thousand dreams, lotus boats upon the waters

[promittere]

NEW MOON ADAGIO

Between the constant requests from the North and the sense of tension that pervades the manor, Sage Tatara makes an executive decision: we're going North, baby.

Of all the things that have happened thus far, let this be the ultimate test of your magic. Even as we near summer, it's frigid. Protect yourselves and your allies from the cold. Protect yourselves while also fighting off monsters (or other territorial wizards, should you make the terrible mistake of wandering into another's territory), flying through the vast wilderness, or protecting the poor humans who need your help to survive. Time to blow off some of your steam. Just be sure to obey Tatara's one rule: don't kill each other.

One particular problem of note is in the Forest of Dreams. Without its guardian, many of these rogue monsters and dangerous predators, displaced from their normal habitats, have found their way into the forest. Many of them, however, are unable to survive against the fatal toxin, and there are plenty of animal corpses and mana stones that litter the forest. It might be best to clean these up before the forest guardian returns...

That said, the toxin is yet another thing you must protect yourself against in addition to the cold. While you can likely keep yourself from dying from the toxins, you may not be immune to its effects. This deadly toxin causes anyone who breathes it in to dream and hallucinate vividly, be it images of the past, imagined futures, thoughts of the present processed and warped...

Strangely enough, those nearby may end up sharing in your dreams... Did you want the darkest recesses of your thoughts, hopes, and fears unearthed for others to see?

Those who decide to venture far past the more populated (in relative terms) parts of the North may find themselves stumbling upon what looks to be an abandoned bandit hideout. It seems it's been abandoned for quite a while—nothing to loot here, sorry!—but there sure are a whole lot of monsters that have decided to make this hidden corner of the North their home.

While you're at it, you may find a nearby cave. Beautiful crystals dot the walls and the floors, and there are small pools of hot spring water free for relaxing. It seems to be relatively free of monsters, too. So maybe this wouldn't be a bad spot to relax, away from everything else?

However, there's one thing that makes this cave truly unique, and it isn't the vistas or the springs—it's the bats. These bats hear echoes of the past and replay them for visitors. Should you stay a while and listen, a bat may pay you a visit. And when it does, it may play for you the voices from the memories of visitors past, whose stories may hold a clue or two to your circumstances...

While the Forest of Dreams is a memory/dreamshare free for all, the aural memories replayed by the bats in the Cave of Time will come from one of the original wizards only. If you'd like an audio replay of a perhaps significant moment either in their personal life or a clue as to what happened to them (it will be randomized), then please reply to this comment!

JOB BOARD

Clean-up and repairs. While thanks to the hard work of your Eastern friends the worst was prevented, the City of Rain emerged from their short ordeal a little worse for wear.

Buildings need repair, blood needs to be cleaned off the streets, the injured need help. This is, perhaps, the only time you will be allowed to use magic openly in the city (you've been given permits and everything!), but you still are not allowed to talk outside of designated zones. Please, please don't get arrested...

As for the scrap that litters the streets? Unfortunately, you'll have to take it back to the scrapyard. But this time, there's a big, roaring bonfire out there. Just chuck all the scrap and debris in the fire. The city isn't taking any second chances—extreme situations call for extreme measures.

Reverence. Several Northern villages are currently outside the protection of a wizard, and have requested the sage's wizards' presence. They're terrified of the monsters and worried the barriers for their villages will fail sooner than later. They don't simply ask for help for free, however, and these smaller villages are steeped in their tradition—they'll pay you their respects, praying to you, offering you gifts, groveling at your feet, in hopes for a modicum of your time and protection. Do their offerings please you? Then assist them with what you deem appropriate for their worship to you: kill a few monsters for them, or a lot if you're pleased. Strengthen the barrier a lot, or not at all if you're displeased. It's up to you! You have the power here. What's it like to be a god for a day?

Ladies' night. The monthly lady officers' gathering is coming up in the City of Affluence—it's an exclusive meetup for the women involved in and related to Western military and bureaucratic affairs. Anyone is welcome, so long as they meet two requirements: they are outwardly presenting feminine, and they have an invitation to the gathering. Here's your chance to flex your transformation and glamour spells! Infiltrate the meetup with a disguise and a fake invitation, mingle, enjoy the drinks, the jazz, the entertainment, and find out what you can... What's the Western army up to? Be careful, though—don't get caught and kicked out!

