Opposition

ᴘᴀʀᴀᴅɪsᴏ // cyber-dystopian sandbox

Always interested when there's cyberpunk elements.

Delta Green: Whispers in the Darkness, Occult Action and Intrigue

Dang. This RP is my aesthetic. The group seems large as is. Can you fit another?

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

Phew. I hope that wasn't too stereotypical and gross. I felt Tatiana was almost too statically happy. This won't change her personality really. It's just to add some depth.

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

Sapharan, High City, capital of Lanostre

---

Tatiana ambled along the bridge between the twin alps. The young inquisitor’s gaze was momentarily entranced with the stonework of the ground beneath her. Her step was odd— one foot in front of the other and hands clandestinely outstretching to either side just enough to barely be noticed by the watchful eye. It was as if she followed some mad balancing act. One might have thought her impaired in some way, but in truth, the only thing that plagued her were her thoughts. That much was evident due to her thousand-yard stare, but there was more to it than that simple blank expression. Was it perhaps the ever so slightest hints of her lips curling into a barely noticeable smile. Almost… Childlike…

Those damned days long past… Warrior wandered the streets, clad in a thousand layers of steel, bearing innumerous arms. Each warrior moved so speedily past, like every second of their lives were filled with purpose. One little girl was different. A father walked at her side, gripping at her hand when her dainty stepping charades led her too off-balance. The little girl no longer wandered the roads with her father. No, the poor girl wasn’t allowed to anymore— shipped off to grow into an old proud woman. That was her fate. That was what happened to her, but still, even after so many years— even when Bridgetown was an echo of those days long past— the little girl still existed. Somewhere, she lived on, unfettered by the fate of growing to bear steel like all those old grizzly warriors, and even still, she reminisced on those days long past…

The inquisitor caught herself, dropping her arms to either side with a certain air of awkwardness that came alongside trying to hide her foolish recollections. Foolish… For what inquisitor acted like a child? Yet, of all the places, it was here that brought it out of her. It was home. Tatiana didn’t expect herself to be so ecstatic to be back. Sure, she wished to see her father once more, but beyond that, she’d grown too accustomed to the monotony of the halls in the Red Seminary. It was as if the little girl was beaten back to hide behind the facade of a soldier, but there was no pressure for that here. At least, not yet.

Coming back into her senses made her accept the reality that surrounded her. Tatiana was finally home. Not for long, and she might not be back for… Well… Who knows how long? She was hesitant to accept any work assigned to her. While she dared not defy, a certain dissonance resonated in the young inquisitor. She missed the little girl strolling with her father. She missed the days when the iron-clad warriors were men of legend she never really understood.

Tatiana was almost too distracted to carry a usual conversation with her companions. Perhaps she just felt awkward being herself in Astraea’s presence. She didn’t feel the same as the rest of the inquisitors… The rest of the family. Tatiana could almost go as far as saying she feared Astraea, but it was more complex than that. No matter the reason, finally her trance-esque gaze shattered and her eyes tentatively shifted to Galahad every once in a while as she spoke. “Does your family await you as well? Well— I never actually got around to telling my father we were returning, but the surprise will be just as good as the whole staged formal reunion.” As the pair continued on, Tatiana finally set herself into a typical amble. There was a subtle squint to her eyes as the sun sank closer towards the horizon. “I imagine we live rather close to each other— with you being some fancy prince or whatever.” There was a joking tone to her voice, but there was certainly no harm meant. That much was evident by the girl’s soft tone.

Tatiana’s step slowed and she almost skipped a beat in pause as the quelling rays of light reflected off of the distant mass in their final moments. The gloss of the monstrous ice structure brought back a slew of old memories, perhaps more powerful than any of her walks alongside her father. “To go back… That would certainly be an interesting privilege… Mother Indira always assumed one friend would be enough. I can see my friend anytime, though… It’s time mother and father get to see their daughter again.” Tatiana finally halted her step, peering around at her surroundings. “As much as I’d like to say I remember the streets like the back of the hand— or that I could take you down all the routes I used to walk— I can’t say the halcyon memories take me that far. I think it’s time I scurry off. I’ll meet you back real soon, though! Enjoy your time with your family as well, Galahad!” There was a final upbeat tone to her voice before she abruptly cut down a different street.

