[ She normally relishes in being right about something; it's like a little prize even if it's the equivalent of a participation star. But she didn't want to be right about this.
His message comes through repeatedly, laying over itself like someone is tracing the lines on top of another another until the ink in their pen decides to work.
She follows suit, sending it out several times and deliberately in hopes it'll reach him. ]
[It seems like the strategy is working well, at least for now; multiple iterations of her message make it easy enough to put the pieces of it together, and he keeps his own message short so he can focus on resending it a few times as well.]
[ "Fine". Yeah she's totally buying that line. Not. Now is hardly the time to start lecturing someone she barely knows after they've been taken by people in creepy masks. There's better ways for her to expend her energy and words since they seem so limited by them.
His message is a little more muddied this time, but she gets the gist of it with the words that she can make out. ]
𝘜𝘨𝘩, 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴, 𝘑𝘢𝘺𝘥𝘦𝘯! [ In other words, thank you so much for this awful piece of information. What was that about expending her energy in a useful way? ] 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺? 𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘦?
[Despite everything going on, and that it's definitely not fine, that first part of her response makes him smile a little to himself. It is gross, and it's nice to have a moment of keeping things into a more normal perspective instead of a dire, survivalist one.]
I̵̛̼̜̤̱͂̍ͅ'̶̡͙̘̄̆m̷̧͕̣̭̠͇̎͐͂͗̽̃͒͝ ̶̝̞̋̂̃n̴̢̩̖̯̂̍͂̋̓̌́̀o̶͔͍̝̟̥̭̞̒̇͊̆͒̊̾͝t̷̲̮̼͑͊̓̑͠ sure, but I t̴̡̰̘̤̗̲͌͒͊̓ȟ̷̢̼̻̗̘į̶̡̺̰̜̰͇͌̽̈̓̓̓n̶̼̻̰̺̖̔͗k̴̨̮̘̖̪̤͋̐̋̈́͑̈́͂̑ so. He s̸̭̗̘̎͑̽͑ͅë̷̮́̍͐̐̏̂e̸̛̼̭͖̪̹̘͑̔̉̅̆͗͊m̴̩̠͕͈͈͓̽̈́͆͗͋͌̀̈́ȩ̸̢̣͖̝̈́̽͘ͅd̸̨̢̤̼̻̱͐̂̕̕͠ ̵̧̼̘͙̗̲̎c̶̮̼̗͚̈͘o̷̺̥̩̲͆̅̏̂̔̎͘͝ͅṅ̷̨̖̝͚̮̠̓͜fused or mayb̷̺͖̃̊̐̕ȅ̸̜͔͕͍̀͌͐̄͘ ̷͕̰̯̊̋̚ͅb̴̨̞̣̣̦̽̿l̵̝̼͇̾̓̅̆i̶̠̋̓̕nd without it.
[After sending the message a few times in hopes the gist gets across, he adds less helpfully--]
Haven̷̥̼̱̩̭̲͈̍̍̾̈́͊̚͝ͅ'̴̜͎͉͔̃̌t̶̡̰̺͆͜ ̵̮̖̏͂̈͊͋͘͜ţ̴̪̈̍͗́̒r̷̼̹͎͇͒͒͂̄́̋͘ied it on for̸̢̭͉̝̈́͝͝ ̸̨̼̯̹̚o̵̭̻̤̓͘͜b̴̛̗͔̔̐̈́͗̉̚v̵̩͎͕̰̺̙̽͑i̴̼̮̦̰̊̈́̋̅̽̑͝o̴͕̓̀̎͊̏u̸͎͖͖̓͗͛͑́͊̕s̴̡̘̣̤̥̉̄̎̿̈́̿͜͝ reasons, so if i̷̛̙̭͗͛̇͑͗͝t̸͔̞͈̜͎̟̤̩͆͆͋ ̷͓̙̹̉̀̆̍̈͑d̷̢̛̛͉̤̗̰̤͋o̷̮̞͂̃e̵͈̯̟̿̇ŝ̵̢͚̬̻́̿͗ͅ ̸̭̞͍̻̼̪͗͛ͅa̴͎̙̾͆ǹ̷̛̘̜̩̝͚̖͚̈́̌̍͛̈́͜ything else I c̵͉̾̔ä̴͙̭̖̮͕̜̫́͗̓͊͗̿̅͆ń̴̡̼̘̥̘̘͌̅'̵̛̜̟͓̌̏̀̌̌͜t̶̥͚̯̦͈͇̬̞́̒̈́͘ say.
[ As long as he didn't think it was insensitive of her, Hilda would be glad to know that she can offer some kind of levity in these awful, trying times. She's quick to try and decipher the garbled text.
The information about the mask is useful and she notes it down to pass onto Natasha later on. And as for the second bit... ]
[It feels a little more hopeful than realistic to be worried about coming back, whether with keyholes for eyes or otherwise, but he'll entertain the idea for now.]
Don't w̵̹͆͒ô̸̙̗̜̖̱̈̈̀r̴̦̮̪̖̥͒̿̚r̴̢̹̞̯͑̈́̓͝y̷̺͎͓͈̻̯̱͗̅,̶̢̛͙̟̙̞̩̗̃́ ̴͈͚͊͒͊̋̾́̇I̴̞̳̣̻̐̏̿͝ ̷̭̲͠d̶̪̙̙͈̜̠̈́̇͛̄̆̓o̸̖͕͑̌̎n't plan on i̸̡̨̝̞̎̚͘ͅt̴̨̨̛̙̺͕̫̺̓͛̍.̷̰͉̰́̔̃̄ ̴͇̓̇̅̈́͒͝C̶̢̬̲̮͈̻̓͋̔̋͗̈͆o̵̖̥͎̠̗͎͘̚ṇ̸̡̭̯͈̱̆̋̾̂̀̀̀n̴̨̽́ected how? I̷̠͎̞̭͒̋̚ ̶̛̖͙̯̌ḩ̸̠͚͠͝a̵̧̨̭͈͛̕v̶̳̰̖̩̓͜͜e̶̳̤͐́̒n̵̢̟̭̼̭̩͑̂͊̈̂͆'̵̼̙̙̬̮̲̝̊ẗ̵̝̤̦̲́͐́́ ̴̩̖͉̼̇̾̐̃͝n̸̳̯̍̓͆́̓̊͘ͅǒ̴͉̞̯̩̦͙̀̃͋̆́̕ț̷̨͉̯̱̔̾ͅiced anything specific.
