order-of-the-pharos-universe

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

📁📁

📁 The order of the Pharos is split into subgroups, called 'Sets', since the Pharos usually bestows its powers to groups of people rather than individuals. Sets generally range from 3-12, though there have several been instances of sets of 2, and in one very rare occasion, a group as large as 14.

Aurelius was originally part of a military group that was active c.30BCE known as the Legion of the Pharos, which disappeared mysteriously during battle against Augustus's forces in 30BCE, only to reappear in 2015CE, shortly after the earth was invaded by the Altairians.

Aurelius lost his legs in an accident during their campaign to run the Altairans off Earth, and was in the process of being medically discharged from the legion when it became a part of the Order of the Pharos.

To fit the Legion in the organizational structure used by the Order, each tent group that shared a tent was considered a set. Since Aurelius was no longer part of the legion, he was assigned to the set known as the Ataxonimos Modulus, the unsorted remainder, led jointly by Aristotle and Ada Lovelace.

📁 The figurehead of the Order of the Pharos is Tycho Brahe, though currently his sister, Sophia Lange-Thott is the actual elected leader of the group. Tycho's Pharos's gift is the ability to accurately measure any distance to twelve significant figures. Despite his underpowered ability, Bleddyn Owen and Oswald Calloway are both mortally terrified of him. He maintains the respect of the other order members and cultivates fear in their enemies by what can only be described as the sheer audacity that comes with being a Danish noble for over four hundred years.

A common exploitive uttered around New Athens is 'Tycho's Nose!', referencing the brass prosthetic nose that Tycho wears since he lost his original one during a duel in his youth. It is rumored that Tycho also has a gold prosthetic nose. This is in fact true, though he only wears it on special occasions.

It is uncertain how 'Tycho's nose' became the the popular swear, and it's been popular for so long that those who were around when it became popular likely don't remember it. It certainly wasn't popularized by the man in question, since he isn't even aware of its existence and it goes without saying that this should never be said in the astronomer's presence. It is also very unlikely to have been popularized by those who are closest to Tycho, since even though they are aware of the popular oath, they are also aware that though Tycho would find it hilarious, his ego would inflate to the size of mainland Alaska and make him exponentially more insufferable; it has been concluded that this matter should never be brought to his attention.

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

Aurelius wasn't quite sure why he'd called out to the giant in Latin, and he was perhaps just as surprised as the Giant when the the other responded in kind.

He was just as startled when the giant started apologizing, though in the back of his head, he can't help but wonder at the Giant's odd grammer. Was it perhaps a product translating the Giant's own mother tongue into Latin? Eshe would probably know if she ever met the giant.

Aurelius slowly reached out to accept the notebook back, trying his best not to startle the giant. He set it in his lap, then just as slowly held his hands out, palms toward the giant to show that they're empty.

Not that Aurelius isn't dangerous unarmed, with the Earthsong reverberating in his chest, always a breath away and waiting to escape between his tongue and teeth if needed as a last resort.

"Peace, friend," he said gently. "Your apology is accepted. There is no harm done, and I don't hold your curiosity against you. I had forgotten it as I left in a rush. I appreciate you taking care of it while I was away."

He paused, dropping his hands back into his lap, and then rubbed at one of the coral growths on his right wrist with his left hand in thought. "My name Aurelius. It is nice to meet you."

The giant seems friendly enough, anyway.

@order-of-the-pharos-universe / continued

"Hello...!" the giant subconsciously half-gasped in greeting too quickly in return, also in Latin. He'd never met a human being with such a contraption as a mobility aide before, not one with wheels. "I have found your —?"

He fell silent mid-sentence as he realized both what he was saying and what had been said to him, the truth of the situation slowly sinking in like soil saturating from rainfall; and suddenly he became wide-eyed and awfully apologetic in the same manner as a human might after accidentally stepping on a dog's paw.

"Oh...! Forgive me — I... was not knowing that this is... belonging... to you. Yours," he gibbered. He held out the notebook to him, wrongside-up, and bowed his head low, a curtain of deep brown hair now covering most of his downturned face. "Please, be forgiving of me — for I was... I was only.... being curious of what it is being; such... is being all."

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

Aurelius raised an eyebrow, then glanced at the nearby flock of birds. "I hadn't thought about it that way," he admitted. Though, watching the birds, he could kind of see what the robot meant. "I will certainly be paying more attention to them."

Aurelius paused, head tilted in curiosity. "Have you gleaned any insight into what they might be saying from your observations?"

