[ It takes... a rather long time for Cyrene to even look at the messages from that boy, much less actually answer them. She has no idea if he's going to get an indication that she has read them, when she finally does, but by the time she finally looks at them for the first time something like two hours have already passed.
It takes even longer to figure out what the hell you're supposed to say in a situation like this. She's never been in the position of... remembering... the past? Another life? She's not even sure. After she'd gotten back to her hotel from the party last night she'd spent all too long trying to puzzle out what she had really seen. She's still not sure, even now.
Ultimately, it takes nearly six and a half hours for her to finally respond to Phainon's texts. ]
That's not a good idea.
If you just leave it somewhere, it could ACTUALLY get stolen.
I have questions for you anyway. I know you'll answer them. So we'll meet in a public place. Your choice, but don't try anything funny.
[Honestly? He didn't expect her to reply at all. The fact that she wants to not only get the necklace back, but also have her questions answered... it surprises him a little.
Still, can't be too excited or show too much because he could easily scare her off again.]
You have a point. How about the coffee shop by Blue Fish Park? In public and still has places for privacy if you're not feeling comfortable.
[ She's a little surprised by how easily he agrees to her stipulation. Maybe he's really not all she thought he was.
Only one way to find out. ]
I'm on my way there right now. Don't be late, or else
[ She doesn't really have a good follow up to that threat. Wasn't really thinking about it. If it were Mydei she was talking to, she might have threatened to cut off all his hair in his sleep, or mismatch all his socks, or something like that. She would NEVER talk to a stranger that casually. So why did it almost slip out here? ]
[The fact that she actually agrees and is heading there right now almost startles him, but it's certainly not a downside to him. Phainon quickly grabs a sweatshirt to wear out in the chilly air, and heads out to the location with the necklace in tow.
Of course, the threat doesn't go amiss.]
Don't have to tell me twice, I'll be there.
[His arrival isn't one that's out of the blue, but it's one that's rather casual all the same. Phainon waits for her at one of the tables further out— still well within public view, but it affords them a bit of privacy if Cyrene wants it. And that's where he waits, nervous as anything, in the hopes that this doesn't immediately blow up in his face right at the start.]
[ Cyrene actually arrives well before Phainon does, having set out even before she'd told him she was leaving--but she stakes out nearby the coffee shop at first, rather than actually settling in. She refuses to repeat the events of the night before. Wants to be the one to approach him, this time, rather than the other way around.
...But... even once he turns up, and takes a seat at a table, she finds herself hesitating. Public space or not, he... did trigger a pretty frightening vision-- daydream? Memory? She's still really not sure what it was. What if she sees something else? It can't get much worse than watching him actually kill her, probably, but... she doesn't want to test that theory, either.
Eventually, Cyrene pulls herself together and nips out of her hiding place to go and talk to that boy. If nothing else, she has to get that necklace back. She's just... not super sure how to open. So. She ends up creeping up to the table he's chosen, and... just. Standing there. If he wasn't anxiously scanning the rest of the shop in expectation of her arrival, she most definitely seems to just appear at his side. ]
[There's plenty of people coming and going from the cafe, and Phainon's always been a people-watcher in this life. Add in the fact that this is Cyrene, his best friend from his past life, and well... he's nervous. Their first meeting was terrible, and he's never seen her so terrified of him in any iteration of the cycles that he can remember. It hurts, actually, more than anything else, to remember how much panic and fear were in her tone, because it was so unlike her to sound that way.
So he doesn't notice when Cyrene arrives, still recalling the mess at the party. In fact, the Deliverer jumps at her basically appearing by his side, coming back to reality to see her there. His cup jostles on the table, but he's quick enough to steady it and then steady himself in return.]
...Hi.
[As if that starter is really any better than Cyrene just showing up out of nowhere. The necklace she lost is sitting on the table, and Phainon's left it completely untouched- so if Cyrene just wants to take it and run, she can do that. He may, in fact, partially be expecting her to.]