[ They have to stay hopeful though. If she didn't, then there was no point in continuing on with anything that the Summoned who hadn't been kidnapped were doing. They had all been working so hard - letting it go to waste, not getting their friends home simply wasn't an option. ]
[It's a welcome distraction to focus on theorizing and trying to answer questions, so his responses become slightly more wordy but unfortunately more garbled as a side effect.]
The̶͓̅̾̊͊́̈́̚y̵̨̫̪͊ͅ ̵̪̮̈́̄̒̂d̷̨̛̤͙̟͆̈̊̇́̊o̶͚͋͒͆́̌́ ̶͓̪̮̙͈̻̐̄̐̍̄́͝s̷̩̣̗͓̟͜͝ḙ̵͈̹̺͕̭͑̓e̴̮͍̤̲̎̉̄̉m̷̮͚̜̣̦͖͊͒̍̈́̓ ̴̛̖̘̔̃̌̓͘l̸̢̻̯͈̜̣̰̎͝i̶̳̍́ke a cult, so I thouġ̶̹̦̮̖̞̄͋͝h̴̛t̵̟̰͍̦͓̿̀̐̀́̎ ̴̯̥̥͖̑͒̊̎͐̏̚t̶̟͔̜̮̆̈́̆̅̑͆̕ḧ̸̛͈̘̯̝́̆ę̴͇̲̱͕̘̓͌̆̀̄̏̿͜ ̶͎̓͛̀͒̈́̕̕m̵̥̱̽̊̈́̋̍̀ā̶͖́ŝ̷̢̢̟͛͗k̷̦̫̦̯͊̿̑̏͂͒͜s̵͇͉̪͎͖̜͋̄ ̸̲̗̮͚̭͔̿̽̐w̶̡͐͂̚ͅe̶̛̗͎̖̖̩͐͛̓̐̂re ritualistic, b̴̥̱̩̙͈̋ȕ̴̫̳͈̯̬̅̀̎͘t̵̹̳̘̎ ̵̨͎̻̙͍̈̕I̴͖͐́̚'̵̡͈͕͙̫̎͜m̶̼̔͐̉͑̍ ̶̼̝͈̋̈͌̽̑̚̕n̵̨̜̹̯̣̻̻̄͑̓̌̚ŏ̸͍̗̽̓̔̀̕t̵̳̗͋̂͆̂́̔̚ ̶̧͊̆̆͒̚͘s̵̢̡̲̝̺̙̋́͂̓̐͆̃ͅure anymore. M̶͓̬̖̗͂̆̚͜i̴͖̹̹͉̖̝̊͠g̶̜̟̩̉͌̓h̷̘̦̬́̀̅̎͌͛t̷̲͉͈͉͒́́́̆̑̕ ̵̧̠̩̭̩̝̅̓b̸̧̳̮͓̘͎͇̄̆̀̊̽̅e̶̮̫͊̇ both ṙ̵̟̣̞̮̠͉͜͠ī̶̪̣t̶̢̢̥̑ų̸̝̬̤̀͋̓̚a̸̬͖̬͆͌́l̷̝̰͉͕̐̇́̽̅̕͜ͅḯ̶̡͉̫̗̳͂͐̾̀̂͜͠s̸̨̝͔͚̟̯͌̃̈̽̀͒͠tic and practical.
[With the potentially being blind without them thing. But they do seem like they might have some ceremonial purpose; they're so intricate and similar to the others that it feels meaningful.
He should add, though--]
I d̷̺̯̂̎͌̑͘ó̶̩͙̘̇̏͝͝n̸̘̙͑̒̎͊̆̋̒'̶̳͚̆̑̿t̴̛͍̓̽̋̀ ̸̣̦̩̩̺̔̎̈͐̈̓͠k̶̻̙͖͎̮̙̽̿̓̚͠͠n̷͍̿̀͒͆o̴͉̣̽͑̓͊̇͛͝w̸̧̠̌͑͐ ̸͖̬̙͕̂̄͊̃͐ä̶̧͕̱̣͇́̾̀̌̚͝ͅṇ̴̨̬͕͌͗͗͠ȳ̴̨̨̮̣̠̭̉ͅthing about̴̢̋ ̵̥̯̗͖̘͖̀̋̈́͌͜ģ̶̭̙̹̝́̈́͛̕͜o̶̼͂͜ds or magic.
[Which is making all of this even more difficult to get a grasp on than it might've otherwise been.]
[ She's right back to scrawling onto her notebook and it's another moment before she can respond, hoping that she's got everything that Jayden is trying trying to convey to her. ]
𝘈 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦. [ They certainly dressed like one - not that she knew many cults. She bites her bottom lip in thought. ] 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.
[ The last sentence is sent several times over and with a fierceness that if nothing else comes through, at least it's that. ]
[Her message is more garbled on his end too, though perhaps not necessarily because of length, but the connection itself. But he still gets pieces of it and most of the last part, and tries to convince himself she's right; he's gotten out of bad situations before just by resourceful thinking and determination, so why should this be any different? Sure, he can't be both sides of collecting evidence and then analyzing and acting on it, but he can try to do the first part and then get to to people who can do the second.
