Welcome to Ede- JESUS CHRIST IT'S A BEAR.

[shining_bind]

Characters: Seraph shining_bind, Spike blue_shields and Forge northernbear
Date/Time: May 12th, Midday/evening?
Location: The Wilderness
Rating: PG-13 for... uh.. do bears do nudity?
Summary: Forge arrives in Edensphere. He's a bear. That's about it.

Comments

[shining_bind]

A shoulder rotated in a half-shrug to Spike's question. "As we are amnesiacs, I doubt who it is matters terribly. I cannot name anyone that I am hoping to arrive." His attention was more on the cocoon ready to burst than the guard. His brows furrowed and then, the bear splashed to the floor.

In an instant, Seraph's sword was drawn, his feet planted much more soundly on the ground. His shoulders rose slightly, in case his wings needed to be extended in a moment. Ruby-tinted eyes narrowed. He had read about the guard's shields.. he trusted him to watch himself. He was a guard after all, wasn't he?

After a moment, the battle-reflex passed. Seraph relaxed as he stood, coming to the realization that stranger things that.. well.. a bear had probably hatched. Still, he remained wary as he sheathed the sword.

He had always been the type to act first. Thankfully he restrained himself from lashing out. "....Hello. This is Edensphere." rather than approach, Seraph spoke calmly from where he stood, giving a short glance to Spike. "My name is Seraph. Welcome."

...Well, they wouldn't need the clothing.

[blue_shields]

"Yeah, I suppose... I'm just hoping for... well, it doesn't matter. Not my job to speculate who might come out, after all; just need to keep them safe." He let out a sigh, then couldn't suppress a yelp as a gigantic polar bear of all things came out of the cocoon.

Oh, GREAT. Were they going to be invaded by hungry bears down HERE and all be eaten? He somehow doubted the Tree was THAT cruel, but...

Spike took a step toward Seraph, ready to jump in front of him if necessary, his right arm glowing, and made half a shield before he could control his instinctive "PROTECT" reaction and calmed down. The shield disappeared, but the glow in his arm didn't; he didn't seem to be able to make that much go away.

"And I'm Spike. What's your name?"

Did this bear even talk? He hoped it did.

[northernbear]

The bear detected the swift motion of Seraph and Spike out of the corner of his eye, and instinctively spun to face them with a snarl. Their initial hostile reactions did nothing to ensure a calm meeting and he nearly lunged to meet their attacks until they calmed, and he too stopped himself from attacking right away.

Fortunately he possessed very swift reactions, as well as the ability to gauge whether or not they were actually going to strike. Edensphere? That did not sound familiar, nor did their names. "My name is..." And he paused, perplexed. What was his name?

"...I do not remember." Troubling. Not that his nearly inexpressive face was capable of giving away that perplexion.

[shining_bind]

...It could speak. This was reassuring. Seraph bowed his head slightly, as though apologizing for his actions. "...I see. When I arrived in this world, I did not know my name either."

He stepped forward calmly, dropping his hands to his side. "Edensphere is a large, spherical world. it is composed of a mass Tree that sustains us. This strange place is but one level- the ever-changing Wilderness. However, no one here truly remembers anything upon being born." He offered the towel slowly.

"You may pick a name for yourself, to begin your life here. Perhaps you had a strange dream before awakening? Or perhaps any strange nostalgia." His free hand came to his own chest. "I named myself after the words of a woman from my own dream. I am sure Spike here has his own reasoning, as does everyone."

he glanced behind him. "Spike, will you bring the coins and map? I doubt he will need... or fit... the clothing."

[blue_shields]

Still feeling a little jumpy, though he was reassured that the bear could talk and didn't seem ready to rip them to shreds (to the point where his arm stopped glowing) Spike nodded in agreement with Seraph.

"A lot of people do name themselves after their dream, yeah; I named myself Spike because it just felt right, personally." He then did as Seraph requested, offering the pouch and map to the bear, then it occurred to him that he might not even be able to hold it.

"This is a map of the entire Sphere; right now, as Seraph told you, we're in the Wilderness. Unfortunately, for now this is the only part you'll be able to see of it. The rest of tree is currently under attack by an invasion of vicious, poisonous ants- they are around your size, actually, and we're all on this level for our own safety." He then squeezed the coin pouch. "This bag contains enough money for you to last around a month until you find a job to earn more; of course, you can't concern yourself with that until things get back to normal."

[northernbear]

The bear dipped his head very slightly in return, acceptance of the implied apology. He didn't necessarily relax in their company, though it was true he was not on the verge of ripping them to shreds either. He listened silently. So they were in a giant tree? That seemed somehow impossible, but until he saw it the bear wasn't going to argue the point. He reached out with his paw, which was more like a hand than a paw, to accept the towel to wipe the goop off of his face.

What was important to him? Well, his absent armor for one thing, but it seemed inappropriate to name himself for that. But one of the tools used to create it. "Forge." That would be a suitable name. Offering back the towel he then reached to accept the map. However, something new caught his attention.

"...Where are your daemons?" They appeared human, so where were they? There was something inherently wrong with the complete and apparent lack of their daemon companions. Questions about the ants could wait.

[shining_bind]

"Forge, then." he was sure the bear had his reasons, even if he didn't elaborate. "Very good. In Edensphere, we have a certain method of communication. You will be given a journal. It is rather special, in the sense that they are all linked. Write in one, and the writing appears in all of the journals. And..." he trailed off as Forge spoke again.

