{ a ripple effect } • DNP

[Micki.]

ghost • hunter

a partner form between jayus (hunter) and myself (ghost)!! please don't post c:

the story / characters are based in Arlind, a fantasy AU. feel free to read it for background on some of the setting if you wish, but ofc the story doesn't rely too heavily on anything specific to the AU!! <3

part of our story will be told through dreams, which will be identified by italics, so anything in italics is happening in a shared dream between the two kalons!!

[Micki.]

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Enok, "dedicated" • male • 23 years old • Rendin native

⤷full title: Lord Enok the Dedicated, of the Parstel family,
first of his name.





personality:
Enok prefers quiet, calm environments to the louder, fast-paced royal court where he grew up. In fact, nothing makes him happier than laying under a tree and taking a nap. He adores nature and absolutely loves being outside, frequently ducking into nearby woods to avoid social situations. He can be painfully shy, but he hates to be left alone as he's easily frightened. Enok is a skilled fighter and a rather large guy with an intimidating look about him, so people don't generally mess with him. However, he has little to no backbone and abhors violence and unkind words, making it easy to push him around. In general, he's very gentle and trusting, leading him to be taken advantage of sometimes. He relies a lot on his family to protect him from people that would use him, as he always believes that others have good intentions at heart.

Unlike most of his family, Enok has always been a bit reluctant to do much adventuring, preferring to laze about in the family garden with a book and one of his younger siblings. He also has a reputation for being the lazy Parstel, often sleeping until noon or later and moving about in a slow, easy manner that gives the impression of a carefree attitude. He is generally a quiet person, but will talk nonstop if you get him started on the right subject (plants, for example). Most of the people that Enok has grown up around are much different than him, so they tend to underestimate him and take his many skills for granted. As a result, he doesn't have many friends and can feel lonely and misunderstood at times. Enok is fiercely loyal and completely dedicated to his family and the friends that he does have however.

general background:
Enok was born into the Parstel family, one of the most influential noble families in all of Arlind.

The family itself wasn't born into nobility, but was rewarded with it when they fought with the current king to usurp the previous royal family. His father was King Elijah's best friend growing up, making their family the most prominent (and trusted) in Rendin's court. Enok is the fifth of eight of Robert Parstel's children (all eight being the king's godchildren) and the only one not to be involved in the royal military. He was born with only partial vision, but his father soon found a man that could tutor him in the art of fighting even with his limited sight. Enok soon emerged as a great fighter, despite being reluctant to engage in any manner of violence. It was expected he would join the ranks of the royal military when he came of age, just as his older siblings had done.

However, when the time came, Enok refused so much as consider it, believing it to be against the very core of his nature. Soon after, he journeyed away from his home in Rendin, desperate to find his own way in life. A peaceful way to exist without causing any harm to anyone or anything in the world. His departure took most by surprise because he had never shown interest in leaving home. That was nearly seven years ago and Enok has since made his home elsewhere, but he still remains close with his family and regularly visits.

stone background:
A large man raced after his toddler, who was headed straight towards a rocky shore. Enok plopped down right at the water's edge, sifting through the rocks with his stubby fingers until he found one that caught his eye. His eyes got wide and bright as he plucked the stone from the rest of the ground, just in time to be whisked away by his father.

As Enok got a bit older he started to tell his parents of the dreams he had at night, tales much more vivid than anything else he ever spoke of. His parents worried more and more as the time went on, only worsened by Enok's apparent preference to his dreams over the real world. They thought that his poor sight was the reason that he withdrew into these dreams, where he seemed to be able to experience things more deeply. Whatever the reason for his retreat, they kept insisting that Enok should spend more time with his brothers or tutors. They also found themselves reminding him that they were just dreams, but it seemed as though he just brushed those off. In fact, when he was younger he insisted that they weren't just dreams, that the other was real. As he got older he believed it more than ever, though he stopped voicing his opinion to save his parents the worry.
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[jayus]

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Entropy, "chaos" • nonbinary • 22 years old • Cai native

⤷professional problem causer.





personality:
entropy is an embodiment of the very concept they're named after. their current career is wreaking havoc in exchange for money. it's sort of a boiled-down version of an assassin, where they simply cause problem after problem for those who the buyer has asked them to inconvenience. they've developed a great deal of talent in the realm of sneakily pulling physical pranks or inconveniently timed slow walking. the rest of the time, they usually utilize the sort of magical tricks you can find laying about their home world. while they go at this job with great vigor and excitement, the rest of their life is not as exciting for them. they don't have a 'day job' like most professional mischief-causers might have (that's the belief they've picked), but they do like to weed gardens for people.
now, contacting entropy, getting their attention, and holding it is a strenuous endeavor. entropy is very easily distracted when it comes to conversations, and can only really focus when enok is practically holding it for them. they really do make an honest effort at it, but they simply have no ability to actually complete the task. honest efforts are the only thing they can promise when it isn't the actual application of their job. while many are frustrated by their ineptitude, they really are trying their best.
of course, they can't apply this energy into their whole life, and that is evident the instant the contents of their living quarters are revealed. instead of having a bed, they have a rented apartment, in which a tent is set up in the middle. they live from the tent, their whole life strewn about outside of it. the one thing they treasure above all though, is a simple rock they found as a child. [298/300]


