Deep bowls, dark souls. (Open)

[Avice Locke]

She came out of the hospital with a cheek full of stitches too her lip. Covered in blotchy gauze. Eating anything was already proving difficult but she would endure as she always had. They recommended soft foods and gave her a mouth wash for after every meal. The wound would heal even leave a scar. Though this was deep and Avice’s healing was fast but not regenerative. She healed like a normal person not having a regenerate power so instead of things going back to the way they should there left scars and memories of wounds past. She had been digging flecks of that black chain from her teeth the entire time and made sure they were collected and kept away from others. She had seen what weapons were made by these fools hands she didn’t want to think about what some might do with fresh resources. Maybe she could use the flecks for something herself in a similar manner.

That was another thought for a different time. She decided to go to get food. Soft foods... she couldn’t actually think about what foods were soft at first but seeing the signs she got a few ideas. Soup for instance, some Vietnamese Pho was something she thought looked vaguely familiar to what she saw on old world. They have ramen shops and that brought her back to her brief stop before landing on the port at territory 259.

She traveled from the Great lands(what this place currently calls Great Britain) and headed East, crossing many boundaries through the oriental lands. She knew there was once upon a time where the Greatlands were called the same as they are here but that was before the wars and before the apocalyptic catastrophes made their waves. It was a strange feeling, seeing this world a mirror of theirs and yet they were living that alternate reality.

She came and sat at a table. There was a different set up than the shops she had visited. It felt less familiar to her original experience. Slight drapings in an entrance of a single countertop with the cooks on the other side. No, this place had a handful of small tables and a couple of booths with open windows and plenty of ornate decorations on a partition shelf which behind it was a closed off kitchen. Avice was welcome and granted a seat at one of the small tables out in the open.

Oh did someone as battle tempered at her sit at a corner booth to brood and keep an eye on every exit? No not so... she was certain anyone about to try and assault her can give it their best shot. She knew there were those kinds out there her recent walks at night have proven that. She wasn’t so confident she could take them down or even see them coming. She just didn’t think being paranoid about it was necessary.

Compared to recently her demeanor is rather calm right now. Maybe it was because of the recent noise. She was going crazy waiting on the next fight to the point she actively went looking for one. She thinks she’ll enjoy a moment of quiet now as she ordered her food and waited.

[Rafflesia]

With each new day in her admittedly short time in Palisade City, Rafflesia found herself fascinated with everything from people to the cuisine of the locals. She had, of course, had all manner of means working in Chimera's labs, but there was almost a sterile feel to it that she knew well enough was lacking from food on the outside. But there were cooking styles here she hadn't seen out east when she was growing up or in school. Her eyes glinted over the menu greedily, urgently probing each description with intent. Her pale blue eyes set behind thin glasses glittered in the lamplight with each shift in her seat.

Remembering the words of her superiors when they put her on leave, she flipped the menu over and called for a server. Handing the lacquered paper with a nod. All was as quiet as a restaurant in a city this size could be. the occasional booth and table alike seated with any from one or two to whole parties. It was far from Rafflesia's preferred venue, but she couldn't be picky about what she ate. Her eyes darted back to the kitchen area, then to the entrance in time to witness someone coming about, she wouldn't have called the sensation ominous but it was clear that there was an air of sorts to this one, she was all too familiar with the types. But it made her smile, seeing someone who wasn't of the mundane. Taking the moment to relax, Rafflesia kept an eye on the new one, hoping she would sit nearby, perhaps she could make this meal far less disinteresting.

[Avice Locke]

Avice caught the sting in her eyes of a bright reflection. She raised a hand and noticed a pair of lit up spectacles angling a perfectly placed ray of sun to refract at Avice when the girl stared at her.

“Oi, watch where yar seeing, I’ll be needing a pair o’ those if ya keep gawkin’.” Her watered down Brit accent was due to her long visit on this continent. She rubbed the gauze on her cheek and snarled a fanged wince she hadn’t spoken up loud since her wound it stretched her aching stitches.