[ It's not like she gets a thrill from startling him, or anything like that. That's not it. But... If it even remotely comes close to how he made her feel, crossing paths at the party, then she'll take it. Blue eyes dart briefly to the necklace on the table, but Cyrene doesn't move to take it just yet. What if it's a trick? He could... maybe... reach out and snatch her by the wrist or something if she tries to pick it up off the table. Not like she'd let something like that happen. She can protect herself.
...Instead, though, what she ends up doing is taking a seat across the table from him, still poised to get up and throw hands at the first sign of trouble. She folds her arms over one another on the tabletop, hands buried in the sleeves of her baggy blue hoodie, and fixes this man with a stare that had most certainly made her friends back home think twice about picking fights in the past. ]
...Where do I even start. I'm sure Mydeimos gave you what-for, already. [ There's an inhale. ] Who do you think you are? Why do you-- how do you know me? And... [ The next part comes softer, like she's unsure of whether or not she even wants to ask. ] Why do I... know you?
[There's a wince as she begins, Phainon letting her speak and fully aware she's upset. This is Cyrene, after all, and he won't interrupt her or what she's asking him. He's here to answer those questions, since she told him they would be coming.
She's not wrong about Mydei giving him hell, either.]
No one's told you about Kaisou, have they? [A pause, and Phainon crosses his arms, leaning back for just a minute.] From what people have told me— Kaisou is different from most cities. People who come here, or people who were even born here... usually, they're reincarnations. They had a past life that ended, somehow, and were reborn in this world. Kaisou just seems to connect people to that, more than a lot of other places around the world.
What you saw yesterday... that was a memory. Something you witnessed as Cyrene in your past life. That's why you recognize me, because we were friends back then. It's why I also know you.
[ Reincarnations. Past lives. Those are things she gets, at least. There's been plenty of that in the books she always liked to read, so it's not that strange a concept. Only strange to know that it's real, maybe. ]
We were friends... in another life. [ She takes a breath. ] Friends. I-- help me understand. What I saw-- what you made me see... was... you killing me. What happ... why... what kind of friendship ends that way? I don't... I don't think I was angry at you. At-- at him. So why...?
[ She searches Phainon's face desperately, as if hoping to find her answer there. She wants to believe that he didn't just... kill... another Cyrene... for no reason. Surely. ]
[He sees that look on her face and bites his lip a bit, but exhales and nods, ready to explain.]
Okay, let me just... [His hands come up and gesture openly, indicating he's trying to ease her into this whole thing.] I didn't know that you seeing me there would trigger a memory, so... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, or make you upset.
But that's the thing about these memories, Cyrene— they'll happen if something in this life reminds you of them, or they could just come to you randomly. There's... really no rhyme or reason as to when or how they happen, they just do.
[A beat, and here is where Phainon knows that what he says here needs to not only make sense, but he has to tell her what happened. If nothing else, she deserves to know what happened.] As for why things happened like that— it wasn't something I chose to do. But you and I... we found out that if we completed the journey we were on, the Flame Chase? The thing all of us worked so hard to ensure a better future for Amphoreus, sacrificed so much for? It would all be used to fuel the Destruction. We would be causing a calamity to enter into the cosmos outside our home. Untold amounts of people would die, Cyrene.
You... couldn't let that happen, and neither could I. So you decided that we were going to stall this journey for as long as we could. And the only way to do that [Phainon pauses here, shakes his head a little, and then continues.] is to remove Time. To... remove you. It was the only way to keep things from ending, and you... you asked me to.
[It is incredibly noticeable how unhappy he was about the whole thing.]
[ Phainon really doesn't seem like someone who would hurt a person out of malice. The way that he explains things feels very genuine, as well, which allows Cyrene to begin to relax a little. It seemed from last night that he and Mydei were familiar with each other, so if Mydei respects him enough to not have immediately thrown a punch when she came to him so afraid... she can put up with this. ]
To remove Time... to protect the world-- no, the universe...
[ ...Something begins to come to her, in small bits and pieces. The memory settles over her like an old friend, gentle and familiar in a way entirely unlike what she had seen the night before. It feels... right, in a weird way, even though she's certainly only just begun to truly recall the history of which it tells.