A smile existed on Tatiana’s face before she left Galahad, but she seemed to smile even more as she turned away. The array of roads left her confused. Time passed and Tatiana found herself just ambling along her path. Why the hurry? There was something surreal about just being here. As much as she didn’t want to wait to see her father, it was as if she was entranced once more. Who would taking the long way hurt? The imminence of finally seeing her father once more left her beyond exhilarated. Of course, this came with the fact that Tatiana would have to face her mother again. She loved her mother— she really did, but things were complicated. She was R’heon… Tatiana was a summoner. While Tatiana’s father left her at the Red Seminary with complete acceptance of her talents, her mother was not so similar. Tatiana’s mother had a tendency to avoid her child if she ever returned. As a proud Lanostran warrior, Tatiana’s successful career as inquisitor was all based upon her failure to undertake the same rites that would allow her to follow in her mother’s stead.

No. No sense in allowing such thoughts to plague her mind and bring her down on a good day. Tatiana surged on, finally arriving at the manor of the Leviatan family. Regal? Most definitely, but also much smaller than she remembered. It appeared a bit more dilapidated than memory served to recall as well… Perhaps her father was finally giving in to age. Neverthematter. Tatiana strolled up to the door anyways, not bothering to knock or anything of the sort. It was her home after all. Upon entry, the first thing the inquisitor noticed was the enshrouding darkness broken only by the final slivers of sunlight pushing through windows. Father certainly wasn’t expecting visitors.

“Father?” Tatiana’s voice chimed out around the largely open foyer. She waited not at all for a reply, instead choosing to start her way up the steps further into the maze of a mansion. Another call echoed through the shrouded halls. Still no answer… It didn’t take long for Tatiana to traverse the way towards the master bedroom. Still dark… She entered.

“Tatiana…” The man lied hunched over against a wall. His hair disheveled and face gaunt and pale. Even in his shambled appearance, though, as Tatiana shifted swiftly to his side, something in his expression fell soft— even if just by a bit. The inquisitor’s mouth went loosely agape.

“What happened? Where is mother?"

With a quick glance, one might have imagined the master bedroom was all in order— a bit messy yet, but that was commonplace in every home on occasion. It was the poor isolated man slumped against the reddened wall that stood out, seeming to almost radiate a fading cold aura. He evoked a weak cough from his lungs, a prelude to choking forth his daughter’s name.

“I finally tried to recognize my dream at the Glacier… Your mother wasn’t…” His gaze dropped, eyes weakly flicking towards the firearm dropped hastily in the man’s pooling blood. Tatiana wanted to do something. She wanted to throw a hand on his shoulder and say everything was okay. She wanted to say that he didn’t have to explain— that all was well, but instead, her body was frozen. She watched horrified as he fell silent, eyes starting to take on a telltale glazing. The fresh sanguine stains leaked even to her pristine inquisitor’s uniform. Tatiana didn’t notice.

“Father…”

He sighed. “If anything, I am glad you went on to fulfill all that I’ve worked towards. Don’t give up on your demons…”

She couldn’t respond.

Tatiana couldn’t stay. The streets would be better. Anywhere would be better. Tatiana’s father was like her. The two were inseparable, and it seems in his final moments he finally revealed that also alike were their dreams to harness the power of the Glacier. On the other hand, it seemed her mother was R’heon through and through… Perhaps even something beyond it. Tatiana didn’t know how to feel. Hours passed before the inquisitor found herself back at Bridgetown. She knew she couldn’t miss the deadline for meeting back up with Galahad and Astraea, but that didn’t prevent her from being a bit late. As Tatiana found herself coming back, all of her thoughts were plagued with one thing. Not death, no. Not revenge, either. Tatiana wiped her eyes, her concentration entirely directed towards one thought. What would have happened if she’d just remembered her way back to the manor and hadn’t wasted time getting lost?

She was a facade.... For the first time in so long, Tatiana felt that she might not be able to hold up the joyful attitude she was so known for. Nonetheless, she tried. Tatiana came with clear eyes, with a smile on her face, and with a livened step. If anything, she had to put on the facade for her comrades. No sense bringing them down with her, not with important work ahead of them. She was pretty good at it too— hiding the truth— but you can’t hide from the watchful eye, and the watchful eye would see the emptiness behind her front of joy.

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

Tatiana

Tatiana was back on the darkened ice surrounding the Black Glacier, on the day of her unsuccessful hunt. All was as it was, her father standing there watching, the bitter unnatural wind that manifested around the Black Glacier lashing at her angrily. When the demon closed in on her with fangs bared, ready to tear her apart, she reached out to it, and just as she did on that day, ordered the demon to stop.