Aurelius shrugged. If he lost the map he made, he could always redraw it, and it would be easier the second time as the landscape would be more familiar. That point isn't worth arguing, however.

He paused again and listened to the earthsong for his team. It took him a minute to locate them and place them on the map. He could also pick out what he assumed was the androids motif from it's proximity to his, and if he listened carefully, he could pick out several other similar motifs elsewhere on the island.

As always it was tempting to hum along to it, though he bit his bottom lip to prevent himself from doing so. Humming along in harmony or dissonance with it always had consequences, and he wasn't familiar enough with the landscape to assure those consequences wouldn't be catastrophic.

"Huh," Aurelius said, turning back to the android. "What is it you find interesting about them?" he asked. "--The starlings and crows and in general," he clarified.

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

Ingvar gets caught snooping in Aurelius' things. [from the nonverbal prompts meme]

It was only a few hours later that Aurelius realized his notebook was missing, when he and Aristotle had finished one task. and were about to walk across town to check on something else. He reached into his bag for his sketchbook to show Aristotle the map he'd made... only to realize it was gone.

Odd. He had it not too long ago. He'd drawn a map of the park Aristotle had left him at to help him calm down from a panic attack...

...Right, then he'd gotten distracted by the strange bright orange mushroom, and... and then Aristotle had been back and they'd needed to rush because some of the Vulture Indistries goons were tailing Draha...

So he and Aristotle split again, so he could go find his notebook and Aristotle could continue with why they were in town, anyway.

It wasn't difficult to find his notebook. Aurelius knew where he left it, and he was familiar with it's motif in the Earthsong, enough that he could recognize it even as faint as it was and through the background of everything else. From what he could hear, it hadn't been moved, though there was... something else in the song that hadn't been there while he was at the park.

Still, he'd been focusing on the Earthsong, not really looking where he was going, until he'd gotten perhaps thirty yards from the notebook.

He halted, panting lightly from the exertion of trying to push his wheelchair along the muddy path, his hands dropping to his sides at the sight of the... The only word he had for it was Colossus, though those, he a assumed, had turned out to have the same origin story as the Olympians. Still, he stared at the strange being who squinting at Aurelius's notebook, which, though was normal sized for a human, looked tiny in the giant's hands.

He frowned. He was fairly certain the Colossus he'd heard stories of were hostile, and though Aurelius still carried around a knife, it certainly wouldn't do much against a giant, and he was at a severe disadvantage where leverage was concerned, considering he was bound to his wheelchair.

Of course, there was always the Earthsong, but Aurelius wasn't familiar enough with the landscape here to not accidentally cause some sort of natural disaster.

Cato or Fulvius might have attacked first regardless of disadvantage and asked questions later, but Aurelius had always been more suited for diplomacy than war.

"Er, hello, I see you've found my notebook," he said, defaulting to his mother tongue of Latin, despite having spent the majority of his day speaking with Aristotle in Greek, and the rest of his Set in English.

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

Aurelius shrugged. If he lost the map he made, he could always redraw it, and it would be easier the second time as the landscape would be more familiar. That point isn't worth arguing, however.

He paused again and listened to the earthsong for his team. It took him a minute to locate them and place them on the map. He could also pick out what he assumed was the androids motif from it's proximity to his, and if he listened carefully, he could pick out several other similar motifs elsewhere on the island.

As always it was tempting to hum along to it, though he bit his bottom lip to prevent himself from doing so. Humming along in harmony or dissonance with it always had consequences, and he wasn't familiar enough with the landscape to assure those consequences wouldn't be catastrophic.

"Huh," Aurelius said, turning back to the android. "What is it you find interesting about them?" he asked. "--The starlings and crows and in general," he clarified.

"Perhaps," Aurelius acquiesced. "But it would take longer to memorize it and become familiar with what everything represents. And what would I do if I lost it? This method works for me, but thank you for the offer."

He smiled awkwardly. "I see. This is a pleasant spot to relax. The scenery is beautiful." He raised an eyebrow. "Birds?" Piri also enjoyed watching birds, but Aurelius had never particularly understood the appeal. Perhaps he should pay more attention to them. "I'm not familiar with the species around here. Are there any you find particularly interesting?" he asked.

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

 📐 + Red One (180cm)

Of course, this would have been before Aurelius lost his legs (both amputated above the knee after he got caught in an explosion)... He now uses a wheelchair to get around, but I didn't see that as an option unfortunately.