...Daemons? Seraph paused, considering this. "Perhaps if you could elaborate," he asked, accepting the goo-covered towel back with an impassive look to it. He hadn't exceptionally wanted it back. Still, he found a place for it to the side, and returned to looking to the bear- now dubbed Forge.

"I am not entirely sure what a daemon is." it could be another strange term for something completely normal, however. He had run into the problem of semantics enough times in the Sphere.

[blue_shields]

Spike was surprised that the bear had apparently dextrous paws- he wasn't expecting him to be able to use the towel or hold the map so easily.

"Forge," he repeated. "It's nice to meet you." He let Seraph speak, then furrowed his eyesbrows at the mention of "daemons". He very vaguely remembered hearing or reading the term from somewhere before... he thought from a former resident, though he couldn't recall who or when. "I'm not sure what they are, either."

[northernbear]

Many questions to be asked, however Forge focused on the more important ones at hand. Where were these humans' daemons, why did they not appear to have any? He stepped forward and peered around the two, as though trying to spot something lurking about. No sign of motion, not even the scent of other presences. It couldn't be a trick, he would have picked up on it instantly.

"Your daemons, all humans have a daemon," except them, apparently. "Your soul." He looked to both of them, trying to figure out how it was possible that they were lacking in this thing.

[shining_bind]

"...I cannot speak for Spike, but I am not human." Seraph stated simply. At the mention of souls, however, he restrained himself from clutching the gemstone embedded in his hand simply out of reflex. "As far as souls, however... I have always been of the impression that they lay within us." He nodded at this- though admittedly it was not something he had given much thought.

Souls... was that, perhaps, what he and Chosen's gems were? He knew they were the source of his powers and abilities... and he knew that removing it was out of the question. At time she could feel pure... well... life pulsating from it. Perhaps that was the 'daemon' the bear was referring to?

He looked to the bear. "Is it truly so troubling?"

[blue_shields]

"My soul?" Spike was still puzzled. "Well, I'm human..." As far as I know, he added silently, thinking of his powers, "...and as far as I can tell, I have a soul. It's here, it's just invisible. What, are we supposed to be able to see it or something?"

He found himself wishing that Bridge was here; he might be able to answer the questions better than Spike himself could.

[northernbear]

Not human, and no daemons. Lay within them? A curious explanation. Did the nature of this place remove one's soul? That would explain why Forge's armor had gone missing, and why they had no visible daemons. "They walk alongside you, as animal spirits." He explained to Spike. Yes, it was troubling not that the bear was about to let that show. He snorted and gave himself a little shake, as though dismissing further conversation on the subject. Somehow Forge knew it would only go in circles, with them not understanding and his not understanding how that was possible.

There were other matters to attend to. Magic books, ants, and where was his armor? He looked around first, lest he miss the obvious but no, it wasn't there. "Where is my armor? And what of these 'ants'?"

[shining_bind]

Animal spirits. That was curious. "...The only animal I keep is Siegfried." he admitted. "But he is with Lucy and Chosen for the time being." No.. he did not believe that Siegfried held his soul. It would be either within him, or within the gem. But.. the Bear seemed to move on, and so Seraph obliged.

"As far as Armor goes, I am unsure. Very few are born with items that are unattached to them. But if you are in search of it, I would recomment the Scavenger's Yard. There are many items to be found and repaired there. I found and restored by blade from that area." He stepped back, a hand resting again on the hilt of his sword.

"And.. the Ants are invading the upper levels of the Sphere. Older denizens claim they shall be gone soon enough. I have no sighted many myself, however, as I was instructed to ensure the safety of the the populace."

[blue_shields]

"I see," said Spike. Did that mean that Tom was his daemon? He had to stifle a sudden urge to giggle at the thought and kept his expression neutral, not wanting to unintentionally offend Forge, and was glad when the conversation seemed to move on and listened patiently to Seraph.

"We've already had several others sustain injuries from them, too," he added pointedly. Of course, he wasn't about to tell a polar bear that he couldn't go fight ants while searching for his armor if he wanted to, but that wouldn't stop him from advising against it. "The medics do have anti-venom stocks, but we would prefer that everyone just stay out of their way until they are gone. There will be plenty of time for you to explore and search for things, if you feel as though you can be patient."

[northernbear]

Pets were not quite the same thing, but Forge had moved on to other matters. He'd attempt to understand the mysterious (and mildly troubling) lack of daemons at another time.

He studied the two for a moment, and decided that they were speaking the truth. They didn't know the location of his armor, but it was of the utmost importance that he retrieve it. If it was in the scrap yard, then that was where he would go. Ants or no ants. "No," he rumbled out. "I will find my armor, even if I must fight an army to do it." His tone was not one of arrogance or pride, but of simple fact. This wasn't a decision of brash stupidity but of basic nature.

Forge was an armored bear, how could he be an armored bear without his armor? With his mind made up he strode forward, but paused a moment. "What is an ant?"

[shining_bind]

What was an ant? Seraph paused. "...An ant is an insect. It has eight legs, and an armor-plated body." Perhaps not the best thing to say to the bear complaining about missing his armor, but he continued nonetheless. "They have great mandibles to crush with, and a stinger on their hind end that can poison. The barbs on their segmented legs are said to be sharp as well."

He stepped back, out of the bears way. "I will caution you against going. There are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of them, and they shall be gone in enough time." His head bowed again. "But if it is a task that you are truly set upon, I wish you luck. If you are to return, all the better. If not, hopefully I may be able to greet you when you return after a death in battle."

He wasn't about to stop the determined bear- But he would caution him.