blanket on the bank far off from everyone else. He has his feet crossed at the ankles, and his hands are laced over his chest.

He is way too beautiful of a man to be out here alone in the dark, staring up and off distantly at nothing in particular in the sky.]

[tactic]

[ With the party in full swing, Aventurine tipsily notices Essek's absence and goes looking for him. He's paused his drinking for the night, so he doesn't go rolling down the bank and into the water from being too drunk.

Instead, he eventually finds Essek laid out on the blanket, and Aventurine drops down into a sit next to him. His blanket too now, as he holds his head in his hands and tries to stop being dizzy for a second. ]

What are you doing all the way out here? You're missing the party.

w7, tuesday.

[tactic]

[ THEY ARE AT THE HIKING TRAIL AND BUTTERFLY HABITAT!!

Or, well, about to start the hike. Aventurine missed this place, and he sets off, ready to yap. ]

How have your reunions been?

[unconsecuted]

[YOU'RE MAKING ESSEK, THE NERD, HIKE!!!! I'M DYING. NOW HE HAS TO FOLLOW ALONG AFTER.]

They have been okay. Yours?

w7, satuday night

[unconsecuted]

[LOOKING AROUND FOR AVENTURINE. Where the hell are you, you stupid little blonde bastard?!

AVENTURINE!!! How dare you abandon him these last few hours. THIS IS HIS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT CONFUSINGLY INTIMATE FRIENDSHIP!!]

Aventurine!

[tactic]

[ WHY ARE YOU PANICKING

Anyway, he was heading back to his lounge, but he stops when he's called and looks around before spotting Essek. ]

Hey...

[ In a tone like he thinks he's in trouble. ]