DUNGEON - BELLMARE ENCLAVE (BELLMARE MOUNTAINS, PT 2)

[phantasmods]

The shadows are starting to grow very long as you crest his particular ridge - it's not night yet, but it will be soon. In the shadows of the afternoon, with a tall mountain already blocking the sun, lies a snow-covered valley that is different from the ones you've come across thus far in your investigation.

This valley is home to a town, and unlike all the settlements you've seen so far - Incendia, the Telovia mining town, and the manor - it's very much active. There are actual people in the streets, visible from above, going through their days on snow-free streets, bundled up against the cold.

Those of you who asked were told of the handful of people who didn't go into the slumber of stasis as the Fissure conditions of the world grew worse and worse, instead isolating themselves and trying to continue living their lives as they could. Now, it seems, you've found exactly such a group.

Welcome to the Bellmare Enclave, and enjoy your stay.

[[OOC: Welcome to part 2 of the dungeon! For the most part, interaction with the town's NPCs can be handwaved as described on the main information post. Worth noting are the following major things: The Bellmare Enclave isn't expecting visitors, though the people are generally friendly to the new arrivals. They don't know about the time dilation effect of their Fissure - to them, it's only been about eighteen years since the Slumber Plan was put in place and they withdrew from the world. And finally, by a similar token, they have no idea how far the Fissures outside of their own have grown - while it's not uncommon for them to find odd objects from time to time, they'll assume that the characters are just arrivals from other places within their own world, rather than outsiders, until told otherwise.]]

Comments

[founderinglight]

[Izunia blinks at him.]

Then you're going to have to explain your noises in more words because I have no idea what that was intended to mean.

[motherfucking_ghost]

That I guess they kinda look alike but I can't really tell since I've never seen Noct as a kid? I guess. It has nothing to do with anyone's red hair.

[founderinglight]

...Right. Well, that's almost exactly what Noctis looked like at that age - Somnus is I think a little taller, but that's not surprising considering how tall Ardyn and I are compared to Noctis as adults.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Right. Still weird but, ah well, 's not real, so.

[founderinglight]

I'm not so sure I would dismiss it out of hand as simply 'not real' so easily.

[He seems thoughtful.]

We already know that there are alternative universes, after all. Some fairly obvious evidence of such has manifested here. Who's to say that's not what we're seeing?

[motherfucking_ghost]

And do what about it?

[founderinglight]

Doesn't mean that something has to be done, that's not what I'm saying.

[He's really trying this clarity of communication thing. Do you see him out here trying?]

[motherfucking_ghost]

You're just saying they might be real, even though they have no impact on us now except to go 'oh shit that's weird'.

[founderinglight]

No physical impact. That doesn't mean that there's no emotional impact.

[He looks back at where the scene was, already fading away.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

Well, yeah, I'm not saying no impact, or Ardy wouldn't have been a fucked up ball on the floor.

[founderinglight]

... But you literally just said...?

[He's TRYING.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

There was an 'except' in there, doofus.

[founderinglight]

I don't exactly consider going "that's weird" and having an anxiety attack to be the same sort of thing.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Fine, except when we have some kind of response to it but it doesn't impact us in any meaningful physical way to make any actual difference to anything once we're out of here or whatever.

[founderinglight]

I'd disagree with non-physical things not making a difference once we're out of here, but at least we're on the same page now.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Really thought we already were, but. [/shrug]

[founderinglight]

Ardyn has pointed out to me, and I think he's not wrong, that the two of us virtually speak a different language. I'm trying to minimize that.

[motherfucking_ghost]

And I'm not getting mad at you.

[founderinglight]

I can never tell with you.

[motherfucking_ghost]

I'll amend: I'm not getting mad at you yet. I'm supposed to be less instantly mad at you, and you're supposed to talk less like a politician.

You'll know when I'm mad.

[founderinglight]

You're generally at least low-order aggressive towards me. I often don't know beyond the obvious explosions.

[motherfucking_ghost]

That's called being mad. Exploding. That's mad.

[founderinglight]

Yes, obviously, but -

At least in my case, I experience anger as a gradient. There is a build up before exploding. Most people I can read the building before it does explode. With you, I can't, so I don't know how to handle communicating with you and it's frustrating.

[motherfucking_ghost]

...Anger as a gradient sounds fake. You're either mad or you're not? I mean, where does annoyed fall on this scale? Because I'm that with you literally all of the time.

[founderinglight]

...About in the middle, probably. More angry than "resentful" but less than "angry," and "pissed" tops the list?