Welcome to The Duality of Man, an original animanga role-play that features numerous supernatural creatures. Unfortunately, these various species have distanced themselves because of the war that occurred thousands of years ago, plaguing some with eyes that only see their dualism. While others meddle themself with their differences, two groups fight, each attempting to eliminate the other in for their definition of worldly peace. These two groups of the Terror Response Syndicate (TRS) and the Assembly of Phantoms (AP). With individuals fighting merely over their differences, it brings uncertainty to the outcome of this war.
We happily accept all role-players as long as they obey the rules and are capable of meeting our word count of 50. This does include those who are unfamiliar with this style of role-playing. The staff of The Duality of Man are willing to happily help those who are new to the role-playing world so they feel comfortable on site. Feel free to message the staff if you need help, they can be found here or in the site Discord and will gladly answer questions alongside calm concerns. If you have any suggestions we would love to hear them; guests may use the support board as a suggestion area as well. Should you decide to join, may I say welcome to the site and we all hope you enjoy your time here.
Yours Truely,
The Staff
season
Summer 2024
Heat has broken through into a glorious summer. The snow has entirely dried through the spring, leaving to the brilliance of the warmer months. Terror activity has risen as people are brought out of their homes, leaving the TRS in a position of consistent work. Each are attempting to maintain victory in the endless struggle for power.
Since the wonderful members of TDOM enjoy the site enough to play around on it, this thread is to assist with the site's tidying! Functionality is important and we want to make the site functional even if its activity will be minimal at best!
Just beyond the small booth's curtain doors, the loud din of carnival-goers' steps and voices rumbled and echoed across the busy streets. Sinai didn't mind the noise that much; after all, it could only mean more potential customers. Though her curiosity shop and fortune-telling stall was by no means the carnival's most popular operation, even she observed the peaks and troughs in clientele throughout the day. During the busiest days she'd even keep the shop open late into the night. Given that sleep was a luxury rather than a necessity for her, she could spare a few nights a week to run the shop around the clock (off the record, of course). Last night had been the second such night in a row this week, so she wasn't feeling particularly energetic, even with the fresh cup of soup her supervisor had graciously brought her as a late breakfast. She hadn't bothered to wear her enchanted jacket which protected others from her famine; though they wouldn't admit it, the concession stands valued the extra traffic Sinai's customers would inevitably bring after walking past her booth. In fact, she had briefly considered spending her next break walking around the more crowded areas to see if she couldn't earn a small bonus to treat herself with once the week was out.
But her break wouldn't be for a couple hours.
In the meantime, all Sinai could do was rest her chin in her hand, her fingers lightly drumming the tacky wooden display counter where she would be spending most of her waking hours for the next few months. Maybe she could reorganize the merchandise? Her boredom was unbearable by this stage, as customer frequency was waning this time of day. She sauntered over to the shelves where baubles and trinkets stood with some semblance of organization. Her manager had warned her that keeping them too orderly made them look "clinical" or something to that effect, so she was urged to focus on aesthetic rather than any practical layout. How had it been described? Wizardy, that was it. The booth had dark transparent silks slung across the ceiling, through which diffused lights cast a dim glow throughout the space. Shelves lined every wall, populated with an eclectic collection of knick-knacks, charms, cards, scrolls, posters, murals, jewels, cups, wands, vials, and snacks. The display counter held a similar collection of curiosities, including more high-end items: a skull-shaped candle holder, incense sticks, dowsing rods, an ornate teapot, a jar labelled HERB, a second-edition printing of Nostradamus. Questions abound, surely.
As Sinai was stood on her toes arranging some Lucky Cats to be engaging in some form of boxing match, she heard the soft jingling of the curtains' golden ornaments, indicating the arrival of a new customer. Sinai looked over her shoulder towards the newcomer and spoke evenly, saying, "Welcome, to this humble house of wonders." As she spoke, she lowered herself to a natural standing height and fully turned to face the new guest, her hands in her jacket pockets. "Are you in need of an arcane artifact or cursèd curio," she gestured to the shelves, "or would you like to have your fortune told?"