And yeah, he's got a bit of fat on him, almost always has, except for when the centurion he used to be under starved him for several years.

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

"Perhaps," Aurelius acquiesced. "But it would take longer to memorize it and become familiar with what everything represents. And what would I do if I lost it? This method works for me, but thank you for the offer."

He smiled awkwardly. "I see. This is a pleasant spot to relax. The scenery is beautiful." He raised an eyebrow. "Birds?" Piri also enjoyed watching birds, but Aurelius had never particularly understood the appeal. Perhaps he should pay more attention to them. "I'm not familiar with the species around here. Are there any you find particularly interesting?" he asked.

Aurelius nodded in confirmation. "Yes, that is Bayfloat. Drawing maps helps me better understand the land, and where I am in relation to everything else. Thank you, though. I appreciate the compliment."

Although, 'eye' wasn't necessarily how Aurelius would describe it. 'Ear' would be more accurate, considering what he was doing was listening to the Earthsong--the near silent vibrations of the land, interpreting the distance and material and shape from what he heard, and then converting it into a map that others could understand.

Anything beneath the surface of the ocean was more difficult, as water warped the Earthsong as it traveled through them in ways that he was still struggling to learn to interpret.

"What about you?" Aurelius asks. "Are you... just here to enjoy the scenery, or?"

Could a machine 'enjoy the scenery? Aurelius had no idea.

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

Aurelius nodded in confirmation. "Yes, that is Bayfloat. Drawing maps helps me better understand the land, and where I am in relation to everything else. Thank you, though. I appreciate the compliment."

Although, 'eye' wasn't necessarily how Aurelius would describe it. 'Ear' would be more accurate, considering what he was doing was listening to the Earthsong--the near silent vibrations of the land, interpreting the distance and material and shape from what he heard, and then converting it into a map that others could understand.

Anything beneath the surface of the ocean was more difficult, as water warped the Earthsong as it traveled through them in ways that he was still struggling to learn to interpret.

"What about you?" Aurelius asks. "Are you... just here to enjoy the scenery, or?"

Could a machine 'enjoy the scenery? Aurelius had no idea.

The calcium carbonate growths were certainly not normal for humans. Rather, they were the result of a symbiotic relationship between Aurelius and an alien species commonly referred to as cosmic coral. If Red One were to look more closely, they might notice tiny holes, and something that appeared to have a very faint bio luminescence hiding inside the rock-like structure.

Aurelius hesitated and glanced back down at his sketchbook. At the moment, there was nothing odd about the map, aside from a level of accuracy that a human should not be able to achieve alone, let alone unaided by any tools. It was just a map of the island and the barrier islands not far offshore, and a nearby reef, though currently, Aurelius had only drawn the details for Bayfloat and the nearest shoreline. He'd yet to fill in the rest of the island aside from the coastlines.

...Aurelius doesn't see anything terribly dangerous about showing it to the android.

"It's a map," he finally responded, turning the sketchbook around for the android to see.

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

Headcanons for : Aurelius

Physical traits :

feminine ⦾⦾⦾●⦾ masculine

scrawny ⦾⦾⦾●⦾ bulky

short ⦾⦾●⦾⦾ tall

weak ⦾⦾⦾●⦾ strong

clumsy ⦾⦾●⦾⦾ agile

slow ⦾●⦾⦾⦾ fast

Personality traits :

lawful ●⦾⦾⦾⦾ chaotic

good ⦾●⦾⦾⦾ evil

feminine ⦾⦾⦾●⦾ masculine

chaste ●⦾⦾⦾⦾ lustful

heterosexual ⦾⦾●⦾⦾ homosexual

romantic ⦾⦾⦾●⦾ aromantic

oblivious ⦾⦾⦾●⦾ perceptive

ignorant ⦾●⦾⦾⦾ knowledgeable

pious ⦾⦾●⦾⦾ worldly

forgiving ⦾●⦾⦾⦾ vengeful

honest ●⦾⦾⦾⦾ deceitful

generous ⦾●⦾⦾⦾ selfish

just ⦾●⦾⦾⦾ arbitrary

temperate ●⦾⦾⦾⦾ indulgent

merciful ●⦾⦾⦾⦾ cruel

introverted ●⦾⦾⦾⦾ extroverted

kind ⦾●⦾⦾⦾⦾ stern

modest ●⦾⦾⦾⦾ proud

pushover ⦾⦾⦾●⦾ stubborn

coward ⦾⦾⦾●⦾ valorous

prudent ⦾●⦾⦾⦾ reckless

opportunistic ⦾⦾⦾⦾● loyal

optimistic ⦾⦾●⦾⦾ pessimistic

(Find Ed, Clarke, Pax, and Flynn here)

Tagging: YOU! Do it!