Only this time, the entire world stopped. Even the wind ceased. She glanced at her father and saw him frozen in mid-step, rushing to her aid.

It was then that she heard it. The voice of the Black Glacier itself, speaking directly into her soul. When she turned to face it, she found herself standing directly in front of it, close enough to gaze upon her own reflection in the mirrored darkness of the Glacier's shell.
massive stairwell, she finally saw the source of the sound. Looking upon the streets, she saw them choked with legions of people. All of them stood shoulder to shoulder, every child, man and woman in all the empire seemed to have gathered in every conceivable space-- every street, rooft, and she felt the burning sensation begin to cease.

At that moment, she woke up.

@Lovejoy

Oh gosh. I like that a lot. It fits her character and what I was going for really well.

[Closed]

---

---

^@Surtr
Thompson Lumber Mill Inc - Mill Interior Side Room --> Side Hallway

---

Oof... Callie cringed a bit as she heard a second crashing. Had the other man fallen too? It seemed more and more plausible that she should go check on them. In fact, she probably would have had the second party not grown in numbers again... A rather large man swaggered over to the group, sporting a shit-eating grin that Callie just knew fit the guy perfectly. Jordan seemed to focus on him. The two were about to exchange words when Mister Stereotypical Blockhead gave a laugh and started up on his own.

Callie quirked a brow as she watched him. She scooted herself closer inside the window as he moved about, subtly preparing for what might come. Calling the group losers... He sure had a sense of originality. It was then that his focused seemed to fall upon Callie herself as he called her out. She... wasn't great at confrontations and normally Callie was never one to cause conflict, but seriously? There was no way she'd just let the guy have his way. Okay, maybe she would have if she hadn't heard the scream echo from within the building. No doubt, it was Jordan's friend. Whatever was happening to her wasn't great, and Callie's first thoughts were that she had hurt herself badly in the fall. Then again, maybe she wouldn't have cared if she didn't want to spite this guy.

"Hmm... I imagine your permission might have mattered if you had the brain capacity to lock a window, but yes, yes. You're right. I'll get out of your way." Callie wasted no time pushing herself back through the window, clambering to her feet and pulling down the window.

Later, buddy.

She had no idea if she would be followed, but right now, a badass exit was all that mattered. After a moment, Callie shifted to the side and attempted to slam the debris pile she cleared back in front of her entrance, whether the window was being reopened or not. She moved with haste, careful to not let herself be bested this early in her newfound escapades.

After that was all done, Callie wasn't finished. She headed in a quick pace towards the door, unlocking it to remove herself from the safe haven she created for herself. Without regard for anything else, Callie headed down the hallway towards where she believed the fallen pair might be based on what she'd heard. It was time for adventure, whether or not some blockhead was coming to try and beat her up.

Circus of Hunters

I exist.

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

@OppositionJ Added a bit about Tatiana to Mother Indira's relationships. Let me know what you think!

@Lovejoy

It's a nice little addition to our characters, yeah. I like it.

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

Here are Ragnar's relationships! If there's anything you disagree with, let me know!
Mother Tatiana @OppositionJ

To Ragnar, Tatiana is one of the most important things in this world. For as long as he's known her, he has looked to her as a trusted sister and confidant. She is his rock, his secret keeper, his lantern in the dark. Their close-knit relationship being what it is, Tatiana is the only other person who knows of Ragnar's secret hatred for the gods, as he has spent long nights confiding his fears and worries to her.

Years ago, when they were both twelve years old, he tried to convince her to run away with him and become apostates, but she managed to change his mind. Due to his unconditional love for her, she is the image that blossoms in his mind whenever the pain and exhersion of maintaining the aegis becomes too much for him to bear. She is what keeps him pushing through.

Ragnar, Tatiana and Galahad, being the three among Phoenix warband with the deepest ether pools, often study together. As children, they forged a pact to learn as much from each other as they could and to become as powerful (if not more so) as their instructors, and for the past couple of years, when time permits, Ragnar has been teaching them how to summon an aegis in case he falls in battle.

@Lovejoy

I like it. That works perfect for me!

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

<Snipped quote by Lovejoy>

Probably makes sense. Hassan would have jumped at the chance to help Tatiana with anything, Stina would have been incredibly useful, and Ragnar would probably have been assigned to go with them anyway in order to practice shielding them from the cold, though that's just a thought.

Only hiccup is that Hassan really wouldn't have been good for much besides moral support - I highly doubt that the Word works on demons.

@Sisyphus

I suppose that works well enough, if @The Angry Goat is okay with that.