I hope this makes sense, because my brain has moments where it stops working. ;-;
[attr="class","bgtk-lyric2"]her gift seems more of a curse that she bears.
[attr="class","bgtk-post"]
Instances existed where young children were forced to grow up or find jobs to earn extra money. Despite her sorrowful background, Neviah hastily discovered she was beyond an exception to these rules. The chunk change received from her parental guardians was a mere morsel in her purse. Alas, a mere 14-year-old would struggle to receive large amounts of payments without some type of job. A majority watered and mowed lawns, others assisted in laborious tasks and some delivered papers, but Neviah accomplished otherwise.
[break][break]
The Laine Family, once a family of notorious fortune tellers now destroyed down to the only remaining blood, a child. Fortunately, the blood which roamed her veins was a so-called gift to future curious civilians. As a warlock, Neviah could predict a probable future path with frightening accuracy, although, she usually dumbed down the tellings; her changed actions spoke volumes once, and she sacrificed a lot for her foolishness. Nonetheless, her magic granted her an interesting opportunity at the Spring Carnival as a fortune teller.
[break][break]
They wished to strategically place her on the opposite side of the carnival to somebody of similar occupation, and hence, Neviah found herself stationed at the booth they created. In the arrangements, she agreed to a small table with walled sides and a roof similar an umbrella. It was cheerier than expected, however, the insistence to add a table cloth with a galaxy pattern and a crystal ball were accepted to settle a magical atmosphere. Although, her attire of a white, flower patterned dress with a pink cardigan made her less mystical.
[break][break]
She attempted to balance it with the specially made pink staff and the tome held in her arm. Fortunately, her cute, friendly appearance attracted customers to her pleasant little stall. From readings to the creation of small charms, the magic Neviah possessed earned her some cash. Eventually, the person in charge of her work arrived with some information for the part-time 14-year-old employee. Her boss asked another job of her, which involved crossing the carnival to assist the other fortune teller for an hour.
[break][break]
Quietly, Neviah wandered through the walkways, remembering the mentioning of the other mystics booth across the carnival from her's. As she approached a dark tent, the pink-haired girl's eyes widened, the hand clutching her staff tightening slightly. The tiny booth provided to her was nothing compared to booth provided to the other mystery person. Slowly, she approached, slipping through the flaps, eyes searching around her. Shelves upon shelves were filled with artifacts and mystical keepsakes, whether genuine or not was difficult to discern.
[break][break]
Unlike the tiny, welcoming booth the part-timer accomplished her fortunes in, this one possessed plenty of purchasable items and a spookier vibe. A voice greeted her, Neviah jumping slightly as she clenched her tome and staff, only calming slightly when she saw the source.
[break][break]
"Um... Hello... I was sent over here to help you for an hour, if you need it of course," the young student spoke softly.
[break][break]
The only discernible feature of Neviah being carnival staff was the lob around her neck holding a small identification card. If one flipped her card, it would display her name, otherwise, it was kept hidden for the young girl's safety. There were questionable people lurking around every corner, therefore, they avoided openly showing her name. As she prepared for the woman's answer, Neviah kept her staff and tome close, creating a shy, somewhat closed-off body language.
Sinai looked the young girl up and down. This wasn't quite what she'd had in mind when she put in the request for extra help this week, but she'd take what she could get.