His own message back is short, partially for practicality and partially because they both have work to be done, though he resends it a few times in hopes it'll come through clearly.]
Yeaḧ̷̛̛͇̝̜̲̯́̑͒̔̈́͝.̸̲̪͑ ̴̢̨̡̻͎̠̯͋͗̍̈̆͜I̵̻̾̏̅̽̄'̵̛̜̹̫̾̎l̵̖̬͕̱̫̊͑͌͝͝l̸͉̆͐ ̶̡̳͖̞̮̲͉̞̌̋͒̐̐̒̑̾l̶̟͎̣͉͈̤̈́̓͋ͅe̷̢̼̻̞̹͉͎͛̐̒͋̈́̎͐͜͝t you know̷͖̪̤̫͕͈̯̥̒͂̊͗ ̴̨̧͎̯͈̐͗a̴̰͙͈̮͕̙̋̅̚n̴̨̡͈̻̠̫̤̉̍͌̂̚ȳ̷̛͍̬̥̱̪͕̆̐ͅť̵̯̦̊h̶̳͚͗̈́̆͐͘ing important.
[He gets enough of it to get the gist, and although her comment is both morbid and stupid, that in itself is also comforting. A win all around, really.
Of course, as it turns out, the watch actually would have been very useful. Not only is keeping track of time difficult in this place, but it would've been helpful when he'd had to free himself in the aftermath of the ritual, though that probably also would've destroyed the watch and added another to his tally.
But because of the ritual and everything that went along with it afterward, it's near the end of week two before he both remembers and is capable of messaging her again. He doesn't want to talk about the ritual itself, and with as many people involved as there were, surely someone's gotten the word out about that and so he focuses on relaying something else.]
[ She worries, subconsciously for another week when Jayden goes silent. That had been the case for many of the people she knew that had been taken and while she’s glad to have at least caught glimpses of Claude and Sylvain, a part of her almost wishes she hadn’t. The realities of what they were going through were now laid bare in front of her and she’s more desperate than before to find them.
Mentally, the Hilda at the end of week two is a vastly different one from the start of this whole ordeal. Time seems to stretch for those left behind too, but in a different way and Hilda isn’t exempt from that. Between her lack of sleep (the nightmares that come unbidden mixed with the ever present worry), the traversing of the streets of Cadens, out to the desert, and then to Solvunn, she feels wobbly and out of sorts held together by resolve and fraying hope.
Jayden’s message startles her, and her breath catches in her throat as she tries to decipher it. ‘Shrines’ and ‘changing’ are all she catches, but it’s enough. ]
𝘑𝘢𝘺𝘥𝘦𝘯! [ She’s relieved but catches herself before she sends, ‘you’re alive’. ] 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘸?
[There's another delay, but this time much shorter, just half an hour or so. Even though he's feeling comparatively better at the moment, it's still so difficult to focus enough to send a message.]
T̵͔̜̤̳̐͆͝ȟ̶̥̲e̶̛̻̥͊́͂͝͝y̸̼̻̲̯̌ look diff̴̧̲̱̣̀̆͘͜ẹ̷̦̜̭̄̉̕͠r̷̛̭̺̪͍̝͈̻͎͂͌́͝e̴̪̅̊̔͝͠n̵̖̆ṭ̸̣̣̺̼͎̼̀͌͋̆̌̇ͅ. T̸̡͙̘̤͒̆̀̌̏̕͠͝h̶͚̭͍̮̲̦̓͜è̸̺̥̳̣̱͉̋̕͠ỹ̸̧̗̝̟̃̑'̶͖̖̼̭͇̌r̸̢͖̩̼̻̄̽̕͠e̵̟͕̥̭͓̭̫̭̾̈͝ ̷͈̘̥͖͕̝̟̝̽b̷̢̝̫̥̳͙̥̄̇̔̐leeding and whispering.
[Somehow the whispering is the strangest part of it all.]
[She is right but he doesn't confirm it, only really able to focus on one thing at a time for the moment.]
No, I c̸͎͎̅͊̂̇̆̕̚a̷̢̡̗̮̠̟̬͍̎̕͝n̸̙͖̙͔͈̺̓͆̀̆̑̓͒̕'̴̦̯̦̹̍̓̉̂̿̃t̸̲̮̟̜̭̣͘͜ ̸̖̌̌͋̔͆͝ț̵̤͚́̐͜ë̷͜l̵̨̓͊̊͑̕ļ̶̖̘̜̠̰͗̂̓̔͛̄͗͐,̸̠̠͖͕̫̩͕͌̋̀͝ ̴͕̙͇̠̺͚͆̆͌̅̐̑̇̕b̶̹̲̼͋̋͆̑̈́̔͐͜͠u̷̧̩͍̠̇̓̀̅̊̈́͝t̷̤͎̯̲̆͑̆̍̊̇͂̏ ̴̭̈́͑̊̓͝͝į̷̛͈̦̦͚̏͒̔ṭ̸̛͖̝̣̫̄ shakes l̴̨͈͉̀̈́̋̌̐̃̕̕î̷̻͈͊͂k̴̛͓̤͇̮̦͖͚̊̀̃̃̋͠e̷̛͖͆̉̓͑͐̈̓ ̶̬̪̓͠it's alive. Maybe they are.
[At this point anything could be possible and he probably wouldn't question it. Why couldn't the shrines be alive somehow?]
[ Statues that are alive? A shiver runs through her body at the very thought. Although inanimate objects that seem to be alive isn't an entirely new concept for her. ]
[ It's not really the time for something like idle chitchat but she's never thought she's been good at much else than trying to keep people's spirits up in whatever way she can. ]
[There's more he should tell her, about the charms and the fact that the shrines can be opened, but it's second hand knowledge and even considering trying to accurately pass on the information is an overwhelming thought. So although he might've otherwise ignored her question, or tried to deflect, right now it's easier to just take the brief distraction.]