She and Phainon... no, she and Khaslana stand in a starlit chamber, surrounded by the sound of rippling water. Cyrene recognizes it, this time, as the Vortex of Genesis--the place where the Flame-Chase Journey would end, where they would usher in Era Nova. Except... they both know that that cannot be allowed to happen. They know, from the ramblings of that mad Antikytherean, that unfathomable evils will come to pass, should they invoke the birth of the new world. They know... what must be done, even without speaking it aloud at first. ]
'We're going to weave a long dream for Amphoreus...' [ The words come as a whisper, softer even than this recollection of her had spoken them. ] I... I asked you to do it, didn't I? To end my life. It was... the only way to draw the eye of... that god.
[ Cyrene closes her eyes, and lets out a soft exhale. When she opens them again, she lifts her gaze to meet Phainon's, forcing a small smile. ]
Can we... start over? ... Hi. My name is Cyrene. I moved here from Sparta to follow after a friend who's basically a little brother to me. What about you?
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2025-09-26 05:01 pm (UTC)It takes even longer to figure out what the hell you're supposed to say in a situation like this. She's never been in the position of... remembering... the past? Another life? She's not even sure. After she'd gotten back to her hotel from the party last night she'd spent all too long trying to puzzle out what she had really seen. She's still not sure, even now.
Ultimately, it takes nearly six and a half hours for her to finally respond to Phainon's texts. ]
That's not a good idea.
If you just leave it somewhere, it could ACTUALLY get stolen.
I have questions for you anyway. I know you'll answer them. So we'll meet in a public place. Your choice, but don't try anything funny.
no subject
Date: 2025-09-29 03:49 pm (UTC)Still, can't be too excited or show too much because he could easily scare her off again.]
You have a point. How about the coffee shop by Blue Fish Park? In public and still has places for privacy if you're not feeling comfortable.
I won't try anything, honest.
no subject
Date: 2025-09-30 05:03 am (UTC)Only one way to find out. ]
I'm on my way there right now. Don't be late, or else
[ She doesn't really have a good follow up to that threat. Wasn't really thinking about it. If it were Mydei she was talking to, she might have threatened to cut off all his hair in his sleep, or mismatch all his socks, or something like that. She would NEVER talk to a stranger that casually. So why did it almost slip out here? ]
or else I'm making you go through Mydei.
no subject
Date: 2025-09-30 05:35 am (UTC)Of course, the threat doesn't go amiss.]
Don't have to tell me twice, I'll be there.
[His arrival isn't one that's out of the blue, but it's one that's rather casual all the same. Phainon waits for her at one of the tables further out— still well within public view, but it affords them a bit of privacy if Cyrene wants it. And that's where he waits, nervous as anything, in the hopes that this doesn't immediately blow up in his face right at the start.]
no subject
Date: 2025-10-01 07:20 am (UTC)...But... even once he turns up, and takes a seat at a table, she finds herself hesitating. Public space or not, he... did trigger a pretty frightening vision-- daydream? Memory? She's still really not sure what it was. What if she sees something else? It can't get much worse than watching him actually kill her, probably, but... she doesn't want to test that theory, either.
Eventually, Cyrene pulls herself together and nips out of her hiding place to go and talk to that boy. If nothing else, she has to get that necklace back. She's just... not super sure how to open. So. She ends up creeping up to the table he's chosen, and... just. Standing there. If he wasn't anxiously scanning the rest of the shop in expectation of her arrival, she most definitely seems to just appear at his side. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-10-04 05:59 am (UTC)So he doesn't notice when Cyrene arrives, still recalling the mess at the party. In fact, the Deliverer jumps at her basically appearing by his side, coming back to reality to see her there. His cup jostles on the table, but he's quick enough to steady it and then steady himself in return.]
...Hi.