She eyed her new helper's staff and book; were those real? Sinai had seen her fair share of kids who pretended to be mages, and while it wasn't usually difficult to tell them apart from the ones who actually had a semblance of magical talent about them, those were few and far between, and weren't always keen to flaunt it. At the very least, they tended to be the more reasonable type of clientele she saw in the shop, even if they rarely bought anything. Equally tolerable were those with no inkling of magic, who were genuinely just curious about this strange shop in the middle of the carnival and stopped by to take a look. They'd search around, some might accept a palm reading or tea leaf divination (and might get excited about their first-timers "discount"), and every now and then one would pick up a small charm to give to their girlfriend or something. Slightly more difficult to deal with were the customers who actively practiced magic; about a quarter of them accepted the store for what it was and frequented it to peruse the scant portion of real enchanted or charmed items, which was fine and dandy. The rest, however, took offence to the idea of "posing" as a mystic shop, especially when it was possible for ordinary folks to accidentally pick up a charm, or cursèd curio, etcetera. Sinai had been forced to call security on rowdy gifted or fae on a couple of occasions, lest she forget the fire hazard the shop's decorative silks posed.
However, the risk to life and property presented by slighted magicians was nothing compared to the ingratiating pretentiousness of those who thought they understood anything magical at all. Sinai didn't pretend to be knowledgeable about most magical or religious philosophies outside of what was necessary to practice her divinations; this was not the case for much of her clientele. "New Age" spiritualists who just came to show off their skill in aura reading, or their acumen in identifying spiritually significant oils, or the depth of thought they'd put into the mysteries of worldliness or "oneness" or whatever they wanted to call it. Sinai shuddered to wonder which type this new girl would fall into. She seemed nice enough, but it was always difficult to be certain.
Well, we can worry about all that later, Sinai thought to herself, business first. Walking over to the girl, she put out her hand. "Sorry if I scared you. I'm Sinai, I run this little shop. Glad to have your help."
[attr="class","bgtk-lyric2"]her gift seems more of a curse that she bears.
[attr="class","bgtk-post"]
There was something... odd about the little shop Neviah was sent to assist with for an hour of the day. The trinkets inside were among what could be considered, stereotypical of witches. Skull-shaped decorative items, dowsing rods and jars filled with various herbs. Overall, the atmosphere provided the stereotypical vibe, the type of things expected of witches, but not always accurate. In complete honesty, Neviah was partially expecting to see shrunken heads or lizard tails inside the tent of silks...
[break][break]
The pink-haired young girl possessed mixed feelings about the scene unfolding before her eyes. Before their death, her parents told her about people who faked witchcraft or those who implemented stereotypes to create their "magic". Although, Neviah remained hushed about her opinions for the time being, however, she was still surprised. As somebody who possessed genuine magic and was a prodigy at that, she found it peculiar. Should she inform her coworker of her capabilities, or refuse to speak of those abilities?
[break][break]
The adolescent decided to remain hushed about her magical abilities. In response to the strange shop, Neviah brought her tome closer to her chest while her fingers remained wrapped around her staff. She inched further into the shop, escaping the opening, her eyes wondering a little bit. Then the mysterious shop owner approached, Neviah tensing as the woman approached.
[break][break]
"It's... okay," she responded meekly, attempting a smile. "Um... is there anywhere to put my stuff?"
[break][break]
The genuine tome she held and specialized staff was important to Neviah. They were among the few things she carried around with her from her parents. The tome being her father's, meanwhile, the staff a gift to assist with focusing her magic potential. Slowly, Neviah reached out to shake the woman's hand, a startled expression appearing as she realized she failed to introduce herself to Sinia.
[break][break]
"I'm Neviah Laine, by the way," she quickly added in a higher pitch.
[break][break]
The name carried some weight in Lorsette, however, identifying Neviah was difficult nonetheless. Fortunately, the surname Laine was common, making it difficult for anyone familiar with Lorsette's peoples. Her mother was an excellent TRS hunter meanwhile her father a great fortune-teller. Meanwhile her? A prodigy in magic, somewhat in combat, but more so in soothsaying.
Neviah. Sinai could have sworn she'd heard the name before, but then again, she'd heard about a lot of people during her work, and they were rarely of any consequence. She lifted the service counter's door and led Neviah into a small back area. "We've got a locker here for the employees, that's where I keep my stuff." She twisted the code into the combination lock and clicked it open. Inside was nothing more than a bulky jacket and a pair of leather boots. "Let me know if you need to get in there again."
