npc || amun [ @ hierarchy ]

[nightnpcs]

( ping ping ping. or, y'know, whatever your phone chime is. the face of a man who looks like he's never smiled once in his entire life appears on your screen. you may have seen him before, while you were busy surviving a storm or battling reapers. no matter. you might as well bask in his impromptu company now, because his appearances are few, and his indulgences even fewer. )

Allow me to make this clear. For those of you who wonder still: I am the Hierarchy. You do not come to us; we summon, invite, and hire. Order is of the utmost importance if you wish to survive, and time is of the essence. Do not waste mine.

( behind him, movement. if you squint, you may notice strands of greying hair near the door, though the person it belongs to remains off-screen. )

Your personal troubles are your own. If you expected us to hold your hand, do think again; there are far greater affairs to attend to, so do yourselves a favor, and look for soulmates. We've prepared an application for you, easily accessible from your device's home page. Should you need additional information, perhaps it's time for you to practice self-reliance.

I will not be answering questions.

( and the feed cuts, abruptly, without greetings or a name. )

ooc note

► Amun will not be responding, though you're absolutely welcome to react, comment and discuss amongst yourselves on this post! Other NPCs might show up!
► This is, more or less, Tinder for Soulmates o/ You'll find the permanent post (aka phone application) right HERE! If you're interested, simply fill out the form and comment on the post, and bam. Browse, swipe left or swipe right, and have fun! This is not mandatory.
► Forms and replies should be posted ICly (yes, even if it's located in the OOC comm -- you may choose one (1) thread for october's AC) .
► Another character may post in your character's stead. Additionally, feel free to have their Shadow influence their blurb!
► The application offers all the information your character needs to know! To recap: All that's required for another Restless to become your Soulmate is for them to enter your home, touch your Tethers upon invitation, and from then on, a piece of their soul will merge with yours, fortifying your Self. As a literal extension of your being, they'll easily gain access to your thoughts if you let them (or if you're careless), they'll experience your pains, fears, and joys on weaker levels, and their voice, touch and overall vicinity can become great soothing weapons against your Shadow. However. If two characters already share a powerful bond and one incidentally touches the other's Tethers, it's an accidental done deal. You may thank Naruto's player for this.
► You may have multiple Soulmates!
► If you have questions regarding the app, redirect them here!

Comments

[fallingsand]

Uh, I dunno, I might worry about it a little? He sounded very... dismissive? Uncaring? Kind of bad vibes for a leader to be giving off.

[windsongs]

I've met guys like this while gigging and it's usually the same thing. They're "too caught up in their work," or "don't care about anything that doesn't involve him or his buddies." [ Yes, she's air-quoting. ]

I hate it too, but not every business guy is personable unfortunately. Some are just allowed to get away with it--case and point.

[fallingsand]

I mean, hate is a strong word for it? It feels like getting away with... whatever... and more just. This doesn't matter to him. Maybe it doesn't? If people ending up down here is... a regular thing?

[windsongs]

[ No, she actually hates guys like this. ]

Probably not, but that doesn't mean we have to like how he's acting. But anyway, not important. Let's not talk about that guy, we don't need to inflate his ego more from a distance, you know?

[ She pauses. ]

I'm Hibiki, and you are?

[fallingsand]

With that attitude, I don't think he's even listening, so...

[ Can't inflate an ego if the ego isn't aware, right? ]

Oh, I'm Bruno. Hi?

[windsongs]

You're probably right, but I don't wanna risk making his head any bigger.

Bruno, huh? Weird question, but where are you from originally? I'm trying to figure out if anyone might be from the same world as me. Or some kind of variant.

[fallingsand]

That, uh. Okay, that is a weird question. What do you mean by the same world? Variants? Isn't there just Earth? Because I'm from that. Earth. Colombia.

[windsongs]

I think I saw at least a few people list something other than Earth. I've also been talking to someone from a country I've never heard of, and a time way in the past. Something about this place is just... Weird.

Oh, Columbia! In South America, right? I bet the food out there's really good! I'm from Japan myself. Tokyo specifically.

[fallingsand]

Other than Earth... [ What. ] That's. Okay, I don't know what to think of that.

[ He can't even go on about aliens, that isn't a thing in books until after his time! ]

Huh. Japan. Japan. That's an island, isn't it? Like, a really far away one.

[windsongs]

It's a few islands, actually! I just happen to be on the main one, the one kind of shaped like a banana.

[ ...She's right, it does look like one. ]

You've gotta tell me about where you're from, what's it like? I've never gone outside of a couple places here, but I've always wanted to travel.

[fallingsand]

I mean, there was a globe in the house, so I. That's about all I know about, uh. Japan. Sorry.

[ Valley's been closed off for his entire life, there isn't exactly an influx of new information. ]

I've never actually seen the rest of Colombia, either, so I'm not sure I'm the best one to ask. I know my village, that's about it. It's... nice. Farming land around the village, jungle further out, lots of mountains, good weather. We grow our own coffee and everything.

[windsongs]

Totally fine, you don't need to apologize.

[ But wait. ]

...Did you say you grow your own coffee? Really? Wow, now I'm really jealous, I bet it's super good! My friends call me the coffee wizard back home. Your home sounds beautiful, I wish I could've seen it.

[ She may be getting a little wistful here, as she swaps between ignoring the fact that she died and quietly mourning the life she used to have. ]

You can't see it as well in Tokyo, but I lived in an area called Shizuoka for a couple years. You'll get the best view of Mt Fuji you'll ever see out there, especially in the spring when all the cherry blossoms are in bloom. It's pretty close to the ocean too, so you get the best of both worlds.