Į̴̜̲͐̉̀͗̆͐'̸̮̇̀͑m̵̢̜̝̗̮̤̼̉͋̔͝͝ alive, so I̶͈͉̬̿̈́̾͛̇ ̶̢̯̘͔͉̌͆̀ḡ̵̡̦̼̫͉̖ų̴̬̼̫̲̫̪̄ḛ̶̛̭͈̾̾̑͝͠͠s̶̨̨̛̪̺̺̲̬̜͒̇s̵̢͍͓̭̹̥̈͂̉̽̔̌̈́ ̵̗̈́Ǐ̵͉̘̮̋͆͋͂ͅͅ ̷̢̜̙̟̦͈̗̈́̀̊̓͛̋̍c̷̦̪̏̌̊͛͠o̸̢̘̤̹͂̕͘͠ừ̷̼͇͚̝̅̎̀̊l̶̝͇͚͍̻̂̿̎̌̑̕͠͝d̷̢͔̲̂ be worse.
[The absolute lowest of low bars here, but y'know. But after a brief delay, he adds--]
[ Hilda wouldn't have expected him to. She had seen the damage done to her friend's bodies in the Horizon; the fact that he's got enough energy to be reaching out at all, and to her of all people, is astounding enough. What that means though is anyone's guess. Maybe whoever had taken them just hadn't done as much to Jayden as the others, or maybe he was just holding up better.
T̴͖̩̘̊̂̎̾̍͛̏ḩ̵̘̝̪̯͚̩̿͑̍̋̄͝a̵̼̠̫̯̖͉̹̯͒̐͜͝͠t̶̟̼̟͙͇̳͎̋̋̍̓͝'̷̻̣͔̼̘͗̋͐̀͒͂͝ͅs̷̨̞̞̩̻̙̈́͑̾̀̓̈́̂́̚ true. Not dying'̷͙̟̮͖͓̉̄ͅs̷̨̮̘̃̆͝ ̵̻͙̼̤̙̥͊̄́͒͜͠l̷̗̯̻̳̰̓̾͑͝ỉ̴͔̓̿͊̿̈͂̚͝k̵̪̪̓̍́̓̾͘e̸̳̙͙̪̰̋̉̅̿͆͊͝ 95% o̶̧̖̟̼͓̳̕f̶̡̢̡̛̖̺̆̓̅̇̽̅͝ ̶̨̡̤̦͉͓̳͌͑m̸̡͇̗̱̦͈̜̫̤͆̀̅͐͊͆̽y job.
[It's a terribly weak attempt at a joke, but it's also accurate, and it probably is much of the reason he's still at all functional. That won't last for too much longer, though, which he's vaguely aware of, and he tries to gather his thoughts.]
T̴̩͍͎͇̦͖̑͒̏h̷̙̺͕̝̀͒̒̒̈ę̴̳̖̙̈̌͑̏͋͘͠y̴̡̡̺͎̦̱̰̾̅ want us alive f̴̣̮̣̘̆̃͑ŏ̴̟̜r̴͇͛̄̊̚͜͝ ̸͔̤̤͈͍̜̱͖̏̓̊͝ͅs̸͓̙̮̻̩͆̌͐̐o̶̢̪͓̘̞̬̒̈́̈́̕m̵͇̳̩̀̍̆̈́̓̃́͘͜͝e̶̲̗̞͗̇̄̄̈́t̸̲̗̜̗̀͜h̶̩͉̃͌ing. Ţ̸̍̓̂͗̋͜h̶̩̪͗ͅe̸͓̩͂̈́̈́͘y̷͚̽̍͗̚͝ ̶͚͕͔͍̭͎̀͂͊̂̑́̾̚͘ͅcalled it ascending.
[ Hilda senses a joke being made (at least she thinks she does; it's hard to tell over text and even more so with the garbled quality of it) and while she isn't usually one to discourage them, she doesn't feel like this is an appropriate time to be making them. ]
[It feels like making surviving 100% of his job right now is setting him up for failure, but he won't say that. There's no need to put any more pressure on her or anyone else trying to find everyone; he knows they're doing their best, he just isn't totally sure it's going to be enough.
He can't give a very useful answer to her questions, as he doesn't clearly remember what the Acolytes had said during before and after the ritual, and doesn't want to think about it. But he does know remember one part at least.]
Į̷͚̗̀͂̿̔̓̏ ̴̳̾̔̂̕̕͠d̷̠͆on't know, b̴̧̝̜̘͈̙͇͛̀͛͊̊͗u̴͔͗̈́̀̽̕t̴̢͎̺̼̹̫̪̆̂̾́̕ ̵̦̺̾͐̀̌̑ţ̵̠̦̟̗̆̑̏h̵͕̞̞̿́̇͌͋͝è̶̼̋͗̀̾̿͠y̴̱̠͎̗̰̋̅͌͝ ̷̦̮̥̾͋̌̌͝͝t̴̟́̽̋̑̀̿̕a̴̛̳͕͂̂͑ĺ̵̨̤̱͇̖͕̇̒̈́͝ͅk̶̢͕̟̝̈́̈́̐̆͊̕̚ͅe̶̮̠̎́̍͗̽̋ͅḑ̸̙͚̘͕̈͌ ̸̛̼̗͈̈̌̑̈̑a̶͇̎͘b̶̧̤̻̼̠̤̠̈̇̍̋̈́́ơ̶̢̧͓̳͋͐̄͗͛̍ͅṷ̴̙͉͎̭̥̇͋̓̾͊̌̕ṫ̵̜͔̫̪͕́̉͊͒̀͐ ̵͈̑͝ċ̷̱̲̤̭͌͊̆͝ö̸̢̘̫̼͕̯̝́m̸̢̱̪͇̋̾͊̑͆́͝muning with gods.