As she waited for Neviah to put her things away, Sinai glanced towards the back loading entrance where they brought in their shipments. She chuckled slightly. "So, slight confession. I probably should've been more specific with my manager when I requested the extra aid, but the thing I need the help with is more of a, uh, manual labour thing. It shouldn't be too difficult, it's just safer as a two-man job, and I gotta follow protocol." She parted the back entrance curtain to reveal a large wooden crate about the size of a refrigerator. With a flourish, Sinai produced a small crowbar; carefully, she began removing the elastic cables holding the crate in place. She squeezed the crowbar in a gap on the front corner of the crate and pulled hard, until the entire face popped off with a loud crack. Inside the box, Neviah saw the wrinkled, scowling face of an old woman staring right at her.
...obviously not a real old lady, but realistic enough to cause a moment of panic nonetheless. The silicone-skinned 'woman' was garbed in an old-looking cowl and robes, and she sat in a wooden enclosure whose glass viewing portal was emblazoned with the legend OLD CRONE: The Prophetic Pythoness! In front of her was a small felt-lined table, with dyed spacers about the size of playing cards. It seemed to be an old-fashioned fortune-telling machine. "We apparently ordered this damn thing months ago, but the company shipping it had delays due to international import process regulations, or something to that effect, so we're way behind. Maybe it's cursed or something." She removed the last of the cables holding the box together and let its sides fall over, revealing the full unit in all its cheesy, vintage glory.
"I'd appreciate some help getting it set up, think you can handle it?"
[attr="class","bgtk-lyric2"]her gift seems more of a curse that she bears.
[attr="class","bgtk-post"]
Prayers were answered as Sinai did not comment on her name, Neviah Laine. Considering the circumstances, the pink-haired woman decided to keep her capabilities quiet. The amount of "magical items" were worrying and probably an atmosphere the shop supported. Quietly, Neviah followed, slipping behind the service counter door to continue. The witch remained behind the mysterious woman. Silence swallowed the young student as she followed, deciding to not make comments about the lack of genuine magic goods inside the shop.
[break][break]
They entered a small back area that Neviah presumed was considered the "staff only room". Inside the designated area was a locker, a combination hooked onto the storage piece. The pink-haired girl's eyes shifted to Sinai, listening to the woman's explanation. It was an employee locker. A location for staff to safely tuck away their items until their shift eventually ended and they could return home. The witch nodded in acknowledgement to the explanation as they approached the locker. When Sinai reached for the combination lock, Neviah glanced away out of politeness.
[break][break]
A soft creak of hinges opening prompted the pink-haired woman's eyes to return to the locker. There, she noticed Sinai's items; a large jacket accompanied by leather boots. She nodded when the brunette told her to inform her if she required access to the locker. Slowly, Neviah placed her staff and tome into the locker, assuring the items were stable where they sat. After the items were safely locked away, the pink-haired woman followed Sinai to a back entrance where a tall, wooden crate with rubber holding cables was stationed, listening to every word.
[break][break]
"I-I see," she responded meekly.
[break][break]
A crowbar was brought to the wooden crate, the movements fluent as Sinai accomplished the movements needed to open the crate. A loud crack echoed through the shipment area, Neviah jumping from being startled. The wooden front fell away, revealing a creepy old lady in a box. A startled 'EEP' escaped the pink-haired girl's lips as she stumbled back a few steps. Nerves eased as Neviah took deep breaths, realizing the woman belonged to those cheesy fortune-telling machines. She listened to Sinai's words as an explanation was provided and following question.
[break][break]
"Um... Why not hire a real fortune-teller? If I m-may ask," Neviah inquired.