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

"You are in no condition to return to the battlefield, soldier," Fulvius said firmly. "And you are in no condition to fight. If you did, you would be nothing but a liability to your allies."

For a minute, Aurelius wished that Aristotle was there, over two thousand years of lived experience, and four hundred dealing with Brahe's bullshit had honed a tongue so sharp very few dared contradict him.

"At least, let us get you to a medic so they can patch you up, okay?" Aurelius asked.

"...It hurts." Frost managed to say, though he doubted anyone could see him. It had been months since he'd been captured by Derint's forces, his right eye and left arm replaced with ones that could be controlled by his captors. He looked exhausted, unable to sleep with how he was chained to the wall.

《 from this prompt to Aurelius bc I miss him 》

"That's okay," Aurelius whispered. "We're here. This is my friend, Centurion Fulvius. We'll get you somewhere safe, somewhere you can rest and recover. "

Aurelius himself was in no shape to carry another person, but that was why Fulvius was with him. Aurelius had only met Frost once before, but had great respect for the other. When he'd heard of Frost's capture, he'd tried to convince the order to send out a rescue mission. Aristotle had shot that idea down, as they were in a slightly fragile position with Bleddyn's people closing in on the Order. Aristotle, of course, couldn't order Aurelius not to, and Fulvius insisted on going along. Legatus Cato didn't dare attempt to stop him.

Aurelius paused and tilted his head, as though listening to something. The Earthsong. He could hear someone approaching through the maze of hallways. Aurelius hummed, the sound coming from deep in his chest, at first resonating with the Earthsong of the hallway, but then diverging sharply. Somewhere through the hallway, there was a loud rumble as part of it collapsed.

"We must go, now," he said to both. Fulvius nodded. "Hold still," Fulvius said, He spoke calmly, but with the voice of authority of someone used to commanding others. The centurion gripped the chains binding Frost, and they crumbled to dust in his hands. Aurelius caught the larger pieces, careful that they wouldn't clatter to the ground and alert anyone nearby.

Once Frost was free, Fulvius scooped up the injured general. "Alright, let's go."

Aurelius shoved off down the hallway, listening to the earthsong for anyone who might try to stop them or call for reinforcements. He had his sword, and would fight if absolutely needed, but... in most cases, forging a new path to evade the enemies around them would be quicker and safer in their situation.

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

The calcium carbonate growths were certainly not normal for humans. Rather, they were the result of a symbiotic relationship between Aurelius and an alien species commonly referred to as cosmic coral. If Red One were to look more closely, they might notice tiny holes, and something that appeared to have a very faint bio luminescence hiding inside the rock-like structure.

Aurelius hesitated and glanced back down at his sketchbook. At the moment, there was nothing odd about the map, aside from a level of accuracy that a human should not be able to achieve alone, let alone unaided by any tools. It was just a map of the island and the barrier islands not far offshore, and a nearby reef, though currently, Aurelius had only drawn the details for Bayfloat and the nearest shoreline. He'd yet to fill in the rest of the island aside from the coastlines.

...Aurelius doesn't see anything terribly dangerous about showing it to the android.

"It's a map," he finally responded, turning the sketchbook around for the android to see.

Despite having been abducted by aliens and been on a space ship with various electric powered machines, and having teamed up with Justino--Robodude, as he went by within the Order--who's gift was the ability to build robots with the ability to perform any task imaginable, machines were still a curiosity to the Roman. As was most of the modern world. He hadn't the benefit of lived through two thousand years of human progress to understand it all like Aristotle or Hypatia had. Instead, he'd been yanked from his world into a literally alien one. During the five years that he and the legion perceived to have passed while they attempted to return home, Earth had progressed over two thousand, and the world Aurelius was familiar with was lost to time.

Aurelius looked up in curiosity at the android. They'd seen humanoid robots in one of the shows Constantine had insisted that he watch, but none of Robodude's creations had been like that, nor had any of the machines on the spaceship. He hadn't been aware that such a machine was physically possible outside of fiction.

