acatalepsy_logs | ( NPC LOG ) WORLD JUMP # 1: EL MINHA.

𝚔𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚞𝚗
𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚔𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛
𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚝
𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚡
𝚠𝚒𝚎𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚕𝚍
𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚕 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚑𝚊.

[ kathashun, throughout the duration of your stay in el minha, can be found in a plethora of locations in the city. whether he approaches you is a luck of the odds, apparently . . . but if you approach him, he certainly won't turn you away.

additionally, it may also be hard to spot him, because while he is very easy to place near the palace, in his deep purple robes and constant crown guard presence, he is not so easy to place elsewhere . . . mostly because, for the sake of some amount of privacy, he ditches the royal colors and instead wanders around in a loose outfit with a white linen hooded cloak, much like the rest of his people, to blend in.

some opportunities to see him, though (and some information to gather, should you ask the guard), are as follows: ]

( A ) The Palace:

[ king kathashun does not allow people inside the royal palace. should you ask the crown guard why, they will explain (in terse terms, as the king has instructed the guard to answer questions reasonably) that the late king was murdered, and security is on high alert. no one is allowed inside the palace without express written permission from king kathashun himself, and if you don't have that? piss off.

however, king kathashun can be found on the grounds (with constant guard presence). conversations here will likely be short, as the guard is protective and unwilling to allow you too close to the king. after a few minutes or so, they will likely tell you to fuck off. but you're welcome to try! ]

( B ) The Fight Ring:

[ should you wander to the fight ring, you can find kathashun dressed in (still nice, but not super nice) linens with a cloak, watching the fighting and sparring below. he seems to be scanning the crowd with his eyes, and should you approach him, he will happily speak with you. but he may also approach you first, with a knowing smile, and a finger to his lips, should you recognize him. his hood is still up, but quietly: ]

Are you here to challenge the Champion?

[ judging from the look in his eyes, kathashun seems 100% prepared to encourage your entrance into the contest, but who knows? you might be misreading him. ]

(C) The Casino/Syndicate Territory:

[ the one place you will not find kathashun is the casino, due to the rampant syndicate presence here, and the current war between the two.

that being said, you may find a man wandering through the streets in syndicate territory asking people of their needs. he is dressed in dark clothing, atypical for the desert heat, but doesn't seem to be bothered by the sun. instead, he is asking the citizens questions.

do they have enough food? what do you want the crown to provide more of? are you safe here?

and should you approach this man, he appears to be in his late-forties, but he won't be interested in speaking with you. ]

Later, later, enough --

[ absent dismissals when you approach him, and he brushes past you, heading down a nearby alley.

do you want to follow him? ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Oh my god no," Jolie hisses back at him, though she is delighted that he came over, since her attempts at getting into the palace (or even the grounds) have all come to naught. After all, she's both obviously not human, and pretty young, and she's been unlucky in her timing to boot.

But here he is, coming to talk to her, one of the most obvious foreigners, so he probably needs to know something, right?

She does give her excuse for not fighting, though, before that happens: "I'm fourteen! And I'm not stupid! I'd get smashed."

There's another arching of his eyebrows, at the defensive-yet-casual dismissal of his question. It's one thing to be treated in a friendly manner, but he's not quite used to people who recognize him for who he is and not being . . . well, bowed to.

It's sort of refreshing, but also a little off-putting, and Kathashun turns his attention to the fighting ring, his eyes scanning the crowd briefly. He considers responding to her initial comment (being fourteen doesn't preclude you from much, in El Minha, especially in fighting), but instead he comments on why he was drawn to her in the first place.

"You attempted to come onto my grounds, earlier." She is fairly easy to spot, and Kathashun doesn't appear all that bothered. "Why were you so desperate to see me?"

Jolie has literally never met a king, or the president, or anybody all that important really. It's easier to just treat him like another dude.