[break][break]
Hesitantly, the young soothsayer approached the wooden crate, her eyes locked on the creepy old woman. The woman possessed a stereotypical fortune-telling table. There were spaces dyed a different colour, each approximately the size of a playing card. In Neviah's opinion, the machine was a giant stereotype of witches designed to attract attention... One thing was certain though, the machine would not be accurate about the fortunes it provided people, at least, in Neviah's opinion. These... things were merely created for the peculiar aesthetic and entertainment rather than genuine future predicting.
A real fortune-teller, she says. This was a clear attack on her honour as a seer! Sinai put a hand to her chest and scoffed.
"I'll have you know I do a fair bit of fortune-telling of my own around here. I think I've forged enough fates to earn that title."
In reality, she couldn't care less. Then again, she had to protect what little reputation she had in the industry. Not many people considered these old machines to be actually capable of any divination; Sinai's manager found the machine online and thought it would make for a dashing antique. It certainly had that eerie look peculiar to the mid-20th century. Sinai found it hard to look into the thing's eyes for too long, and shivered slightly.
"Besides, Old Crone's not... so bad. She doesn't need lunch breaks, at least."
As Sinai slapped the side of the machine, producing a hollow thwap, she caught a glimpse of Neviah's somewhat incredulous expression. She got the sense her new helper wasn't getting what she'd been expecting from this experience. ...What was she expecting from this experience? Yeah, she was hired help, she didn't have much choice, but that look on her face wasn't one of someone without expectations. All too late, Sinai realized Neviah was most likely the exact type of person she'd hoped she wouldn't be: someone who actually knew a damn thing about magic. Even expecting she might have had some magical ability, Sinai had hoped Neviah's relatively young age would've meant she was inexperienced enough not to know the difference! But it looked like Neviah was more mature than Sinai had given her credit for. Her shoulders drooped slightly as she immediately regretted what she said about being a fortune teller. She'd probably have to ask this kid to keep quiet about the shop just to save face.
Still, there was a job to do. With a sigh, Sinai wheeled out a small dolly from behind the crate and began positioning it beneath the unwieldy machine. She stepped on the back of the dolly and put all her weight onto the handle, clumsily tilting the machine up a few inches as she heaved it out of its crate. The machine leaned back until it was resting on Sinai's body, relatively steady. Sinai awkwardly turned her head to look over her shoulder at Neviah.
"Oof. Alright, this thing isn't too heavy, but it's pretty awkward to move around, so I'll need you to be my eyes. Could you make sure I have a clear path to where this old lady's going? A couple of the shelves near the front should have a big enough gap between them to fit her, shouldn't be hard to spot. I'll follow your lead."
[attr="class","neviah-lyric2"]her gift seems more of a curse that she bears.
[attr="class","neviah-post"]
Once surrounded by a realm of magic, Neviah struggled to comprehend the mystic of the mechanical old woman in the booth. Genuine fortune-tellers were capable of uncovering truths, at least, potential truths. Fortunes capable of revealed through the spoken cryptic words, for meddling with fate only summoned misfortune upon the meddlers. In her short years of experience, she learned the overarching concerns with meddling. Alas, the circumstance featured more of a liar's take on the mystifying ways of the fortune teller.
[break][break]
Without the ability, where was the truth to those vague statements? What should happen if somebody became suffocated by the weight of thoughts should their feigned prediction be horrid? While unable to directly influence fate's course, her fortunes could operate as warnings of caution without it being paranoia manifested from a lie. Her brows hung low as a soft, concerned frown graced her light pink lips. Never had Neviah received a proper introduction to these types of people. Those who profited off the mystical nature of fortune-telling.
[break][break]
Though the offence caused by Neviah's words caused the young, pink-haired girl to shy away from further confrontation. She knew naught this woman's species, meaning she had no place to speak out. Rather, she gave an awkward, faked grin with an uncomfortable laugh leaving her throat.
[break][break]
"I see... I was just curious, sorry," she responded, hesitance marking her words.