[ If Jayden did voice those thoughts to her, it wouldn't have deterred her. They were all doing their best and in her mind, her best was trying to keep everyone's spirts up even when hers were barely treading water. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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His message comes through repeatedly, laying over itself like someone is tracing the lines on top of another another until the ink in their pen decides to work.
She follows suit, sending it out several times and deliberately in hopes it'll reach him. ]
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵? 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺?
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Fine. Stol̴͓̑͛͋͂͒͘e̶̢͉̐̆̑̂̃͘͠͝ ̵̝͔̩͖̜͐̉̃̀̈́ó̶̢̧͕̎́̃̈̓ņ̶̌̐̈́̔̐͘͝͝͝e̸͎̭̯̯̦̻̜͑͊̾͊̑̀͊̀͘.
[But then he realizes he should also add--]
Į̷̝͓͎̤̯͕̩̱̽̃́̾̃̄̎̚t̴͍͍̹͚̞̺̗͔̓ ̸̡̖̉͜h̷̡͕̺̜͚̬͔͓̯̀̈́͆̅̉̍ă̵͕̯̼̰̖͕̤̋̆͆̏̔̕̚͘͜s̴̳̆̊̑͠ spikes likę̶̡̫̥͈͈͎͊͗̿͑̀̕͠͠ ̶̻͖̉̓ḯ̸̘̞̆̊̄͋͘ţ̷̹͖̰̥͚̒̐̌̋͠ plugs inť̴̛̙̼̜̜̦̲͙̺̆̇̋̆̕̚o̸͎͚̺͚̦̬̳͕̍̐̌̒̀͗͘ ̶̛̼̬̹͙̳̮̱̟̍̐̎͝t̷̝̏h̸̨̪͔̜͕̗͈̀͝e̷̡̱̪̥̖̮̙͈͖̅͌̿͑̽͝͝ ̴̢̧̠̘̠͖͍̼̗͛̈́̋̎͑̚k̷̢̨̛͉̤͇̭̘̙͈̽̏̾̊̂̃̓͂ȇ̷̢͍̟̫̺͑͐͛yholes.
[Which, you know, gross.]
no subject
His message is a little more muddied this time, but she gets the gist of it with the words that she can make out. ]
𝘜𝘨𝘩, 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴, 𝘑𝘢𝘺𝘥𝘦𝘯! [ In other words, thank you so much for this awful piece of information. What was that about expending her energy in a useful way? ] 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺? 𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘦?
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I̵̛̼̜̤̱͂̍ͅ'̶̡͙̘̄̆m̷̧͕̣̭̠͇̎͐͂͗̽̃͒͝ ̶̝̞̋̂̃n̴̢̩̖̯̂̍͂̋̓̌́̀o̶͔͍̝̟̥̭̞̒̇͊̆͒̊̾͝t̷̲̮̼͑͊̓̑͠ sure, but I t̴̡̰̘̤̗̲͌͒͊̓ȟ̷̢̼̻̗̘į̶̡̺̰̜̰͇͌̽̈̓̓̓n̶̼̻̰̺̖̔͗k̴̨̮̘̖̪̤͋̐̋̈́͑̈́͂̑ so. He s̸̭̗̘̎͑̽͑ͅë̷̮́̍͐̐̏̂e̸̛̼̭͖̪̹̘͑̔̉̅̆͗͊m̴̩̠͕͈͈͓̽̈́͆͗͋͌̀̈́ȩ̸̢̣͖̝̈́̽͘ͅd̸̨̢̤̼̻̱͐̂̕̕͠ ̵̧̼̘͙̗̲̎c̶̮̼̗͚̈͘o̷̺̥̩̲͆̅̏̂̔̎͘͝ͅṅ̷̨̖̝͚̮̠̓͜fused or mayb̷̺͖̃̊̐̕ȅ̸̜͔͕͍̀͌͐̄͘ ̷͕̰̯̊̋̚ͅb̴̨̞̣̣̦̽̿l̵̝̼͇̾̓̅̆i̶̠̋̓̕nd without it.
[After sending the message a few times in hopes the gist gets across, he adds less helpfully--]
Haven̷̥̼̱̩̭̲͈̍̍̾̈́͊̚͝ͅ'̴̜͎͉͔̃̌t̶̡̰̺͆͜ ̵̮̖̏͂̈͊͋͘͜ţ̴̪̈̍͗́̒r̷̼̹͎͇͒͒͂̄́̋͘ied it on for̸̢̭͉̝̈́͝͝ ̸̨̼̯̹̚o̵̭̻̤̓͘͜b̴̛̗͔̔̐̈́͗̉̚v̵̩͎͕̰̺̙̽͑i̴̼̮̦̰̊̈́̋̅̽̑͝o̴͕̓̀̎͊̏u̸͎͖͖̓͗͛͑́͊̕s̴̡̘̣̤̥̉̄̎̿̈́̿͜͝ reasons, so if i̷̛̙̭͗͛̇͑͗͝t̸͔̞͈̜͎̟̤̩͆͆͋ ̷͓̙̹̉̀̆̍̈͑d̷̢̛̛͉̤̗̰̤͋o̷̮̞͂̃e̵͈̯̟̿̇ŝ̵̢͚̬̻́̿͗ͅ ̸̭̞͍̻̼̪͗͛ͅa̴͎̙̾͆ǹ̷̛̘̜̩̝͚̖͚̈́̌̍͛̈́͜ything else I c̵͉̾̔ä̴͙̭̖̮͕̜̫́͗̓͊͗̿̅͆ń̴̡̼̘̥̘̘͌̅'̵̛̜̟͓̌̏̀̌̌͜t̶̥͚̯̦͈͇̬̞́̒̈́͘ say.
no subject
The information about the mask is useful and she notes it down to pass onto Natasha later on. And as for the second bit... ]
𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯! 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘬𝘦𝘺𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?
