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 Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 7:46 pm
Tyndareus was still getting the hang of his... magical powers. It was so strange to stand there and actually think those words. He'd hardly ever entertained the fantasy of having magic when he was younger; he'd never seen the point indulging himself in silly ideas like that when real life was bitter enough. But he found he enjoyed himself like this. It was thrilling on a level he'd never known he could reach. He felt grateful it wasn't possible to lose one's magical powers. The only way for that to happen was to have his starseed eaten, and if that happened, well, he'd be dead and not worrying about it. The night seemed to be a bit too chilly for several people; the targets for energy draining were fewer now that fall had finally decided to actually show up and do its job instead of letting summer continue the heat beatdown. He tensed when he sensed an aura suddenly nearby, a White Moon senshi, too close for comfort, and turned, eyes sweeping the area, only to catch on a lonely little die on the side of the road. How... odd.... He blinked. "I don't remember signing up to play hopscotch," he said to the universe. Though, it couldn't really be hopscotch, the boxes were different. More like... a game board. The aura was still there. "I don't suppose this is your fault?" he asked with a sigh, turning to face them. Oh, ******** off. It was one of the alien senshi. Great.
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 8:28 pm
Of all the people to run into. Pyrrhus had been going for the die, fully on purpose--he just. Wanted to prove that he could still do something, after being completely useless against the Calamitous Hollow. after watching the people close to him die or disappear and then disappearing himself or...whatever had happened.
But there was someone else in the alley. Someone else who had been swept up into this space.
Pyrrhus was not exactly thrilled to see Tyndareus again. Up close and personal.
"No," he said, flatly. "No Senshi could do this."
He picked up the second die on the ground, and tossed it at--
Ugh. At the man wearing his husband's uniform, except...what was that word Murikabushi used? Ah yes. Tacky. Black and tacky.
He was, Pyrrhus supposed, acceptable in the face close up. Not the man he'd known, of course. But something like him. Same white hair, same eyes. No wolf ears or tail, but that was the curse of reincarnating as a human.
"You ever played a board game before? Roll the dice. Move your spaces. We have to get to the end, and then we get to go back to Destiny City."
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genovianprince rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 8:49 pm
Quote: Space 1: You feel eyes upon you, and hear a faint chuckling, like you’re the butt of someone’s joke. It sets a bad mood for the rest of this game; you’re already being judged–and, it looks like a long road ahead. No, actually, he hadn't ever played a board game before, but it's not like Pyrrhus was expecting an answer, so he kept his mouth shut, catching the die and giving Pyrrhus an unimpressed look. "Is this one of those random magical happenstances I've heard so much about, then?" he asked, tossing the die at the ground and watching as it rolled around and landed on a one.. Glancing at Pyrrhus again, he moved forward a single space carefully. Obviously there had to be something more to it; whatever entity was in charge of this off game wouldn't make them do this for no reason. There had to be either a reward or a punishment attached to each square. After all, just because he'd never played a board game didn't mean he wasn't aware of how they worked. An eerie laugh made a chill run up his spine and he looked around again, trying not to visibly shudder. He didn't like that. Being judged. Whatever was in charge of this, it was clearly having fun at his expense, and he loathed being laughed at. "Go on then," he said sourly, viciously hoping that Pyrrhus also rolled a one.
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Noir Songbird rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 9:13 pm
Quote: Space 3: A strange fog rolls in once you land here. You lose sight of nearly everything, including the game board. If you want to roll, you’re going to have to get close to the ground to even see where you’re supposed to go next. Hopefully nothing sneaks up behind you.
Also, spells didn't have this many varied effects, but that was a whole nother metaphysical lecture and Pyrrhus was not in the mood. Imnolu's Taran would have been able to explain it in depth, probably; he was not Taran.
He rolled his dice, and as he passed through Tyndareus's square, he gave a little mocking salute.
"Hope you can catch up," he said. "Chaos has clearly made you slow. Or unlucky."
Not that he was doing much better, because his own square was full of fog. Damn it. He'd have to be careful, making his way through.