Internally, his curiosity was even more piqued when the android sat down next to him. Was it commanded to do so by an unseen entity, or acting on it's own? Was it doing so simply because Aurelius stood out from the locals, or did it know about the others scattered across the island? Was it...conducting reconnaissance on the Order's reconnaissance team?

Externally, Aurelius's face remained neutral. He resisted the urge to rub at the calcium carbonate structure growing on his wrist. He'd been trained since he was very young to be a politician, and so had an excellent 'poker face', as it was now called. So much is still new to him, but he'd learned to take it all in stride. He nodded to the android, then turned back to his map while he attempted to gather his thoughts. He wasn't concerned about the android attacking him. He'd hear it if it moved, both physically, and through the Earthsong, and he hasn't done anything to provoke it.

He focused on the Earthsong, listening for the motifs of the other five in his set. From it, he could place them all on his map, though currently he refrained from marking their locations. Ada was to the south of him in Bayfloat; Aristotle and Draha were in Basalt, and Piri and Mary were in Brine. Instead, he focused on drawing detail of the coastline just ahead of him, and more of the offshore geographic features.

He turned back to the mechanical conundrum next to him. "Hello," he greeted, keeping his tone friendly, but waiting to see how the android would react before saying anything else, For now and until he figured out the android's motive, he would remain friendly, though he had no intention of giving away why he or his team were in the area.

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

Fulvius glanced at Aurelius, and Aurelius swore he could hear the centurion's thoughts. ...Can take care of himself after being literally tortured... where had they heard that one before? Right. With their bullheaded Legatus, Cato, when they escaped the Altairians, and then again with Aurelius when he insisted on pretending he was perfectly fine after a year of half rations and Centurion Aelius beating him to a near pulp every day, and then again when he had his legs exploded in an accident.

That didn't work, not in the condition Aurelius had been in, and certainly not in the condition Frost was in.

Cinna and Ibn Sina could fight over who got to be his doctor. As for where Frost could stay... The Ataxonimos Modulus took in anyone new to the order that didn't have a set of their own. Aristotle might grump about Aurelius ignoring him, but Aurelius would deal with it. Assuming Fulvius didn't offer Frost to stay with him.

"Don't even worry about it," Aurelius said with a kind smile. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"Maybe you can take care of yourself, but... that doesn't mean you should have to, especially in your condition. And it'll take longer if you have to expend energy on feeding yourself and doing everything else to keep yourself alive. We can get you to a doctor, have you patched up, and you can stay with us... until you recover, or permanently, if you decide you would like that."

"...It hurts." Frost managed to say, though he doubted anyone could see him. It had been months since he'd been captured by Derint's forces, his right eye and left arm replaced with ones that could be controlled by his captors. He looked exhausted, unable to sleep with how he was chained to the wall.

《 from this prompt to Aurelius bc I miss him 》

"That's okay," Aurelius whispered. "We're here. This is my friend, Centurion Fulvius. We'll get you somewhere safe, somewhere you can rest and recover. "

Aurelius himself was in no shape to carry another person, but that was why Fulvius was with him. Aurelius had only met Frost once before, but had great respect for the other. When he'd heard of Frost's capture, he'd tried to convince the order to send out a rescue mission. Aristotle had shot that idea down, as they were in a slightly fragile position with Bleddyn's people closing in on the Order. Aristotle, of course, couldn't order Aurelius not to, and Fulvius insisted on going along. Legatus Cato didn't dare attempt to stop him.

Aurelius paused and tilted his head, as though listening to something. The Earthsong. He could hear someone approaching through the maze of hallways. Aurelius hummed, the sound coming from deep in his chest, at first resonating with the Earthsong of the hallway, but then diverging sharply. Somewhere through the hallway, there was a loud rumble as part of it collapsed.

"We must go, now," he said to both. Fulvius nodded. "Hold still," Fulvius said, He spoke calmly, but with the voice of authority of someone used to commanding others. The centurion gripped the chains binding Frost, and they crumbled to dust in his hands. Aurelius caught the larger pieces, careful that they wouldn't clatter to the ground and alert anyone nearby.

Once Frost was free, Fulvius scooped up the injured general. "Alright, let's go."

Aurelius shoved off down the hallway, listening to the earthsong for anyone who might try to stop them or call for reinforcements. He had his sword, and would fight if absolutely needed, but... in most cases, forging a new path to evade the enemies around them would be quicker and safer in their situation.