The attendees seem to be excited about the new phantasmagoria technology and the upcoming display, and many whisper about the upcoming Venator meteor shower...

G'RAHA TASKS

Greetings, new friends! I am G'raha Tia, and while I hesitate to call myself a mentor or a replacement for the one you had, I am eternally grateful for the assistance I received and will do my best to help your cause in any way I can. To that end, I feel I may need to be caught up to speed on the events and get to know all of you.

We can have some tea and sandwiches and have a discussion! That's the best way to learn, sometimes.

TATARA ACTIVITIES

Even if we're not here for very long, I think we should leave our mark (not literally! Don't paint on the walls!). I got paint and big paper in the dining hall, but no brushes... Do you know what that means? Finger paint! Finger paint a portrait of yourself with your name and I'll hang it up in the library when they're all done!

Thanks to Cid and Khun, my camcorder works now. The thing is, what's the point of filming anything if we have no way to watch the film?! Could you guys work together to make some kind of projector? Or like...VHS player? We could have a movie night together!

OOC NOTES

🌙 Welcome to your fourth event! It's your dreamshare and memshare event! Ready to open up with your deepest and darkest secrets?
🌙 We're halfway through the game. How do you feel?
🌙 Back at the manor, Kurapika and Maya have set up a bulletin board! Leave comments, argue with your neighbors, have fun. Be nice. Don't set it on fire.
🌙 On the admin side of things, Lav has swapped out Wanderer for G'raha! Please say hello to your new mentor NPC.
🌙 Your OOC plotting post is here! Remember to keep all wider plotting to the post, and remember to check back frequently, since not everyone checks plurk or discord all the time.
🌙 The next country to go on their mission is North. Do you think a PVP-enabled mission will go well?

» NAVIGATION

Comments

STARTERS

[fullspbar]

[ pwease don't reply to this ]

JING YUAN

[fullspbar]

[ Shinjiro is, notably, not enjoying his time in the north; he shivers every now w and then with a notable grimace despite the enchantments you can feel on his clothes, both magic his and somebody else's.

But Shinjiro is very much not a huge people person, and when offered this or dealing with the fanatical villagers, he'll take sweeping up magic stones and animal corpses any day. ]

'S always cleanup, huh.

[ It's not the most grievous of jobs, but man, they sure do a lot of it. Shinjiro's already got a small collection of mana stones, bag in hand and axe slung onto his back since little else can survive in the forest besides themselves.

He breathes out, tugging his hat further on his head, and dislikes how the poison wafting in the air curls in the wake of his breath. ]

Seriously, this place gives me the damn creeps....

[foresightis2020]

[ Khun's magic, huh? He looks at him curiously.

Well, considering how cold it is, and Shinjiro wasn't that long ago very sick, Jing Yuan can only feel glad that someone else was apparently watching over him. He thinks he deserves that much. ]

Haha, that's right.

[ He has gotten used to picking up after people, at least, and has already picked up some mana stones himself. Jing Yuan also hears his other comment and can't help but quip, even with the unsettling aspects of the forest swirling around them, aiming to lighten the mood. ]

Well, don't wander off too far, then. And if you're ever feeling too afraid, I won't be all that cross with you if you want to hide behind me.

[fullspbar]

[ He's not commenting. Don't worry about it.

At the very least, despite Jing Yuan's...everything, Shinjiro finds him to be a decent enough partner for these jobs. He knows what he's doing, and there's no need to worry about him like he would for some other people...the old man can handle himself more than well enough.

That being said, it doesn't stop him from halting in the middle of examining another decently sized stone to look up and give a fairly unimpressed glare at the choice of wisecracks. ]

...You think you're funny or something?

[ Smartass.

And it's when he gets up, to turn back to the forest itself, exasperation on the tip of his tongue as fingers wrap around the collar of his coat to tug it higher. ]

I ain't some kind of-

[ -That he cuts himself off, words catching taut in his throat. Not because of the cold, no, nor because of the stretch of bones and death that seems to litter the ground, but because the poison around them seems to shift and ripple in real time, growing darker and darker.

