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

[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?

[lighthaus]

[ or people rocks but he won't say that. ]

I am. We'll get through it. [ there's no other alternative going by past experiences.

he thinks about it for a second and then claps shinji on the shoulder. he's here even if they are no longer really where they were before. ]

[fullspbar]

[ Khun sounds confident enough, and maybe another day, that would have been good enough.

But a few blinks, and they'll find the area both darker and brighter than before; dark, with the sickly green shadows that seems to stick to everything, leaving an uncomfortably heavy feeling on the tongue. Bright, with the pulse of the moon above them, even though it's daytime.

Something shifts in the distance, amongst the trees turning to brick. Figures. Three of them.

Good job, you two.

They become clearer, even if they carry a faint ripple like the rest of the forest, like looking at something beneath a pool of water. But they become easy enough to see, eventually.

Two are unfamiliar. The third, however-

...Those things never leave Tartarus, right? The hell was one doin' all the way out here?

While younger, it's impossible to mistake the form of Shinjiro Aragaki. There's no beanie on his head, a slightly scuffed uniform in place of a familiar red jacket. And most importantly, he seems...brighter. Perhaps not in personality, but where the Shinjiro Khun is familiar with has an almost visible weight on his shoulders, there's no such thing for this younger visage. There are no circles under his eyes, no heaviness to his posture that suggests an invisible burden.

Shinjiro himself...doesn't look too good, features tightening as his grip on his axe turns white-knuckled. ]

...'Course it couldn't pick anything else.

[lighthaus]

I don't think this could change my opinion of you, no matter what I'm about to see.

[ is that a comfort? it's the best he can offer.

he has to admit though, that this shinji is so much brighter than the one he's come to know. interesting. ]

[fullspbar]

[ That notably makes his features tighten, discomfort written in the tension in his shoulders and the lines of his face. He feels antsy, anxious. Not things he normally is.

But that's Khun. He's not Akihiko, chasing with earnestness and pleads and arguments. He's not Mitsuru, assertive and too nosy for her own good sometimes, like a scolding parent. He's just Khun.

I don't know. This has never happened before...

The girl looks disquieted, fingers raising to her head.

We can't rule out something may have happened at Tartarus. Perhaps it's best we head back for the night. The Dark Hour is almost over.

Shouldn't we check it out? The white-haired boy, bandaged hands idly cracking. Maybe if we make some more headway, we'll figure something out.

Quit gettin' ahead of yourself, Aki. You're already tired, and so is princess over here.

He sounds just like himself, despite it all; naggy and exasperated, like he's the only one with common sense in the room. There are protests from both, on multiple fronts, but he just gives them the 'I'm not dealing with this' look that Khun has likely become familiar with by now.

Shinjiro peers at both visages with an indescribable expression, beyond the ill of ease and anxiety. Fondness, almost, behind the shadow of his eyes. ]

...Some things never change.

[ It's spoken as if it's a cast-off thought. ]

[lighthaus]

And some things too. [ unhelpful he's sure, but he feels the need to state that things aren't static. ]

There'll always be forces prodding at us, though.

[fullspbar]

...Wish they would mind their own damn business, then.

[ ...He's not sure if Khun's words are reassuring or not, but they are evidence he's here, so Shinjiro won't bother to give those a special refute. Not like he would, either, really.

Instead, he's largely silent, especially as the atmosphere seems to double in weight. There's a frown, a shimmer of blue fire behind the girl, even as the two boys begin to walk away,

This is...I could have sworn I did a proper sweep, earlier...

The younger visage of Shinjiro is in the middle of turning back when he seems to freeze, eyes widening at the same time a shaky hand comes up to his chest. The other boy, at first, doesn't notice; too busy looking at the girl with his crossed arms.

What? Is there another shadow?

The illusion is sweating, suddenly. Fingers twisting in the curve of his shirt, mouth poised with an 'o' for a voice that momentarily refuses to escape. His features are tight, his body trembling...he seems ill, almost.

No, it's not that. I just-

They're interrupted by the sharp, drawn-out gag of agony that slips from the fake Shinjiro's lips, hunched over as the air around him seems to thrash, almost as if it was alive.

Or like something is, and it's unhappy about it.

Something is horribly, horribly wrong. ]

[lighthaus]

...a monster or something else?

[ his tone has dropped low, attention focused, even if he knows he won't be able to see more than he can right now. or affect anything that's happening before him. ]

[fullspbar]

...Something else.

[ Shinjiro's voice is as firm and brusque as always, but it's more clipped. Quieter. Almost unheard, over the tap of feet and strangled intakes of breath.

Aragaki-

Shinji, what's wrong?

The hand of the other boy on his back does little to help. If anything, it makes him twitch harder, stumbling backwards and nearly pushing him out of the way as something blue seems to glimmer around him, even within the ripples of the forest's magic at work.

Heavy, oppressing. The blue intensifies, shimmering to a flicker much like that of a bonfire, growing in intensity as he clearly struggles to...keep it down? Numb the pain? Something. Beads of sweat mat his hair to his forehead from the strain, running down his features to drip off his chin.

Get- It sounds muffled, strangled. Panicked. Get away from me...!

And then you hear it, at the same time you see it.

There's a burst, the faint flicker of flames turning to a roaring inferno of cobalt blue. It doesn't feel hot, in comparison; in fact, you can almost feel the chill it brings, despite the chill of cold Northern air.

Through the fire, something emerges, far, far bigger than Shinjiro. It seems to dwarf him, casting him in the dark of it's shadow, hanging over him much akin like a guillotine. There's a sharp whinny, piercing the air like a whistle, and you watch both teenagers take appalled steps back at what they're witnessing. And it's a good thing they did, because in the next moment, the figure thrashes. It's furious. It's enranged. The head of the horse the rider sits upon whips around, without rhyme or reason. The head knocks into a nearby fire escape, metal groaning and creaking as bits of railing and chunks of steel snap and break.

The real Shinjiro himself is frozen. He stares at...himself, and then at it. There's something uncomfortable glinting in his eyes, looking at this thing, but with his lips pursed so tight, he has nothing to say.

...Stop. Instead, the other one speaks, despite the struggle. It still comes through gritted teeth, fingers twisting so deep in his shirt it's as if they seek to sink into the depths of his chest and dig right through his ribcage. Stop it, Castor-! ]

[lighthaus]

Like an ignition weapon. [ mostly to himself, but it's the closest parallel he can draw.

khun looks at the shinjiro he knows with a slight frown. he doesn't think physical contact will help and he's honestly really terrible at comfort. but he can at least, remind him that this is a memory. ]

...you've seen this before and you're still here.

[ lol. ]