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Don't w̵̹͆͒ô̸̙̗̜̖̱̈̈̀r̴̦̮̪̖̥͒̿̚r̴̢̹̞̯͑̈́̓͝y̷̺͎͓͈̻̯̱͗̅,̶̢̛͙̟̙̞̩̗̃́ ̴͈͚͊͒͊̋̾́̇I̴̞̳̣̻̐̏̿͝ ̷̭̲͠d̶̪̙̙͈̜̠̈́̇͛̄̆̓o̸̖͕͑̌̎n't plan on i̸̡̨̝̞̎̚͘ͅt̴̨̨̛̙̺͕̫̺̓͛̍.̷̰͉̰́̔̃̄ ̴͇̓̇̅̈́͒͝C̶̢̬̲̮͈̻̓͋̔̋͗̈͆o̵̖̥͎̠̗͎͘̚ṇ̸̡̭̯͈̱̆̋̾̂̀̀̀n̴̨̽́ected how? I̷̠͎̞̭͒̋̚ ̶̛̖͙̯̌ḩ̸̠͚͠͝a̵̧̨̭͈͛̕v̶̳̰̖̩̓͜͜e̶̳̤͐́̒n̵̢̟̭̼̭̩͑̂͊̈̂͆'̵̼̙̙̬̮̲̝̊ẗ̵̝̤̦̲́͐́́ ̴̩̖͉̼̇̾̐̃͝n̸̳̯̍̓͆́̓̊͘ͅǒ̴͉̞̯̩̦͙̀̃͋̆́̕ț̷̨͉̯̱̔̾ͅiced anything specific.
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𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦...𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰. 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘥? 𝘖𝘳 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤?
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The̶͓̅̾̊͊́̈́̚y̵̨̫̪͊ͅ ̵̪̮̈́̄̒̂d̷̨̛̤͙̟͆̈̊̇́̊o̶͚͋͒͆́̌́ ̶͓̪̮̙͈̻̐̄̐̍̄́͝s̷̩̣̗͓̟͜͝ḙ̵͈̹̺͕̭͑̓e̴̮͍̤̲̎̉̄̉m̷̮͚̜̣̦͖͊͒̍̈́̓ ̴̛̖̘̔̃̌̓͘l̸̢̻̯͈̜̣̰̎͝i̶̳̍́ke a cult, so I thouġ̶̹̦̮̖̞̄͋͝h̴̛t̵̟̰͍̦͓̿̀̐̀́̎ ̴̯̥̥͖̑͒̊̎͐̏̚t̶̟͔̜̮̆̈́̆̅̑͆̕ḧ̸̛͈̘̯̝́̆ę̴͇̲̱͕̘̓͌̆̀̄̏̿͜ ̶͎̓͛̀͒̈́̕̕m̵̥̱̽̊̈́̋̍̀ā̶͖́ŝ̷̢̢̟͛͗k̷̦̫̦̯͊̿̑̏͂͒͜s̵͇͉̪͎͖̜͋̄ ̸̲̗̮͚̭͔̿̽̐w̶̡͐͂̚ͅe̶̛̗͎̖̖̩͐͛̓̐̂re ritualistic, b̴̥̱̩̙͈̋ȕ̴̫̳͈̯̬̅̀̎͘t̵̹̳̘̎ ̵̨͎̻̙͍̈̕I̴͖͐́̚'̵̡͈͕͙̫̎͜m̶̼̔͐̉͑̍ ̶̼̝͈̋̈͌̽̑̚̕n̵̨̜̹̯̣̻̻̄͑̓̌̚ŏ̸͍̗̽̓̔̀̕t̵̳̗͋̂͆̂́̔̚ ̶̧͊̆̆͒̚͘s̵̢̡̲̝̺̙̋́͂̓̐͆̃ͅure anymore. M̶͓̬̖̗͂̆̚͜i̴͖̹̹͉̖̝̊͠g̶̜̟̩̉͌̓h̷̘̦̬́̀̅̎͌͛t̷̲͉͈͉͒́́́̆̑̕ ̵̧̠̩̭̩̝̅̓b̸̧̳̮͓̘͎͇̄̆̀̊̽̅e̶̮̫͊̇ both ṙ̵̟̣̞̮̠͉͜͠ī̶̪̣t̶̢̢̥̑ų̸̝̬̤̀͋̓̚a̸̬͖̬͆͌́l̷̝̰͉͕̐̇́̽̅̕͜ͅḯ̶̡͉̫̗̳͂͐̾̀̂͜͠s̸̨̝͔͚̟̯͌̃̈̽̀͒͠tic and practical.
[With the potentially being blind without them thing. But they do seem like they might have some ceremonial purpose; they're so intricate and similar to the others that it feels meaningful.
He should add, though--]
I d̷̺̯̂̎͌̑͘ó̶̩͙̘̇̏͝͝n̸̘̙͑̒̎͊̆̋̒'̶̳͚̆̑̿t̴̛͍̓̽̋̀ ̸̣̦̩̩̺̔̎̈͐̈̓͠k̶̻̙͖͎̮̙̽̿̓̚͠͠n̷͍̿̀͒͆o̴͉̣̽͑̓͊̇͛͝w̸̧̠̌͑͐ ̸͖̬̙͕̂̄͊̃͐ä̶̧͕̱̣͇́̾̀̌̚͝ͅṇ̴̨̬͕͌͗͗͠ȳ̴̨̨̮̣̠̭̉ͅthing about̴̢̋ ̵̥̯̗͖̘͖̀̋̈́͌͜ģ̶̭̙̹̝́̈́͛̕͜o̶̼͂͜ds or magic.
[Which is making all of this even more difficult to get a grasp on than it might've otherwise been.]