[fallingsand]

A coffee wizard? But what do you do with the coffee?

[ Oh boy, now he's wondering if Stygia has coffee. How would purgatory have coffee in the first place? Or food? Or anything, actually? Are there farms that the Restless run somewhere? ]

Uh, although... cherry blossoms. Those sound like they'd be pretty. Can't say much about an ocean since I've never been to one, unless. Unless that thing we crossed here counts.

[windsongs]

[ Hibiki laughs a bit. ]

Just brew it, but apparently I'm pretty good at it. There's a little bit of magic in every cup! [ A beat. ] Except not really, I can't do anything like that. I don't have that kind of magic.

Cherry blossoms are beautiful. Depending on the tree, they can be pink, white, or yellow. Hanami is a pretty common tradition once they bloom in March. Think of it like a combo of flower viewing and a picnic. I've heard people will travel from around the world to see.

I'd imagine you have something like that where you're from? Especially if it's a tight-knit community.

[fallingsand]

That all? [ He, too, offers a faint chuckle. ] Well, no offense, but your friends haven't had coffee until they've had ours. Black as night with a bit of sugar. Wakes you right up in the morning.

And, uh. We don't do flower viewing, I guess since we always have flowers? At least, ever since my niece got her gift. She can grow flowers anywhere. The whole town is decorated with them. We do have holidays... Christmas, New Year's, that stuff.

[windsongs]

Hey, I never said it holds a candle to a cup the homegrown beans, because that? Sounds amazing. I'm just their go-to gal when they want it brewed, not grown.

[ Hibiki pauses briefly, a bit confused. ]

Her gift? So... she's got a green thumb? Sorry, not sure what you're getting at.

[fallingsand]

Oh, um. I mean magic? It's her magical gift, that's all. You mentioned magic, too, so I... thought... that might not be weird?

[windsongs]

Oh. Oh! Right, I did! I mean, I wasn't being serious about having coffee-based magic but I guess that might be kinda cool actually...

[ She sounds much more animated than she was before. ]

Sorry, I'm so used to dealing with people who don't know about magic and spirits and all sorts of other things that normal people have to deal with, I just assumed you were like that too. Not that being that is a bad thing. [ A beat. ] So does that mean it runs in the family? Are gifts things that are passed down, or just something bestowed at random?

[fallingsand]

I mean, if my sister made the coffee, that would... heal you... so... I guess one of us has. Magic like that.

[ Also food or literally anything else edible she made. Actually useful magic, unlike, well, Bruno. ]

It is a family thing but what everyone gets is pretty random.

[windsongs]

That's... that's amazing. Haha.

[ She sounds equal parts awed and conflicted. Wow, why does that seem to hit a chord? ]

I think it's the same for my family. [ She pauses. ] See, I never knew my father, he left before I was born. And my mom... never told me. I kinda figured it out on my own way after the fact.

[ (Funny that she wouldn't talk to her own daughter about her gifts, when this man's family seemed to welcome and encourage it. Maybe you weren't as close to your mother as you thought.)

Hibiki pushes those intrusive thoughts away. Not now. ]

I mean, I have one of her journals where she talks about it. And... some of the things that happened after she died. So maybe that was her way of trying to tell me about... [ She pauses before laughing awkwardly. ] Hoo, sorry about that, did not mean to go there with you, Bruno. It's just. Really nice your family can share something like that.

[fallingsand]

[ That's... a lot. Wow. Okay. ]

Geez, kid, that's. Rough. I'm sorry, um, but it's. It's not as nice as you might think. Having magic run in the family is as much a burden as it is a... a gift. Don't get me wrong. I do... I really do love my family, but...

[ How does he even put it? She sounded so awed by the idea of a magical family being all magical together, only it isn't that simple by any stretch. He sounds just about as conflicted as she did a moment ago. ]

There's this. Thing. About whether your gift is useful enough or. Not. So, I. I don't think you should feel bad about not having, uh, that.

[windsongs]

[ That's just her. She's just A Lot. Her family is also A Lot, but he already got a taste of that. Sorry Bruno, but having a family that was magical together that doesn't leave one of them completely in the dark for seemingly no reason... that sounds really nice. ]

Sorry, sorry. I have this thing, it's seriously a bad habit, where I say too much. So I really didn't mean to overload you, just when I get going, well. Yeah...

[ And yet, she isn't done? Hibiki heaves a quiet sigh. ]

But I did get something from them--magic or powers, whatever you want to call it. My mom knew stuff like that existed, that I could do the impossible, she just... didn't tell me. She kept it from me.

So I guess I'm a little jealous, even if someone's gift isn't useful or special, at least someone tells you that you have one at all... You know?

[fallingsand]

[ Right up until someone gets no gift at all and it becomes the start of a staggeringly huge problem. Ah, but he doesn't want to drag his poor niece into this. It would be pointlessly comparing traumas, right? ]

Was your mom trying to protect you, somehow? But if she knew you'd have magic anyway, that seems... really the wrong way to go about it.

[windsongs]

I don't know, maybe? I only found out it because it was in one of her journals. According to the person who handed it off to me, my mom was able to see the future. So maybe she saw something to do with me? I don't know.

[ Why else would she have given Hibiki that pretty little ring that seals her power? ]

[fallingsand]

[ There's a longer pause from Bruno's side of the conversation than one might expect on that note. He's grimacing and thankful she can't see it. Of course, her mother could see the future. Just great. ]

I'd think so, in that case. That kind of magic can be, uh. Weird, sometimes.