[break][break]
At the end of the day, Neviah was the hired help. With limited options provided to her, the most the young girl could accomplish was blindly obeying the orders of the older booth runner. The sound echoed from the smack given to the machine, entering the young girl's ears as she stared at the creepy, old machine. The fake skin around the woman's face accompanied by the stereotypical garbs of a fortune teller... The machine bore the mask of stereotypes with excellence, a mask Neviah held mixed feelings on but refused to vocalize out of concerns of causing offence once more.
[break][break]
"I guess," she responded to Sinai's complement of the "crone".
[break][break]
She watched the woman fetch the dolly, the lip being pushed under the machine's base. Anxiously, the pink-haired woman stepped back, eyes widening with concern and uncertainty. Though, her thoughts only eased when Sinai mentioned the machine not being overly heavy. She gave a quick nod to the woman.
[break][break]
"Alright... I will go take a look," the young fortune teller murmured.
[break][break]
The young, pink-haired woman turned back to the onslaught of shelves. Slowly, she stepped forward, navigating through a little before turning back.
[break][break]
"This side should be wide enough," she called back.
[break][break]
Moments later she scuttled forward, searching for the gap mentioned. Her pink eyes scanned over the front of the store until settling on the gap to the roughly estimated width of the machine. She glanced over at the dolly handling woman before pointing at the gap, waiting for her to catch up before further discussion.
[attr="class","header"] BEEP BEEP COMING THROUGH FELLAS
[attr="class","post"] "Mhmm." Orienting herself towards where Neviah called out from and using the sound of her footsteps as a guide, Sinai gradually pulled the unwieldy contraption into the booth and began the difficult task of navigating the remainder of the shop. While she had to occasionally stop to check her distance from any errant shelves or stoops which might impede her journey, with her assistant's help the bulk of the journey was a painless one. [break][break] As she did so, the kid's words rang in her mind, and she found herself oddly... irritated? Maybe it was because Neviah was obviously keeping quiet about how she really felt about this hokey magic shop. Why was that? Simple courtesy? Mature or no, not many kids her age had much of a poker face, and the uncertainty on her face was difficult to miss. She wanted to say something. So... why didn't she? That particular frustration sparked something in Sinai. She found herself suddenly overtaken with an age-old instinct, one she felt no desire to suppress at this moment. Bitter cold and starvation couldn't kill me for good, Sinai thought to herself, curiosity can't touch this cat. [break][break] And so, just as she reached the front counter, she suddenly stopped and set the dolly into its upright resting position with an audible clunk. She leaned onto the counter, put her chin in her hand, and stared intently at Neviah, her lips curled ever so slightly upward. [break][break] "Hey, kid? I'm not dumb. I can tell that this—" she made a vague gesture to the whole booth, "—isn't exactly doing it for you. I get it, really. If there's a problem, we should talk about it. So! In the interest of getting to know each other better..." [break][break] She stood up straight and levelled a piercing glare at her assistant. Thumb outstretched, she pointed over her shoulder to the side door leading to the Oracle Room. [break][break] "...How's about a fortune on the house?"
[attr="class","neviah-lyric2"]her gift seems more of a curse that she bears.
[attr="class","neviah-post"]
Seconds were being counted down to the long over-arching goal of escape from the peculiar "magic" shop. The pink-haired soothsayer comprehended the requirements of financial gain, however, under the guise of tricks and deceit, it left her hesitant. Endless curiosities entered her head, each panging with a subtle sense of concern the further her brilliant pink orbs drank in the sights. As a member of the Laine family, she knew the whims of Fate were cruel and merciless. As a soothsayer, she learned the desperation in naïve individuals searching for answers.
[break][break]
Thus, the young witch reveled in her concerns about the existence of a shop playing off the stereotypical concepts of magic work. In silence, she watched the boxed women get wheeled through the tiny shop and towards the unfilled space. The squeak of dolly wheels and clunking of the machine being shuffled into place filled Neviah's ears. Instinctually, her footsteps carried her back. The young fortune teller wanted to avoid disturbing Sinai or getting bumped into should she require the additional room to wheel her elderly treasure into place.