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

It occurred to Aurelius as Frost's grief washed over him just how young he was. He didn't know for certain, but... just shy of enlistment age, if he had to guess. The same age as Constantine and their friends had been, when they first met in El Paso. According to the Order and most of the modern world governments, Frost wasn't at the age of majority yet.

"Where-" It took everything for Aurelius to keep his voice steady as he spoke. "Where is home, Frost?"

"Would you be safe, if we could get you home?" Fulvius asked. "Do you have someone who could take care of you while you recover?"

"...It hurts." Frost managed to say, though he doubted anyone could see him. It had been months since he'd been captured by Derint's forces, his right eye and left arm replaced with ones that could be controlled by his captors. He looked exhausted, unable to sleep with how he was chained to the wall.

《 from this prompt to Aurelius bc I miss him 》

"That's okay," Aurelius whispered. "We're here. This is my friend, Centurion Fulvius. We'll get you somewhere safe, somewhere you can rest and recover. "

Aurelius himself was in no shape to carry another person, but that was why Fulvius was with him. Aurelius had only met Frost once before, but had great respect for the other. When he'd heard of Frost's capture, he'd tried to convince the order to send out a rescue mission. Aristotle had shot that idea down, as they were in a slightly fragile position with Bleddyn's people closing in on the Order. Aristotle, of course, couldn't order Aurelius not to, and Fulvius insisted on going along. Legatus Cato didn't dare attempt to stop him.

Aurelius paused and tilted his head, as though listening to something. The Earthsong. He could hear someone approaching through the maze of hallways. Aurelius hummed, the sound coming from deep in his chest, at first resonating with the Earthsong of the hallway, but then diverging sharply. Somewhere through the hallway, there was a loud rumble as part of it collapsed.

"We must go, now," he said to both. Fulvius nodded. "Hold still," Fulvius said, He spoke calmly, but with the voice of authority of someone used to commanding others. The centurion gripped the chains binding Frost, and they crumbled to dust in his hands. Aurelius caught the larger pieces, careful that they wouldn't clatter to the ground and alert anyone nearby.

Once Frost was free, Fulvius scooped up the injured general. "Alright, let's go."

Aurelius shoved off down the hallway, listening to the earthsong for anyone who might try to stop them or call for reinforcements. He had his sword, and would fight if absolutely needed, but... in most cases, forging a new path to evade the enemies around them would be quicker and safer in their situation.

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

"Frost, hey, hey, we're not going to hurt you," he said, still leading Fulvius as quickly as he could toward the exit and back to their ship. "Do you remember me? My name is Lucius Aurelius Cotta. I'm a friend."

Aurelius paused, listening to the Earthsong, then hummed a different tone. The wall to their left cracked, and then a fissure appeared, large enough for the three of them to squeeze into. Aurelius continued to hum, and the tunnel continued to form ahead of him.

A few dozen paces in, the wall closed up behind them. Finally, Aurelius stopped. The tunnel was entirely dark, except for the faint glow coming from the coral-like growths on both Aurelius and Fulvius's wrists and shoulders. The two Romans exchanged a glance. Depending on how much Frost was paying attention to them, he might catch on that some sort of non-verbal communication was going on between them. Fulvius nodded.

Very, very slowly, Aurelius broke off the end of one of the coral structures on his wrist with a single polyp.

"Frost, I want you to hold this for me, okay? It won't bind to you, only the Pharos has the ability to decide who they bind to, but... it will help you, just a little, okay?"

"If you are okay with it, I'm going to lend you fortitude," Fulvius attempted to explain "It will... transmit my emotions to you, without overtaking your own. The link will be very weak, but it should help."

The coral would allow a very weak two-way link between Frost, Aurelius, and Fulvius, through which emotions could be transmitted by any of them. Aurelius knew how to do it, but Fulvius was better it, used to using the link to keep his century calm when they found themselves in unfavorable conditions.

If Frost accepted, he would feel a slight sense of calm radiating from the coral, though it would not directly affect his own emotional state. If he focused with the intent to, however, he could potentially transmit his own emotions through it either to Aurelius, Fulvius, or both. He wouldn't be able to sense or transmit to anyone else bonded to the Pharos coral, as the link is too weak, and he is too far away from anyone else.

"...It hurts." Frost managed to say, though he doubted anyone could see him. It had been months since he'd been captured by Derint's forces, his right eye and left arm replaced with ones that could be controlled by his captors. He looked exhausted, unable to sleep with how he was chained to the wall.