Growing green.

Sickly, eerie green, one that seems to bring a sense of cold unease. If one were to look up, the sky seems to waver, tearing between the white emptiness of the north and the abrupt appearance of what seems to be the moon. It's so full and so bright, and yet the yellow it casts only seem to collide with the haunting hue of the night.

Unnerving. Heavy. Like a weight on your shoulders and on your lungs, pushing down and forcing the breath from your chest.

Shinjiro, for all his griping, seems particularly frozen. Whatever red the cold may have brought to his cheeks seems to fade in the ghastly light, sporting a bloodless pallor over his features as his gaze shoots left and right. ]

[foresightis2020]

[ He won't. Maybe he will even look upon Khun with gratitude later.

Shinji would be right! He's a very good partner in these things; even when he seems like not the type for those who do not know him to be unobservant or worse, he is very capable of that, and more. Calm mind, fighting ability, and an absurd amount of focus makes for a formidable, strategic way of going about matters.

That being said, he also does very much like to mess around too, as Shinjiro is well familiar with by now. Hearing the other male asking in that tone gets his smile to widen a bit, as he already feels a witty or tease on the tip of his tongue until when he...stops short.

The change is surprising, but Jing Yuan's reaction is mild and he is able to shake off any of his own right away. ]

Shinjiro. Focus on my voice.

And while it is good to keep an eye on your surroundings, you musn't let them take too much control.

[ Jing Yuan moves closer to Shinjiro, so that he is by his side, and for a moment, moves to aim to lightly taps one of his arms, in case that needs to be done to snap him out of it. Then, he summons his glaive in one hand, just in case. He is not about to chance anything—something about this alteration seems...foreboding; he hasn't kept his gaze off of the other either, though. ]

...Yet, I have to wonder—what is this?

[fullspbar]

[ This is the sort of thing he's only supposed to see at night. When his attempts at a decent sleep go awry, when it's what he ends up seeing in his dreams. Even after everything, even after he thought he managed to deal with his regrets, it doesn't stop it from coming back.

It just comes on the heels of other things, now.

The voice does snap him out of it enough, but the tap solidifies it. Shinjiro jerks, lips pursing tight, just like the twist of his chest. ]

I'm fine. [ Judging by the way it's gritted out, that's clearly a lie. ] I know it's not real.

[ He knows, and yet it still settles like a rock in his stomach. It's moreso the shock, rather than the fear, especially as the snow seems to shift to concrete beneath their feet, and the trees fade to walls made of brick. The faint scent of cigarette smoke and spilled liquor. It's grimey, even through the haze, as a back alley should be. The moon is still bright, but the light it shines through the darkness doesn't feel the slightest bit warming.

And then something else, forms through the ripple. Two figures, in the middle of the alley; one small and dressed in orange, childlike, the other tall and hunched in a familiar way, like there's a weight permanently settled on his shoulders.

And then there's the voice, high and young and so so angry.

Today, my mom is watching over me.

Shinjiro flinches, faint and nearly imperceptible, as the voice rises in pitch and fury.

I'm going to make you remember what you did to her! Something slings through the air and points at the other- Shinjiro's- heart. A spear, pointed and gleaming under the moonlight. I'm going to kill you!

And maybe in that moment, that's why Shinjiro is turning away, eyes closing as a low rumble that's both his and yet not hits the air.

...Do it. ]

AHITO

[fullspbar]

[ While picking up mana stones is definitely one thing, the idea of picking up animal corpses in the dead of winter does not, naturally, tickle anybody's fancy. Certainly not Shinjiro's. ]

...Could probably just use magic to get rid of'em, right?

[ Or just to pile them up somewhere else...part of him doubts Ahito would have exactly an easy time hauling this stuff around, anyway.

Regardless of how Ahito is doing, Shinjiro himself is looking somewhat put out by the weather, even if he tries to hide it under his usual grim expression. He's fairly red in the nose and eyes... ]

[dyingtohealyou]

It would probably be easiest... I wonder if we could just burn them.

[Cremation of a bunch of animal corpses nbd. Though Shinjiro's state doesn't escape his attention-]

...You okay?

[fullspbar]

I doubt settin' a fire off in a forest full of poison is gonna do us any favors.