[break][break]
Eventually, the large machine was placed to satisfaction, leaving it a looming, old woman captured in a box. The soothsayer's eyes locked onto the old crone, discontentment exhibiting on her face bright as day. Never had the teenager been acquainted with somebody willingly using the old fortune-telling gimmicks. The façade of truth was hidden beneath the curiosity of endless stereotypes to the world of magic, specifically in connection to witches and warlocks. Her thoughts were broken the instant Sinai's words drifted into her ears.
[break][break]
The pink-haired witch stiffened at her words, her hands clasping together with fidgeting fingers. Slowly, her gaze shifted, eyes hesitant to gaze into the piercing glare provided by Sinai. As the question about a free fortune reached her ears, the young girl felt the trepidation in her heart. Should the lack of truth in her words be recognized, the genuine soothsayer wanted to avoid causing further strife.
[break][break]
"Um... I-I don't know," the young soothsayer murmured.
[break][break]
Rudeness was an avoided trait, however, Neviah struggled not to cling to her apprehension of the magical store. Underneath the woman's gaze, she discovered a thick coat of anxiety drifting over her shoulders. Masking her genuine beliefs and concerns over the running of a stereotypical magic shop had been near impossible, and Sinai called her out. The mysterious woman recognized her expression, and without hesitation, possessed the gull to mention it upfront. Confrontation was never something Neviah handled with grace, rather, she crumbled beneath its mighty hammer.
[break][break]
Beneath its crushing grip, there were questions. The most prominent being if Sinai realized her identity or possessed the vague notion of her species. The pink-haired girl's species and notable family name would be considered a trustworthy source to shatter the mystic and unveil reality via genuine magic. She associated with Fate, gazing upon the glimpses of the future provided in its moments of graciousness for skill.
[attr="class","header"] HE WHO KNOWS NO FEAR KNOWS NO COURAGE
[attr="class","post"] "It won't take long."
[break][break]
Sinai drew herself from the countertop, relaxing her posture and crossing her arms loosely in front of her. She casually stepped around from behind the counter. With a glance at Neviah, she cocked her head towards the Oracle Room and began approaching it.
[break][break]
"Maybe think of it as an icebreaker? Even if you're not here long, we are technically colleagues—"
[break][break]
One hand grasping the curtain adorning the Oracle Room's entrance, she pointed to Neviah's employee ID card around her neck.
[break][break]
"And I make a point of getting to know my colleagues."
[break][break]
With that, she parted the translucent violet curtain and entered.
[break][break]
Beyond lay an uncomfortably small room—a repurposed storage nook, in fact—furnished with gaudy blue wallpaper and a bright, warm-coloured lamp pointed upwards just below the ceiling, which let the light pour down from above and offer a dimmer, moodier glow by the time it reached head's height. Clear glass crystals linked along slender chains hung on the walls alongside classical occult and mytholgical imagery, and a lingering scent of tea permeated the air. An absolutely miniscule wooden table, perhaps an accent table or a particularly robust wooden stool, occupied much of the cramped room, flanked by a pair of equally svelte chairs.
[break][break]
What was once the large sliding door into this room had been compressed to a narrow, arched hallway, decorated with hanging accents of yet more crystals Sinai always had to remind herself to duck underneath while passing. The things I do for aesthetic.
[break][break]
"Mind your head," she called from halfway within.
[break][break]
By Sinai's reckoning, her helper was left with two options: resign herself to following Sinai inside and face whatever (undoubtedly cruel) social encounter she had planned, or endure the awkwardness of tacitly refusing and waiting outside, alone, maybe forever? Sinai wondered, vaguely, which Neviah would find more intolerable.