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𝘈 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦. [ They certainly dressed like one - not that she knew many cults. She bites her bottom lip in thought. ] 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.
[ The last sentence is sent several times over and with a fierceness that if nothing else comes through, at least it's that. ]
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵? 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘴!
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His own message back is short, partially for practicality and partially because they both have work to be done, though he resends it a few times in hopes it'll come through clearly.]
Yeaḧ̷̛̛͇̝̜̲̯́̑͒̔̈́͝.̸̲̪͑ ̴̢̨̡̻͎̠̯͋͗̍̈̆͜I̵̻̾̏̅̽̄'̵̛̜̹̫̾̎l̵̖̬͕̱̫̊͑͌͝͝l̸͉̆͐ ̶̡̳͖̞̮̲͉̞̌̋͒̐̐̒̑̾l̶̟͎̣͉͈̤̈́̓͋ͅe̷̢̼̻̞̹͉͎͛̐̒͋̈́̎͐͜͝t you know̷͖̪̤̫͕͈̯̥̒͂̊͗ ̴̨̧͎̯͈̐͗a̴̰͙͈̮͕̙̋̅̚n̴̨̡͈̻̠̫̤̉̍͌̂̚ȳ̷̛͍̬̥̱̪͕̆̐ͅť̵̯̦̊h̶̳͚͗̈́̆͐͘ing important.
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[ And then she sends what is hopefully something comforting and not seen as ridiculously morbid or stupid. ]
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵.
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Of course, as it turns out, the watch actually would have been very useful. Not only is keeping track of time difficult in this place, but it would've been helpful when he'd had to free himself in the aftermath of the ritual, though that probably also would've destroyed the watch and added another to his tally.
But because of the ritual and everything that went along with it afterward, it's near the end of week two before he both remembers and is capable of messaging her again. He doesn't want to talk about the ritual itself, and with as many people involved as there were, surely someone's gotten the word out about that and so he focuses on relaying something else.]
T̷̨͚̩͎̥͍̠͐h̷̟́ḛ̴̜͙͚͊̓̽̈́ŕ̸̩̚ȅ̷̥̝̜̯̿'̸̹̺͓̗̻̂̓͘͜s̶̖̼̉͛̾͝ ̷̛̖͕̳̘̘̽̊̈̕s̵̡̳̘̞͍͕̑̑̇̀͊̒hrines. They'̷̣͍́̑̀͋͗v̶̧̪̖̞̖͙̹͂ẽ̸͔̫̎̒̎͒͘ ̴̳͓̼̖̯͔̗̈̈́̄b̸̧͉̩̙̈̈̀͂ȩ̴̣͎̈̂ë̷̯͈̂̀ń̷̥̞̉̈ ̷̢̭͇͕̩̙̒̆̃̈́̄ͅc̷̨̦̣̯̯̝͔̀̃̿̇̂͗h̴̜̅̔͐͝͝anging.
[He can't concentrate enough to resend the messages, so how much gets through is mostly up to Hilda's deciphering skills.]
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Mentally, the Hilda at the end of week two is a vastly different one from the start of this whole ordeal. Time seems to stretch for those left behind too, but in a different way and Hilda isn’t exempt from that. Between her lack of sleep (the nightmares that come unbidden mixed with the ever present worry), the traversing of the streets of Cadens, out to the desert, and then to Solvunn, she feels wobbly and out of sorts held together by resolve and fraying hope.
Jayden’s message startles her, and her breath catches in her throat as she tries to decipher it. ‘Shrines’ and ‘changing’ are all she catches, but it’s enough. ]
𝘑𝘢𝘺𝘥𝘦𝘯! [ She’s relieved but catches herself before she sends, ‘you’re alive’. ] 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘸?
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T̵͔̜̤̳̐͆͝ȟ̶̥̲e̶̛̻̥͊́͂͝͝y̸̼̻̲̯̌ look diff̴̧̲̱̣̀̆͘͜ẹ̷̦̜̭̄̉̕͠r̷̛̭̺̪͍̝͈̻͎͂͌́͝e̴̪̅̊̔͝͠n̵̖̆ṭ̸̣̣̺̼͎̼̀͌͋̆̌̇ͅ. T̸̡͙̘̤͒̆̀̌̏̕͠͝h̶͚̭͍̮̲̦̓͜è̸̺̥̳̣̱͉̋̕͠ỹ̸̧̗̝̟̃̑'̶͖̖̼̭͇̌r̸̢͖̩̼̻̄̽̕͠e̵̟͕̥̭͓̭̫̭̾̈͝ ̷͈̘̥͖͕̝̟̝̽b̷̢̝̫̥̳͙̥̄̇̔̐leeding and whispering.
[Somehow the whispering is the strangest part of it all.]
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[ She'd argue that they're both strange, but...yeah, he's right. The whispering is the weirdest thing out of the two. ]
𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨?
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No, I c̸͎͎̅͊̂̇̆̕̚a̷̢̡̗̮̠̟̬͍̎̕͝n̸̙͖̙͔͈̺̓͆̀̆̑̓͒̕'̴̦̯̦̹̍̓̉̂̿̃t̸̲̮̟̜̭̣͘͜ ̸̖̌̌͋̔͆͝ț̵̤͚́̐͜ë̷͜l̵̨̓͊̊͑̕ļ̶̖̘̜̠̰͗̂̓̔͛̄͗͐,̸̠̠͖͕̫̩͕͌̋̀͝ ̴͕̙͇̠̺͚͆̆͌̅̐̑̇̕b̶̹̲̼͋̋͆̑̈́̔͐͜͠u̷̧̩͍̠̇̓̀̅̊̈́͝t̷̤͎̯̲̆͑̆̍̊̇͂̏ ̴̭̈́͑̊̓͝͝į̷̛͈̦̦͚̏͒̔ṭ̸̛͖̝̣̫̄ shakes l̴̨͈͉̀̈́̋̌̐̃̕̕î̷̻͈͊͂k̴̛͓̤͇̮̦͖͚̊̀̃̃̋͠e̷̛͖͆̉̓͑͐̈̓ ̶̬̪̓͠it's alive. Maybe they are.