"Well. I mean, we're here to help, me and the others from, um, the Circle." Might as well be as honest as she can without trying to make them sound crazy. "But we can't help if we don't know what all is going on, you know? And it'd be nice to hear the details coming from the top guy, instead of just what rumors are going around the city, don't you think?"

"So the Guard has told me."

Kathashun doesn't seem particularly . . . impressed with whatever he's been told about the Circle, and he doesn't seem like he's going to volunteer a lot of information about what he knows or doesn't know. That being said:

"I am more curious as to why a ground of otherworlders find it necessary to come to my city and inform me on what I am doing wrong, rather than accept the help from strangers." But before Jolie can answer, Kathashun continues. "However, I consider myself humble, and I have much to learn from all people. So if you all truly believe in assisting my people, then I will at least listen to what you have to say. I will not, however, promise I will heed said advice."

Kathashun pauses before he glances toward the fight ring, with a tight-lipped frown.

"But I would rather not have such discussions here."

He is attempting to remain quiet, not draw attention to himself.

"Hey, I never said you were doing anything wrong," Jolie protests. "From what little I can tell, you're doing fine. But sometimes even people doing the right things need help. I don't know yet if you do or not, since I don't know what's happening really."

She considers elbowing him like she might her big brother, then decides he's a king so she probably shouldn't. One shadow-tentacle uncurls through her poncho, though, to prod his shoulder, to her mild embarrassment. She hastily says, to cover it, "If there's somewhere else you want to go, then I'm all ears."

There's a slight jolt, as the shadowy tendril creeps towards him -- and for a moment, there's a slight golden shine to his eyes, and he immediately raises a hand, which seems to repeal the shadow -- an invisible barrier, around himself, to ward off unwanted contact. And once the golden hue fades from his eyes, it's replaced by a sudden skepticism.

"Please do not touch me."

It's said quietly, without drawing much attention, and he lowers his hand.

"I know you are a stranger to these lands, but I have many enemies, and I cannot be too careful. Magic is forbidden in entry to the Ring, and showcasing it will draw attention, which is something I cannot afford. Please do not do that again."

Okay, notch that up from "mild embarrassment": now she looks absolutely mortified, taking another step away just in case, and the tentacle retracts immediately under her poncho, all six curling very tightly against her back. "I'm sorry, I don't-- I don't have as much control over those as I-- they're like... stupid puppies or something, if I'm not paying attention they just kind of do their own thing. They can't hurt you. They can only sort of even touch things, and not for very long."

There's a silence, at her explanation, and Kathashun exhales before sliding his hands into the pockets of his robes.

"Control them. Learn. You cannot allow that to happen here. Someone not as kind or in control as I would have lashed out sooner. That type of magic is not familiar, here."

Magic is welcome in El Minha, but magic that harms others or causes trouble is forbidden. And any violation of these laws would result in punishment, particularly if it's against the King.

"One will assume the worst."

The embarrassment is starting to fade into anger since one, he's acting like she did some horrible crime (he's a king; maybe she did), and two, he's very clearly bossing her around (he's a king; it's literally his job), and that's something of an unfortunate trigger for her.

Thankfully, she's currently just staring a little, she hasn't gotten to the point of needing to yell.

"I poked you," she protests, looking baffled. "Would you have freaked out too if I poked you with my finger? It's pretty much the same thing. Less dangerous, even, because the tentacles can't grab you."

"The last King was murdered in his own home, much less in the streets, or in enemy territory."

To his credit, Kathashun is patient. He doesn't seem to be offended by her attitude, nor her argument or defensive nature. She's not of this city, and it doesn't surprise him that she feels he overreacted. It's the only reason why Kathashun is bothering to take the time to explain.

"And I do not know what you are or are not capable of, nor will I take the chance again. I came here to find someone, not to argue, or have my cover blown. So if you wish to continue speaking to me, we will need to do so outside."

( NPC LOG ) WORLD JUMP # 1: EL MINHA.

B - Fight Ring

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