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genovianprince rolled 1 6-sided dice:
5
Total: 5 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 9:28 pm
Quote: Space 6: You hear a shrill, humming noise; it sounds almost like something is firing past you–and sometimes, you even feel a sharp burst of air, like something has just missed you. Maybe, even, it does get a slice out of you. Sharp, bladelike threads seem to string up around you; you’d best be careful not to get cut on any of them between now and your next dice roll. Tyndareus hated the smug b*****d. He, however, chose to ignore the remark; his only response probably would have just been to flip the bird anyway, and it lost its efficacy when the senshi it would be directed to couldn't see it. He exhaled slowly and rolled his die carefully. "Five. Excellent," he muttered. At least he wouldn't be in the fog. He stepped forward five more spaces, passing through the fog effortlessly—it seemed like it didn't affect the person who didn't land on it, at least, because once he was walking through it, it seemed clear for him. But once he stepped on his designated space, he felt something akin to when one was just barely missed by a bullet. He froze, hand automatically grasping for the gun he carried as Evren, but only meeting his strange fancy magical outfit. His heart slammed in his chest as he carefully took in his surroundings, trying not to panic. The endless expanse in front of him did not help. Slowly, he focused on his immediate surroundings instead of seeking enemies in the distance, and realized he was in the middle of a web made of some kind of string. Instinct told him not to touch it, so he barely even breathed, not wanting to move. His vision fuzzed a little at the edges from the adrenaline rush. The kind he tended to get after being in a gunfight. God, he hated that.
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Noir Songbird rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 9:52 pm
Quote: Space 6: You hear a shrill, humming noise; it sounds almost like something is firing past you–and sometimes, you even feel a sharp burst of air, like something has just missed you. Maybe, even, it does get a slice out of you. Sharp, bladelike threads seem to string up around you; you’d best be careful not to get cut on any of them between now and your next dice roll.
"Ah. Razor wire," he said, and he exhaled. "Common trap. Equally common security measure. Dealt with it plenty. Watch your movements. Don't run. Don't lose your head. Literally or figuratively."
It wasn't like he wanted Knockoff Tynadreus dead. Not now. Not if he could prevent it.
(He was not eager to watch Bernard die again. Not so soon.)
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genovianprince rolled 1 6-sided dice:
6
Total: 6 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 10:15 pm
Quote: Space 12: The smell of smoke is in the air. You can’t see what’s burning, but you can hear distant screams, and–carnival music? It feels like people are running past you, and the air fills with panic and alarm–but there’s nowhere for you to go, and the smoke is so thick. You’d better roll quickly so you can get out of here. Tyndareus loathed feeling grateful towards this weirdo in white, but knowing what he was dealing with was important. He relaxed minutely, hand still flexing for his gun for a moment, then exhaled slowly and tossed the die down. Six. "I do rather like my head. I don't think I'd be nearly as handsome with it severed from my body," he said, keeping an even, serious tone as he carefully navigated his way out of the wire. His clothes tore and he bled in various places as he got too close here and there, but it all vanished once he was off that square. He scooped up the die and continued on. The smoke smell made his eyes water, and he coughed a little, blinking hard. "Ugh," he said audibly, wrinkling his nose. "Is that clown music?" Just what he needed. He rolled his eyes, not particularly bothered by the sensation of people running and screaming from a flaming carnival. Let the cursed thing burn, he thought.
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Noir Songbird rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 10:27 pm
Quote: Space 9: The smell of saltwater fills the air, and you can hear the water lapping against the shore. You hear boards creaking, and bells in the distance. And then, a song. Haunting. Ghostly, and calling you. For a second, you fall in love. And then, water fills your lungs. You’re choking, you can’t breathe. The song is loud and seems to caress you, even as a wet chill gathers in your square. Scaly hands reach for you, you gently caressing, and try to lure you into an endless sleep.
What was he doing? Flirting with--the actual literal enemy? That hadn't been his thing, before. It wasn't as if he was unfamiliar--it had been impossible to miss Thalassa's Thing with that Knight, unless of course you were Thalassa and committed to believing that all you felt was loathing, unadulterated loathing, like the movie about the pink and green lesbians torn apart by fate--but it wasn't him.
A lot of things were different, though.
He rolled his die. Moved. Winced, finding himself somewhere bright and sunny--but it didn't hurt, like the sun usually did.
And there was a song.
And then there was---cool, deep silence.
Hands.
Pulling him down.
maybe he was okay with that.
As the thought came to him, it jolted him out of the calm stupir he'd bene falling into.
No. He couldn't be okay with it. He couldn't just...disappear on Heibing and Imnolu. Imnolu especially wouldn't be able to handle another loss like that, but even Heibing--he wasn't well, so Pyrrhus couldn't leave him.