[attr="class","neviah-lyric2"]her gift seems more of a curse that she bears.
[attr="class","neviah-post"]
Apprehension coated Neviah, from her timid body language with fidgetting fingers to her facial expression. A low-volume, concerned sigh breached her lips. Together, her brows were knitted, his lips portraying a small, uncertain frown as she watched and listened to the woman. She wondered what her parents would think of this unrealistic demonstration of magic. After growing alongside the principles and meanings, she was entranced by genuine works of magical ability. However, never had she been greeted with the fakes of their incredible, mystical world.
Quelling the opinions inside her mind proved difficult as she observed Sinai from beyond the curtain. While she spoke of logs in familiarity and gaining connections between co-workers, Neviah struggled to conquer the nature of her work. Judgements were cruel but was standing idly by as somebody seemingly made a mockery of her genuine talents? The ID badge around her neck, as Sinai had pointed out, designated them as co-workers. Alas, her statements of it being short and them being coworkers failed to calm the anxiousness boiling inside.
Unfortunately, there appeared to be few choices with Sinai's... pushy... nature. A less audible sigh left her lips, Neviah's hand dropping in defeat. Options seemed nonexistent in her mind, thus, there was a single thing she could accomplish... follow Sinai and hope after this, their differences would be settled. Quietly, she pushed the curtain Sinai disappeared behind, her steps slow as she entered. The pink-haired woman's lips pressed together nervously as she moved in. A nervous 'oh' broke her lips as she took a seat.
"Are you sure about this? ... I'm not a big fan of... um... this kind of 'magic'," she mumbled as she followed.
Everything she learned from her parents consisted of a reality... Magic she kept cryptic for the sake of avoiding the cruel consequences but appreciated for everything it gave her. However, the magic prodigy was now the remaining piece of her family tree because of her decisions. Alas, while the truth of her magic caused problems, she believed the lies from a faked power were significantly more harmful. Unfortunately, she was forced to arrive at the cliche room, decorated with everything from crystals to other "witch" necessities without an escape...
Do not use drama to get attention in the chat. Nobody appreciates it.
2
No advertising, we have a perfectly fine board for that.
3
Please try and keep swearing to a minimum in the chat.
4
All chat usernames should be PG-13 and not break the ProBoards ToS or site rules.
5
A Chatango account is not required, but it is encouraged.
6
Please avoid spamming the chat; accidents are understandable.
7
You may use the in-character chat prior to acceptance.
8
Be respectful to anybody who enters the chat, including guest, fellow members and staff.
9
Guests may speak in chat at anytime to ask questions or get a taste of our community~!
resource sites
affiliates
credits
The skin is created by Wolf of Adoxography and Gangnam Style. The thread and conversation remodels are by Kagney. The Strange Reality board list, Heal My Soul info center, I Remember Now mini profile and Electric Requiem profile remodel is made by Pharoah Leap. The Who's That Member member list remodel was made by Tictactoe. The Cbox.ws Shoutbox remodel was made by Trinity Blair. All templates used for claims, information sheets, applications, etc are credited to their owners; credits for these can be found in the threads the templates are use on. Images that are used on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners, however, they have been edited by Zac with a few being edited by Chibi Magician. The plot, rules and various other information pieces for The Duality of Man are written by Chibi Magician with the assistence of her co-admins, Finnegan and Dremulf, alongside other unlisted people who were kind enough to give their input. The TRS, AP and face claim were all created by Fleur for specifically the use of TDOM. All plugins used on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners. The templates my members use are credited to their maker, if you find a template that belongs to you, but is uncredited, please speak to Chibi Magician or the member themself. Characters created on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners and should not be used elsewhere without the creator's permission.
Special thanks for the members of TDOM who make suggestions to help make this site better. Even though we can not accept all suggestions, we immensely appreciate it. Thus, we give credit to any additions that you thought of and were later implimented by the staff, because we are glad you give us these excellent ideas.