[As if that starter is really any better than Cyrene just showing up out of nowhere. The necklace she lost is sitting on the table, and Phainon's left it completely untouched- so if Cyrene just wants to take it and run, she can do that. He may, in fact, partially be expecting her to.]
no subject
Date: 2025-10-05 05:59 am (UTC)...Instead, though, what she ends up doing is taking a seat across the table from him, still poised to get up and throw hands at the first sign of trouble. She folds her arms over one another on the tabletop, hands buried in the sleeves of her baggy blue hoodie, and fixes this man with a stare that had most certainly made her friends back home think twice about picking fights in the past. ]
...Where do I even start. I'm sure Mydeimos gave you what-for, already. [ There's an inhale. ] Who do you think you are? Why do you-- how do you know me? And... [ The next part comes softer, like she's unsure of whether or not she even wants to ask. ] Why do I... know you?
no subject
Date: 2025-10-09 03:38 pm (UTC)She's not wrong about Mydei giving him hell, either.]
No one's told you about Kaisou, have they? [A pause, and Phainon crosses his arms, leaning back for just a minute.] From what people have told me— Kaisou is different from most cities. People who come here, or people who were even born here... usually, they're reincarnations. They had a past life that ended, somehow, and were reborn in this world. Kaisou just seems to connect people to that, more than a lot of other places around the world.
What you saw yesterday... that was a memory. Something you witnessed as Cyrene in your past life. That's why you recognize me, because we were friends back then. It's why I also know you.
[Not like that isn't creepy or anything...]
no subject
Date: 2025-10-13 03:01 am (UTC)We were friends... in another life. [ She takes a breath. ] Friends. I-- help me understand. What I saw-- what you made me see... was... you killing me. What happ... why... what kind of friendship ends that way? I don't... I don't think I was angry at you. At-- at him. So why...?
[ She searches Phainon's face desperately, as if hoping to find her answer there. She wants to believe that he didn't just... kill... another Cyrene... for no reason. Surely. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-10-18 06:50 am (UTC)Okay, let me just... [His hands come up and gesture openly, indicating he's trying to ease her into this whole thing.] I didn't know that you seeing me there would trigger a memory, so... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, or make you upset.
But that's the thing about these memories, Cyrene— they'll happen if something in this life reminds you of them, or they could just come to you randomly. There's... really no rhyme or reason as to when or how they happen, they just do.
[A beat, and here is where Phainon knows that what he says here needs to not only make sense, but he has to tell her what happened. If nothing else, she deserves to know what happened.] As for why things happened like that— it wasn't something I chose to do. But you and I... we found out that if we completed the journey we were on, the Flame Chase? The thing all of us worked so hard to ensure a better future for Amphoreus, sacrificed so much for? It would all be used to fuel the Destruction. We would be causing a calamity to enter into the cosmos outside our home. Untold amounts of people would die, Cyrene.
You... couldn't let that happen, and neither could I. So you decided that we were going to stall this journey for as long as we could. And the only way to do that [Phainon pauses here, shakes his head a little, and then continues.] is to remove Time. To... remove you. It was the only way to keep things from ending, and you... you asked me to.
[It is incredibly noticeable how unhappy he was about the whole thing.]
no subject
Date: 2025-11-01 06:18 am (UTC)To remove Time... to protect the world-- no, the universe...
[ ...Something begins to come to her, in small bits and pieces. The memory settles over her like an old friend, gentle and familiar in a way entirely unlike what she had seen the night before. It feels... right, in a weird way, even though she's certainly only just begun to truly recall the history of which it tells.
She and Phainon... no, she and Khaslana stand in a starlit chamber, surrounded by the sound of rippling water. Cyrene recognizes it, this time, as the Vortex of Genesis--the place where the Flame-Chase Journey would end, where they would usher in Era Nova. Except... they both know that that cannot be allowed to happen. They know, from the ramblings of that mad Antikytherean, that unfathomable evils will come to pass, should they invoke the birth of the new world. They know... what must be done, even without speaking it aloud at first. ]
'We're going to weave a long dream for Amphoreus...' [ The words come as a whisper, softer even than this recollection of her had spoken them. ] I... I asked you to do it, didn't I? To end my life. It was... the only way to draw the eye of... that god.
[ Cyrene closes her eyes, and lets out a soft exhale. When she opens them again, she lifts her gaze to meet Phainon's, forcing a small smile. ]
Can we... start over? ... Hi. My name is Cyrene. I moved here from Sparta to follow after a friend who's basically a little brother to me. What about you?