《 from this prompt to Aurelius bc I miss him 》

"That's okay," Aurelius whispered. "We're here. This is my friend, Centurion Fulvius. We'll get you somewhere safe, somewhere you can rest and recover. "

Aurelius himself was in no shape to carry another person, but that was why Fulvius was with him. Aurelius had only met Frost once before, but had great respect for the other. When he'd heard of Frost's capture, he'd tried to convince the order to send out a rescue mission. Aristotle had shot that idea down, as they were in a slightly fragile position with Bleddyn's people closing in on the Order. Aristotle, of course, couldn't order Aurelius not to, and Fulvius insisted on going along. Legatus Cato didn't dare attempt to stop him.

Aurelius paused and tilted his head, as though listening to something. The Earthsong. He could hear someone approaching through the maze of hallways. Aurelius hummed, the sound coming from deep in his chest, at first resonating with the Earthsong of the hallway, but then diverging sharply. Somewhere through the hallway, there was a loud rumble as part of it collapsed.

"We must go, now," he said to both. Fulvius nodded. "Hold still," Fulvius said, He spoke calmly, but with the voice of authority of someone used to commanding others. The centurion gripped the chains binding Frost, and they crumbled to dust in his hands. Aurelius caught the larger pieces, careful that they wouldn't clatter to the ground and alert anyone nearby.

Once Frost was free, Fulvius scooped up the injured general. "Alright, let's go."

Aurelius shoved off down the hallway, listening to the earthsong for anyone who might try to stop them or call for reinforcements. He had his sword, and would fight if absolutely needed, but... in most cases, forging a new path to evade the enemies around them would be quicker and safer in their situation.

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

"...It hurts." Frost managed to say, though he doubted anyone could see him. It had been months since he'd been captured by Derint's forces, his right eye and left arm replaced with ones that could be controlled by his captors. He looked exhausted, unable to sleep with how he was chained to the wall.

《 from this prompt to Aurelius bc I miss him 》

"That's okay," Aurelius whispered. "We're here. This is my friend, Centurion Fulvius. We'll get you somewhere safe, somewhere you can rest and recover. "

Aurelius himself was in no shape to carry another person, but that was why Fulvius was with him. Aurelius had only met Frost once before, but had great respect for the other. When he'd heard of Frost's capture, he'd tried to convince the order to send out a rescue mission. Aristotle had shot that idea down, as they were in a slightly fragile position with Bleddyn's people closing in on the Order. Aristotle, of course, couldn't order Aurelius not to, and Fulvius insisted on going along. Legatus Cato didn't dare attempt to stop him.

Aurelius paused and tilted his head, as though listening to something. The Earthsong. He could hear someone approaching through the maze of hallways. Aurelius hummed, the sound coming from deep in his chest, at first resonating with the Earthsong of the hallway, but then diverging sharply. Somewhere through the hallway, there was a loud rumble as part of it collapsed.

"We must go, now," he said to both. Fulvius nodded. "Hold still," Fulvius said, He spoke calmly, but with the voice of authority of someone used to commanding others. The centurion gripped the chains binding Frost, and they crumbled to dust in his hands. Aurelius caught the larger pieces, careful that they wouldn't clatter to the ground and alert anyone nearby.

Once Frost was free, Fulvius scooped up the injured general. "Alright, let's go."

Aurelius shoved off down the hallway, listening to the earthsong for anyone who might try to stop them or call for reinforcements. He had his sword, and would fight if absolutely needed, but... in most cases, forging a new path to evade the enemies around them would be quicker and safer in their situation.

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

Despite having been abducted by aliens and been on a space ship with various electric powered machines, and having teamed up with Justino--Robodude, as he went by within the Order--who's gift was the ability to build robots with the ability to perform any task imaginable, machines were still a curiosity to the Roman. As was most of the modern world. He hadn't the benefit of lived through two thousand years of human progress to understand it all like Aristotle or Hypatia had. Instead, he'd been yanked from his world into a literally alien one. During the five years that he and the legion perceived to have passed while they attempted to return home, Earth had progressed over two thousand, and the world Aurelius was familiar with was lost to time.

Aurelius looked up in curiosity at the android. They'd seen humanoid robots in one of the shows Constantine had insisted that he watch, but none of Robodude's creations had been like that, nor had any of the machines on the spaceship. He hadn't been aware that such a machine was physically possible outside of fiction.