backstory:
the simple rock that entropy cares about so deeply is one that was enchanted & then left aside to lure in unsuspecting rock-collectors, such as young entropy. they picked it up as a toddler, but its true potential was not revealed until they were five, when they started talking about the repercussions and how they had a friend in their dreams. while they absolutely adored Enok, their parents were concerned that their child had such a vivid imaginary friend. many interventions were attempted, but nobody was able to identify that the rock was concocting the dreams for entropy.
thus, the dreams continued on through entropy's whole life. they leaned on Enok through rough times, finding that his point of view was often more informed than theirs and that he could teach them skills they needed at different times in their life. while it was incredibly useful to them to have this relationship, it eventually dawned on them that they needed to stop talking about their dreams and where they were picking up what few skills they had. as the adults in their life tried harder and harder to quash them, they slowly wilted away externally, no longer trying to communicate the beautiful times they had in their dreams.
despite the turmoil surrounding entropy's nights, they managed to lead a relatively normal life. education wasn't a big thing in the region they lived in, and they prospered as a jack of all trades despite their fixation on their dreams, desperation to sleep, and the influence of the rock. their first job was tending to fields, especially berry fields. this job didn't last as long as one would hope--they absolutely loved to feast on the berries. their inability to conform to and perform in regular jobs lead to a dilemma as their parents weaned all their support away. it was a stretch of time where they juggled lots of jobs, trying to hold onto one just to keep themselves afloat. they eventually figured out that they could sell themselves as a trick basket, and find work impeding others. it's perfect, as the work doesn't require 'professionality'.
after a while though, their curiosity got the best of them. they had bonded quite closely with the man in their dreams, and shared a lot of their struggles with him. they leaned heavily upon him, but somehow the two never figured out that the other was actually real until they were both into adulthood. after that... they had to meet. [415/500]
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[Micki.]

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"Hello, again!" Enok shouted out as his companion appeared from behind a tree. He sat down and waited for the other child to come sit next to him on the forest floor. The air felt lovely today, not as hot and sticky as it had been lately, and Enok was glad for the change. Entropy sat cross-legged in front of the boy and the two of them chatted wildly, both keen to talk with their friend once more.

{ 10 years later }

Enok lay on his bed, already exhausted by the thought of his coming of age celebration. Tonight was his last night before he would be expected to be something he was not. He drifted off into an uneasy sleep, all too ready to talk over his worries with Entropy.

The next morning he set about packing his things, not knowing that another was doing the same at that exact moment. His parents had always insisted that the dreams were just dreams, but somehow he felt a connection with his dream companion. Last night had been the last push Enok needed to finally find out one way or another.

And so, two worlds away two very different people set off to find each other.

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[jayus]

Entropy blinked at their lifelong companion, sitting comfortably against a tree as the other ranted on about intricate customs and expectations way heavier than anything Entropy had ever had to deal with besides managing to survive. "You don't have to live like that though," they interrupted suddenly, rubbing gently at the small rock in their palm. "Just leave, that's what I did. I dunno where you would go--"
A sneeze in the realm of dreams was also in reality, their own body jolting Entropy awake to see the sun rising. No hope of going back now. They sighed, disappointed that they had been torn away from the night. As they started to peruse their morning routine, they decided they'd do their favorite pastime--searching their island for the place in their dreams. The two had been through many debates on whether or not the other was real, and the consensus was yes. Enok had followed that logic to conclude that the clearing they always met in was also real, and probably on one of the islands that Entropy's nation occupied. While it had taken a lengthy discussion to reach those conclusions due to the nature of Entropy's attention span, the two had also flirted with the idea of actually meeting in person. this became a distant dream as responsibilities began piling up on Enok and Entropy started having to fend for themselves.
"I took up and left, like you said. Dunno where I'm heading yet, though." Enok graced Entropy with a smile, the younger kalon clearly excited for their companion.
"Now you're gonna have to figure out how to hold yourself together," Entropy teased. "The roles have reversed! I am royalty, the royal jester. Still keeping my job. Can't take that away."
Enok shook his head, the fond grin still on his face.
Entropy was still going through the jungles a week later, navigating completely at random whims. Last night's communications had been a long lecture from Enok about how one shouldn't wander through uninhabited trees where they could be eaten. Did that impact Entropy's decisions? Not today.
When they finally reached their destination, they stared about the whole place in awe. Each detail was mentally noted, recorded, and dedicated to memory. they had already done that in their dreams of course, but it was incredibly new in the dimensions of reality.
now to wait.

[Micki.]

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Enok trekked through the thick forest, ducking under vines and stepping over tree roots.

It was truly a gorgeous island, but it was much too muggy and hot for his taste and the bugs came in swarms. He was nothing if not determined, however, and there was nothing that was going to stop him from finding the place in his dreams. As he got closer to the heart of the island, where he hoped to find the backdrop of his shared dreams, he couldn't help feeling a bit shy.

True he was alone in this jungle, the only person for miles, but there was a strange feeling in his stomach. Enok was afraid that he wouldn't find the place from his dreams. Or worse, that he wouldn't find his dream companion there, that his father's words would ring true and everything had just been a silly dream.

Enok finally made his way to a large clearing. His heart nearly skipped a beat when he realized that it was, indeed, the same as his dreams, but there was no one else there.

Then came Entropy's voice from behind, "Hello, again."

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