[ Who knows if this stuff is flammable. Best to not find out.

Shinjiro's gaze snaps to Ahito, before it leaves again. ]

Ah? I just don't like the cold.

[ Although- after they've spoken about fire, there's now a distinct smell hanging in the air. Faintly acrid, like something burning. ]

[dyingtohealyou]

It looks more than just a dislike of the cold... Want me to add another ward against the chill for you?

[Your opinion is not gonna affect the redness of your face, my dude. That said, he does pause, looking around in confusion when he catches a hint of smoke on the air.]

...?

[fullspbar]

...'M fine.

[ After some...other things, he feels himself on high alert, shoulders drawing tense as the smell seems to get worse.

And maybe also because, among the burning scent, comes what sounds vaguely like crackling. Wood burning.

And it's getting hotter, despite the clime. Far too hot. Something uncomfortable starts to seep into Ahito's chest, like the burn from standing near a bonfire too long, the sensation of smoke in your lungs.

Judging by the twist of Shinjiro's features, hand coming to grasp at his chest with a cough, he feels the same. ]

KHUN

[fullspbar]

[ Even without the information about the place, messed up as it is, it's pretty clear how unnerving this damn forest is. Things that tend to be pretty are the most dangerous, as people like to see, and this is no exception.

The fact they'd likely be kicking dirt without the protective magic blanketing over them probably doesn't help the feeling, either.

Shinjiro doubts it bothers his companion, however, evident by the glance he throws Khun as he picks up another mana stone off the ground. ]

Startin' to think they just like making us clean up after everyone.

[ Doesn't this happen every week at this point... ]

[lighthaus]

[ khun's actually on guard, if not because of the forest, simply because the climate is nostalgic and it's not the good kind. he doesn't voice that though, managing one of his usual smiles when he looks at shinji, pocketing a manastone himself. ]

This time it's actually worth it. [ more delicious power up rocks are good. ]

[fullspbar]

[ A little sus...but then again, that tends to be Khun's general state of being. Shinjiro gives that smile and the comment a little squint, in usual Shinjiro fashion. ]

What, you saying you actually eat these things?

[ There's a frown as he turns the one in his hand over, as if examining it; other people have said to do so, but he can't say the idea of chewing on rocks is particularly appealing.

And maybe he'd comment further, if there wasn't an uncomfortable feeling that settles in the air...heavy, like an unwelcome weight settling on your shoulders.

Suddenly, the forest looks a lot more green. Eerie, and sickly. Shinjiro himself looks a lot more uncomfortable in turn, fingers instinctively squeezing tight around the mana stone in his hand as his features tighten. ]

[lighthaus]

Of course. Strength isn't everything, but it's still important.

[ honestly he probably just swallows them whole if they're not gigantic. ]

...it's probably the hallucinogens. [ he was hoping to avoid this. ]

[fullspbar]

[ There's a moment of silence, before the response actually registers, and he tries to shake himself out of it. ]

...Sure. [ Tense. ] Still not sure how I feel about eating monster-rocks.

[ Hallucinogens. Yeah, that's true. He was hoping the charms would protect them from the worst of it, but while the poison seems to be no problem, things just keep steadily getting...greener. Darker. The ground feels harder than it did before, and he exhales slow in an attempt to see if he can shake it off.

Aragaki. Are you listening?

Except that voice isn't Khun, it's too feminine, too familiar. It sounds elegant and disciplined, in comparison to the din of teenage boys. Shinjiro's back straightens, and he's already turning to his companion. ]

...You ain't hearing that, right?

SOLOMON

[fullspbar]

[ Now, that's a face he hasn't seen in a while.

Normally, he has to warn the other man off from the kitchen with the verbal equivalent of swatting him with a broom....although, the last time they had actually talked had been the conversation outside his window.

Perhaps that's while he's eyeballing the older man with far less irritation than normal, only letting his brows furrow in faint suspicion. ]

So, what. This is where you've been hanging out now?

[ The poison forest? Or just the North in general? Either way, terrible choices on either end, Solomon. ]

[impacter]

Hello to you too, Aragaki-kun.