He struggled. Fighitng, pulling away, staggering forward and rolling his die desperately, and when he stumbled off the square after it, he hit his knees and coughed, loud and ********. <******** class="quote">genovianprince
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genovianprince rolled 1 6-sided dice:
6
Total: 6 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 10:42 pm
Quote: Space 18: You smell something poison, something noxious. You pass through a haze of strange, green gas as you enter the square, but it fades after a few seconds. You feel cold. You feel empty. You start to decay. Maybe a part of you knows it’s an illusion, but in that split second when your body feels like it might go limp and when you look at your hand and see skin melting. You see bone. You’d best roll the dice so you don’t wind up a skeleton prop for the next player. "Oh, do you," Tyndareus said with raised eyebrows and otherwise cool indifference. He didn't say anything else, too concerned over their current situation to try to think of an insult on the fly. Despite himself, Tyndareus was concerned when he heard Pyrrhus start hacking up a lung. So far, nothing had been quite so serious. After all, he wasn't actually burning alive on his square, and the one before that had just been razor wire they could dodge. That, though, sounded very, very bad. He glanced back as he rolled his die, and tried to step backwards, but— An invisible wall stopped him. He couldn't help even if he'd decided he wanted to. Pursing his lips, he glanced at his die—another six, excellent—and moved forward, glad to breathe clean air. For only a moment. His destination filled with green gas and he covered his mouth this time with his fuku, grimacing. That didn't seem good. Green was usually the color of poison and death. When it faded, he felt almost happy. Then the cold set in, seeping deep into his bones, sapping away any feeling he had of being... himself. Cold and empty. He lifted his hand to cast the die again and for a brief moment, he froze, staring as his skin melted off his hand, slowly melting further up his forearm. Bones. He was seeing his bones. He'd seen worse during his time on Earth, but not from his own body. He swallowed back the urge to be sick and shook, trying to remember what he was doing.
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Noir Songbird rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 10:57 pm
Quote: Space 12: The smell of smoke is in the air. You can’t see what’s burning, but you can hear distant screams, and–carnival music? It feels like people are running past you, and the air fills with panic and alarm–but there’s nowhere for you to go, and the smoke is so thick. You’d better roll quickly so you can get out of here.
Fire and smoke and screams, and music, and--
A festival. Burning.
Pyrrhus kept moving forward. He just had to get a little farther. Just had to get out.
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genovianprince rolled 1 6-sided dice:
5
Total: 5 (1-6)
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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2025 7:53 pm
Quote: Space 20: The end; once you have arrived here you are free to leave. You will see be basked in the glow of a beautiful, opalescent aura that will take you back home. If you arrived with a guest, you can leave without them or choose to stay until they make it to the end as well. When you arrive back in Destiny City, you may choose to keep the six sided die–if nothing else, it’s pretty! Though, it doesn’t seem to have any magical qualities, that might be for the best. Well, at least this wasn't Jumanji rules, where you had to roll exactly what you needed to actually make it to the end properly. The forces of the game pushed him to the final square and he stood in front of the portal, panting and trying to compose himself. That had been... harrowing. Almost against his will, he waited to see if the stupid alien made it out of this. The stupid, annoyingly hot alien who had absolutely flirted with him.
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Noir Songbird rolled 1 6-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-6)
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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2025 8:04 pm
Quote: Space 14: The ground is sticky. You land on this and immediately dip, as though you’ve stepped on a trampoline. Close inspection reveals that you are standing on an intricately woven web–and your shoes are stuck. And something is skittering just on the horizon.
Being stuck to a large web was certainly harrowing, but he imagined it would be much worse if the very thought of encountering one of the Lady of Plots's messengers was some sort of miserable nightmare.
He took a deep breath. Set aside the skittering. And carefully worked his boots free, while trying not to damage the web too much. No need to send himself plummeting into the dark because it gave out beneath him.
He realized, suddenly, that he hadn't heard anything from his erstwhile companion for a while.
"Hey, Tyndareus," he called, as he reached the end of the web and rolled his die to see how far forward he would get, "you good? Be a shame for you to die in here."
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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2025 8:13 pm
"Haven't died," Tyndareus called back, squinting a little. He supposed it was nice to have certain confirmation that Pyrrhus was still alive, as well. The flirting from earlier drifted into his mind again against his will, and he shifted his weight, feet shuffling against the smooth floor. Why was that sticking so much in his head? It wasn't like he'd never been flirted with before. And yet, he was intrigued by the alien. Damn it.
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Noir Songbird rolled 1 6-sided dice:
6
Total: 6 (1-6)
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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2025 8:31 pm
Quote: Space 20: he end; once you have arrived here you are free to leave. You will see be basked in the glow of a beautiful, opalescent aura that will take you back home. If you arrived with a guest, you can leave without them or choose to stay until they make it to the end as well. When you arrive back in Destiny City, you may choose to keep the six sided die–if nothing else, it’s pretty! Though, it doesn’t seem to have any magical qualities, that might be for the best.
"You stayed behind?" He asked, surprised. "I'd have expected you wanted out, and fast. But looks like we've both made it now."
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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2025 8:58 pm
"I did, but I can hardly leave a handsome man to die alone, can I?" he replied, smirking and lifting his chin slightly. It hit him, then, that the alien had used his name. That... he'd never introduced himself to this alien. "And I needed to ask how you knew my name," he said breezily, making it sound as though that had been the plan the entire time.
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