Internally, his curiosity was even more piqued when the android sat down next to him. Was it commanded to do so by an unseen entity, or acting on it's own? Was it doing so simply because Aurelius stood out from the locals, or did it know about the others scattered across the island? Was it...conducting reconnaissance on the Order's reconnaissance team?

Externally, Aurelius's face remained neutral. He resisted the urge to rub at the calcium carbonate structure growing on his wrist. He'd been trained since he was very young to be a politician, and so had an excellent 'poker face', as it was now called. So much is still new to him, but he'd learned to take it all in stride. He nodded to the android, then turned back to his map while he attempted to gather his thoughts. He wasn't concerned about the android attacking him. He'd hear it if it moved, both physically, and through the Earthsong, and he hasn't done anything to provoke it.

He focused on the Earthsong, listening for the motifs of the other five in his set. From it, he could place them all on his map, though currently he refrained from marking their locations. Ada was to the south of him in Bayfloat; Aristotle and Draha were in Basalt, and Piri and Mary were in Brine. Instead, he focused on drawing detail of the coastline just ahead of him, and more of the offshore geographic features.

He turned back to the mechanical conundrum next to him. "Hello," he greeted, keeping his tone friendly, but waiting to see how the android would react before saying anything else, For now and until he figured out the android's motive, he would remain friendly, though he had no intention of giving away why he or his team were in the area.

/* From Aurelius (@order-of-the-pharos-universe), for whoever you want */

They'd known about the island of Tripol for quite a while, of course. Given that Tycho and his ilk had been around for over four hundred years, and Aristotle had been around for over two thousand, it was hard not to.

At least, they'd seen the name on the map, a handful of times while looking for other tiny Pacific Islands. Up to this point in time, they've had no interest in the island and written it off as insignificant. Though, perhaps they should have known better. The tendency for most larger governmental organizations to overlook tiny islands populations just as big was their own motive for taking up residence on Leonide Island off the coast of Alaska in the Chukchi sea.

The short report that maybe they should take interest in the activities on Tripol came from a member of the order Aurelius only knew by the alias, Basalt, who belonged to one of a network of small sets that were scattered across the south Pacific, and monitored the region for supervillains. Were they heroes? villains? A potential ally or enemy? Were they connected too Bleddyn's people?

As Basalt and the other members in the order were tied up dealing with Bleddyn Owen's people attempting to take over Fiji, the council agreed to send the Ataxonimos Modulus, which included Aristotle, Ada, Piri, Mary Draha, and Aurelius.

Upon arriving, the group split to conduct their reconnaissance. Aurelius found the nearest park in Bayfloat where he could sit in his wheelchair, listen to the Earthsong, and draw a map of the island. He can hear... everything. The ocean, the land, the flora and fauna, in the Earthsong. He'd been sitting there for about a quarter hour when he noticed... something... in the earthsong approaching him, and looked up at the approaching figure.

Anywhere one looked one would find varying levels of villainy and heroics in Tripol locked in an uneasy balance (or lack of thereof ). It all really depended on which one of the three cities, really. The smallest city - Bayfloat - wedged between the two larger cities were a hotspot for both criminal activity and unusual phenomena of all sorts.

And despite this, the city was often seemed and felt peaceful on a surface level. This particular day would be a shining example of such. Even villains needed a break (or at least time away from the media spotlight). So did the self-established 'group' of heroic androids that called themselves the Mechanical Squadron Fivemind.

And in their free time, the android simply tried to live as humans do. Emphasis on tried.

One did not need to be able to hear the Earthsong, to notice audible footsteps approach in a somewhat lop-sided gait. Despite the clear skies, the machine in humanoid form was clad in an opaque raincoat draped over the right side of their body to conceal a bladed arm from the public eye.

The android simply nodded at Aurelius to acknowledge his presence before settling on the ground next to him. There's a soft whirr from within the machine as it seemingly stared onto space. Whatever it was doing, it was mostly internal.

[order-of-the-pharos-universe]

What is their body language like when they talk to somebody? Are they the type of person to stand close to the other? Do they keep eye contact? Are they the type to touch the other on the shoulder or arm?

(for Aurelius)

Aurelius will avoid eye contact unless absolutely necessary when talking to anyone, usually staring at a point just to the left or right of whoever they're talking to. He is also more likely to put space between himself and whoever he's talking to. Unless he is very comfortable with who he is talking to, he will likely fidget by rubbing his fingers along the wheel rims of his wheelchair. If he has to be more formal/professional, he clasps his hands and rests them in his lap.