[Rafflesia]

Raff had to take a moment to hide her grin from the target of her gaze. The accent was the last thing she expected, but in an odd way made things all the more interesting. "Perhaps you are right, one moment.", she'd eventually nod and acquiesce, switching the reflective pair with an equally prescribed pair of sunglasses all the same. "I'd go without them, but I have a hard time telling right from left that way.", Raff couldn't help but laugh at herself some, knowing full well it was a bit of an exaggeration.  Her eyes turned some to the soft golden-brown fluid deposited before her, likely the tea she ordered before her meal. Taking a moment to run a finger of her left hand over the rim of the glass, her attention once more turned to the mysterious individual.

"You look like you've been in and out of the ICU all morning.", she contemplated the clear signs of damage and post operation bruising around the woman's maw. It instinctively made her lift a hand to where her arm would have been, only to realize and pull back quickly. "It's never a fun experience regardless of the injury, being the subject or the doctor.", she mused some thinking back to some of her days in the lab.

[Avice Locke]

“I went in and I came out. But when things come from tears in the land with hooks, chains, and mad spectators ya bound to get fished and reeled in like a guppy. Aye, it been an eventful day, most eventful than I’ve had since Landin’ on this Qi-dry world.” She crossed her arms and slouched in her seat clearly looked a little worn.

[Rafflesia]

"Interesting you describe the world like that. The 'Arcana' of biology that some of you have been calling Qi is what I was hired to study", Rafflesia grinned some at the notion. She knew it may have been a little more revealing than it should have, but it was well too late now. At the thought, however, she mentally salivated some, knowing it has been some time since she siphoned lifeforce off another being. "I don't have any myself, but there is a veritable black market of people selling off the mutated genetics of their children who supposedly do."

Raff's brow furrowed some at this thought, however. Had she not been part of the trade herself she would have been disgusted at the practice. "And tears you say? Like actual damage to the earth or more of a Spatial-Temporal distortion?", unable to satiate her curiosity, she couldn't help but ask with little trepidation.

[Avice Locke]

Avice furrowed hard at her mention of the black market and children she piques her interest at their field of study an stiffened. Then she finally chuckled a deep guttural noise that sounded like a seagull choking on glass. Avice did not have a pleasant voice to listen to but singing and laughing are where it becomes the most obvious.

“I’m an uneducated vagabond, most of those words are absolutely above me. What I mean was they be portals from one place to another. Aye?” She shrugged

[Rafflesia]

Nodding thoughtfully Raff's left hand once more rose to her bare right shoulder. "Curious curious occurrences. Perhaps the lab picked a good time to put me on leave." She tried to mask her contemplation with a smile and a soft laugh. Her pale eyes turned to the precipitation rolling down the side of her glass with each passing second. "It really is a sobering thought, thinking there are other realities out there, perhaps there is a version of me who got off good and still has both of these.", she continued softly, lifting her left arm and waving it some.

After a moment she would shake her head, "Apologies if I'm a tad grim. I haven't had a proper conversation in almost six years.", her brow dipped once more, her face turning to the table and focusing on the glistening wetness pooled beneath her glass.

[Avice Locke]

“Well maybe if yar studies prove fruitful you might learn to grow it back.” Avice grinned and rubbed similar scars on her face like the one dead center of her forehead and around her eyes. “I have dreams like I know what it’s like to lose limbs and even bein’ blind. I was born unable to see any color then I wake up one day and these...” she pointed to her purple snake like eyes. “Are not mine, I’ve given birth to a baby, and I see the whole spectrum of color. And yet I have my limbs and I have these eyes. These scars explain themselves in my dreams and vague familiarities. Someone once upon a time messed with our heads on a great scale I suspect. A terrifying power indeed.”

[Rafflesia]

Fingers lifting to her chin, Rafflesia considered the idea of growing it back, but otherwise resigned herself. "It's funny really, I've heard of quite a few absurd cases, some utterly ridiculous and others simply waking up one day with odd mutations." These were really the least interesting cases she had truly witnessed, but there were horrors that even she best forget. "I take it if the stuff I've seen comes from a 'dry' world, the results in one saturated must be beyond imagine." A smile slowly returning to her face as she spoke, mixed with the scent of her soon arriving dishes. "Oh, did you order anything?", she would then ask cocking her head some. "I got a little overeager and ordered a bit of everything.", Rafflesia's grin widened at this, motioning to the veritable cart being sent her way.