[At this point anything could be possible and he probably wouldn't question it. Why couldn't the shrines be alive somehow?]
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𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘵? 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘑𝘢𝘺.
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱?
[ It's not really the time for something like idle chitchat but she's never thought she's been good at much else than trying to keep people's spirits up in whatever way she can. ]
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Į̴̜̲͐̉̀͗̆͐'̸̮̇̀͑m̵̢̜̝̗̮̤̼̉͋̔͝͝ alive, so I̶͈͉̬̿̈́̾͛̇ ̶̢̯̘͔͉̌͆̀ḡ̵̡̦̼̫͉̖ų̴̬̼̫̲̫̪̄ḛ̶̛̭͈̾̾̑͝͠͠s̶̨̨̛̪̺̺̲̬̜͒̇s̵̢͍͓̭̹̥̈͂̉̽̔̌̈́ ̵̗̈́Ǐ̵͉̘̮̋͆͋͂ͅͅ ̷̢̜̙̟̦͈̗̈́̀̊̓͛̋̍c̷̦̪̏̌̊͛͠o̸̢̘̤̹͂̕͘͠ừ̷̼͇͚̝̅̎̀̊l̶̝͇͚͍̻̂̿̎̌̑̕͠͝d̷̢͔̲̂ be worse.
[The absolute lowest of low bars here, but y'know. But after a brief delay, he adds--]
Peȏ̶̡͈͚͕͙̙͆̆̃̀͜p̴̺͙̯̹̹̠͓̈́̍l̶̨̞̗̣̻̦̓̒̇́ė̴͍̪̎̑̈́ ̵̡̞̲̠̚̚̚͝͝a̷̞̤̺͐̑̕r̸̩̀͑̔̇̄ȩ̷̩̝̫̦͔̲̍̅̔͒n't doinǵ̷̲̠͚̩̪̓̂̔̂͝ ̵̺̬͆͑͐̾̕̚͘͠t̵̗̤͙̲̻̝͇̚͠ǫ̷̛͇̼̼̦͗̈̎͘͠o̷̡͖͖͎̯̯̊͆͂̚ ̴̘̣̹̫̳̃ͅgood.
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It's a small comfort, but not by much. ]
𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘚𝘦𝘦, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.
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[It's a terribly weak attempt at a joke, but it's also accurate, and it probably is much of the reason he's still at all functional. That won't last for too much longer, though, which he's vaguely aware of, and he tries to gather his thoughts.]
T̴̩͍͎͇̦͖̑͒̏h̷̙̺͕̝̀͒̒̒̈ę̴̳̖̙̈̌͑̏͋͘͠y̴̡̡̺͎̦̱̰̾̅ want us alive f̴̣̮̣̘̆̃͑ŏ̴̟̜r̴͇͛̄̊̚͜͝ ̸͔̤̤͈͍̜̱͖̏̓̊͝ͅs̸͓̙̮̻̩͆̌͐̐o̶̢̪͓̘̞̬̒̈́̈́̕m̵͇̳̩̀̍̆̈́̓̃́͘͜͝e̶̲̗̞͗̇̄̄̈́t̸̲̗̜̗̀͜h̶̩͉̃͌ing. Ţ̸̍̓̂͗̋͜h̶̩̪͗ͅe̸͓̩͂̈́̈́͘y̷͚̽̍͗̚͝ ̶͚͕͔͍̭͎̀͂͊̂̑́̾̚͘ͅcalled it ascending.
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[ Hilda senses a joke being made (at least she thinks she does; it's hard to tell over text and even more so with the garbled quality of it) and while she isn't usually one to discourage them, she doesn't feel like this is an appropriate time to be making them. ]
𝘈𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨?
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He can't give a very useful answer to her questions, as he doesn't clearly remember what the Acolytes had said during before and after the ritual, and doesn't want to think about it. But he does know remember one part at least.]
Į̷͚̗̀͂̿̔̓̏ ̴̳̾̔̂̕̕͠d̷̠͆on't know, b̴̧̝̜̘͈̙͇͛̀͛͊̊͗u̴͔͗̈́̀̽̕t̴̢͎̺̼̹̫̪̆̂̾́̕ ̵̦̺̾͐̀̌̑ţ̵̠̦̟̗̆̑̏h̵͕̞̞̿́̇͌͋͝è̶̼̋͗̀̾̿͠y̴̱̠͎̗̰̋̅͌͝ ̷̦̮̥̾͋̌̌͝͝t̴̟́̽̋̑̀̿̕a̴̛̳͕͂̂͑ĺ̵̨̤̱͇̖͕̇̒̈́͝ͅk̶̢͕̟̝̈́̈́̐̆͊̕̚ͅe̶̮̠̎́̍͗̽̋ͅḑ̸̙͚̘͕̈͌ ̸̛̼̗͈̈̌̑̈̑a̶͇̎͘b̶̧̤̻̼̠̤̠̈̇̍̋̈́́ơ̶̢̧͓̳͋͐̄͗͛̍ͅṷ̴̙͉͎̭̥̇͋̓̾͊̌̕ṫ̵̜͔̫̪͕́̉͊͒̀͐ ̵͈̑͝ċ̷̱̲̤̭͌͊̆͝ö̸̢̘̫̼͕̯̝́m̸̢̱̪͇̋̾͊̑͆́͝muning with gods.
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𝘔𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘴...? 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘈𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘦?
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[The latter, perhaps, more than the former. But something sacrificial seems right too.]
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[ Is that really how that works? Either way, it's all the more reason not to touch them in Hilda's opinion. ]
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