[His smile quirks, not quite reaching his eyes, as he brushes the mana stone clean of snow and pockets it at a pouch on his belt. He has scrapes and scratches around his face, as well as a smattering of purple and red against one cheekbone up through the bridge of his nose that seems to still be healing.]

Hm? Here?

No. I'm answering the request of the people, just like the rest of you. This isn't a place I would want to dwell any more than I have to.

[Faintly, distantly, there's the flickering smell of smoke. Of dust and debris. Of blood.

Of distant, mourning screams.]

You should care to do the same. Okay?

[fullspbar]

[ Shinjiro's features are skeptical, as grey eyes squint at the older man once he gets a bit closer. He had seemed pretty normal from afar, but now that he's up close- ]

...The heck? You gettin' into fights while you're here?

[ He very much looks like he's been in a brawl...or the receiving end of someone's right hook. Shinjiro's pretty intimate with the sight, himself, so he would know.

He's not too sure how much of that he believes, but that last part...the teen opts to notably look away through the forest, like he's looking for another green tint or abrupt moon in the sky, but finds his nose wrinkling at the scent of blood and dust.

His lips purse tight. ]

...I ain't planning on sticking around that long. [ Even if he's had to keep going, despite what goes on here. It leaves an obviously uncomfortable tension to his shoulders, especially when the noises seem to get louder. ] Get our damn rocks and get out.

[impacter]

One or two. Nothing that you need to worry about.

[Though he does note the tension, much higher than most he's seen. Bruno was like this as well...

He knows which hallucination this is, by now. So it's simply a matter of bracing, of making sure he's keeping his eye to the people around him for what's to come.]

...Is something wrong?

[Shinjiro's body will feel like a phantom of itself for a brief moment. Pained. Exhausted. Powerful. Powerful. It radiates like the heat of the sun in waves off his body.

He feels distress, not his own, but of a phantom, stumbling and bleeding and desperately trying to will something, something in him, something innate, to stop.]

[fullspbar]

[ You sound full of shit would be an apt reply, he'd find, if he had it in him right now to focus on those types of things. He'd already been on edge since earlier, uncomfortable memories shaking the dust off things he'd rather not feel, but still, he came back.

A mistake, as it were.

Something wrong is apt. More than wrong, something is surging in his chest, something powerful and painful and threatening to beat so hard against the curve of his ribcage it feels poised to shatter. The distress may not originally be his own, but the fear is. Shinjiro's hands scramble to his chest, tugging at the fabric over his heart, eyes wide and an unfamiliar expression of panic on his features at the sensation. It's familiar.

It's frightening.

He feels and looks sick, sweat already beginning to roll down his face as his mouth opens and closes. Stop. Stop. Not again. It's been so long he's almost forgotten the feeling, and now it's back, different and yet so similar, how could it be anything but?

His fingers, on instinct, grasp for his pocket but come up short. ]

What...? [ His voice seems to catch in his throat, strained in it's attempt to squeeze past the pain. It could be fake, but if it's not, if it's not... ] Stop. Get...Get away from me-

DAY

[fullspbar]

[ At least somebody looks as displeased with the cold as himself. Even layered up with heating charms on most his clothes, Shinjiro still looks about as grumpy as he always does...with added red on his features, from the frigid sting. Day can probably hear his grumbling, close enough as they are. ]

They couldn't pick somewhere warmer to stick the damn forest of death....

[ It sounds far more apt than 'Dreams', even with how pretty it looks. The mana stones and dead animals littered here and there are not doing the place any favors. ]

[troublereduction]

[ Day is not about to argue the name with Shinjiro, given what he's heard about the forest. ]

I'm startin' to think stickin' all the terrifyin' natural phenomenon in the North is a common thing cross worlds.

[ Some of the shit in Creation's North, man. ]

[fullspbar]

Hell if I know. I'd buy it, though.

[ Something about the cold really does it.

Although, even though it's cold, there's an odd smell in the air now...like salt, the type you'd smell next to the ocean. It even comes on the next gust of wind, feeling more like a sea breeze than anything. Shinjiro's nose wrinkles in turn, frown dipping downwards. ]

..Hey. You smell that?

[troublereduction]

[ He sure does smell that salt and brine, having traveled along the coast often enough back home to recognise it. ]

Why's there the smell of the sea here?