"My employers gave me more money for survival than I know what to do with.", a soft laugh following these words.

[Avice Locke]

“I did order, but my metabolism is high, been restricted to a soft food diet as well.” She decided to slide into a seat with her new acquaintance. “But yes our world is thick enough with Qi we have scars upon the land from it remembering the massive amounts of Qi pouring into it. Saturated the places until they are inhospitable, like radiation. Went to a museum and saw some atrocities of this worlds past from its technology. Our world rejects gunpowder and bullets in a way I’m sure it’s a conscience choice the wellspring of Qi created. Otherwise the fact of it makes no sense. In these Qi scars you see things, real and imaginary, continuation of time and moments frozen, and they can attack indiscriminately and personally.” Avice waved over her order which was just now making its way.

“The creatures become more intelligent and even the rocks and trees tell their stories with enough power saturation in certain areas.” She grabbed a bottle of soy sauce and brought it close but she made certain to taste her food before she began thinking about pouring it in. Which wasn’t necessary in this case the broth was well flavored.

[Rafflesia]

It all sounded quite impossibly frankly, Rafflesia's mind wracked over the notion. "So, albeit in a far more malicious way, it's basically the power of imagination or perhaps some sort of life?", she mused over this a moment, "In layman's terms at least." Taking her time with the veritable feast before her, all manner of ideas rattled through her mind. "After being subjected to a diet of sterile foods for years, this is almost heavenly.", Raff swooned over the meal before her, taking her time to savor every bit of it without being too messy.

"So, what happened to that old world exactly? I doubt one rife with an energy that literally creates kaijus would last forever.", her eyes narrowed behind well tinted lenses with this comment.

[Avice Locke]

“Some say it’s alive others say it’s just energy. You’ll have to talk with an Ayatlan scholar who can better explain it they are the real students of Qi.” Her question made Avice’s face go dark. “Someone is strong enough to siphon the planets worth and travel through the universe to the next place. That’s what happened to old world.”

[Rafflesia]

Unsure how clearly her true curiosity was masked, Rafflesia listened with intent. "Ayatlan?", she whispered a bit to herself. "That may explain some things, what I've seen is likely not the purest form then.", Her thoughts turning back to the genetic work she did years back as the mentioned as much. Were it not for her conversation partner's tone quickly darkening Raff had intended to mention more. Perhaps there was more to learn here in small doses, but clearly it must be a touchy subject. Rafflesia would slowly nod as she listened, keeping internal notes.

"Fascinating, normally something of the sort would pique my interests, but that sounds wholly devastating.", Raff's brow furrowed into a slight frown a moment. There must be something she hasn't been told yet, but she needed more perspectives as well. "Is such tied into your injuries? If there is at least one other world out there ready to push it's influence I doubt those with the capabilities to prevent as much intend to allow it.", hoping to lighten the mood some, Raff cocked her head to the side curiously.

[Avice Locke]

“If you meet spike, the boy can tell you more about Ayatlan...” she used chopsticks as she ate. Grabbing the food with practiced ease. If anyone can stop that monster, they have yet to do so. As far as I know, he makes demands then destroys and conquers when they are not met. Further who knows what he thought, maybe him was bored or maybe he realized he could be challenged and simply decided to clear out before we got the chance.”

“All worlds he goes have Qi, they simply must or him has no power like the rest of us. This world is not any different, the longer we stay the more Qi I feel raising from the dirt. We are already scarring the land as we step and fight. Which we must do as the other world are bleeding into this one.” She gently stabbed a bowl of white rice with her chopsticks pointing straight up. She was making a point.

“These people have a right and good reason to be afraid of us. I’ll still fight like a hell bat if they make up their minds to come for me. They nothing but stepping stones and I’ll get stronger until I face him.” Her spoon went after the broth of her meal.