lunaecalamitas | thousand dreams, lotus boats upon the waters

thousand dreams, lotus boats upon the waters

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Day keeps his eyes on the fight below, gaze focused. Despite how he acts in general, he's watching with the kind of trained eyes that comes from experience, which Kurapika can definitely pick up on.

...That said, noting that smile, because it really doesn't suit Kurapika. He winces at the sound of bones breaking, if only because it doesn't sound any less painful no matter how used he is to broken bones at this point. ]

Think I've seen worse. [ Technically true. Sunrise exists and he could practically fill out a bingo card for her injuries. ]

...Alright. Good.

[ Though, really... he hopes Day's opinion of him doesn't change after this. If anything, that's what Kurapika is the most worried about.

The younger Kurapika withdraws, landing on a clifftop opposite the real Kurapika and Day. He lifts his hand, stating that he's able to hide the presence of his power. That prompts his opponent to try to move... only to find out he can't.

He's quite literally chained in place. There's a back and forth about powers, talked about in terms and phrases that Kurapika hasn't yet explained to Day, but what he can gather? Kurapika purposefully obscured the type of power he had just for this very moment. In other words—

"My bluff just paid off. While you were making empty threats, my chains were already wrapped around your body." And each of those hits? Those were moments Kurapika took advantage of to slowly wind his chains around the other man's body. Kurapika pulls, tugging him forward and knocking him off balance just enough to make him stumble, but not so much that he falls to the ground. There's an eerie calmness to his demeanor as he does so, as if he's testing his opponent rather than taunting him.

This is an assessment.

"You've been captured." There's a stillness to his voice as he says so, and his posture matches, a cool calmness as he watches his opponent try to work out why he's losing this battle. "I see you're having trouble understanding. Let me illuminate this for you before I send you to the other side."

With his free hand, Kurapika removes the contacts in his eyes, revealing an eerily bright red.

His opponent perks up in understand, if only just a little. "Those eyes. I remember them, there were a bunch of them out in the middle of nowhere. The boss really liked those eyes." He laughs. "They were pretty strong! So, you're a survivor? Then let's see what's stronger—your grudge or my power!"

Kurapika frowns, spitting out that he'll never be able to break the chains wrapped around him. And the man tries, attempting to summon up his aura in the same way he had before, when it had come easily to him. The surge of oppressive power that's meant to come, however, simply... doesn't. He falters back a few steps, sweating from the futile effort and looking confused.

"When my eyes turn Scarlet, I become a Specialist. I wield full control over every category of Nen."

And in a one-on-one fight? That means he has full advantage, which he demonstrates by immediately healing the shattered bones in his arm with one of his chains. Within seconds, it's as if he hadn't been hit at all.

There's a reason he chose a one-on-one fight, too, and the opponent currently wrapped in his chains. Kurapika has no problem revealing this information to the man either, and that he'd picked the strongest member of the Phantom Troupe for a reason—to see if he could truly break out of his Chain Jail through physical strength alone. And, as the man struggles against the chains...

That certainly proves that none of them will be able to break them. ]

Those are my abilities back home. Created for one specific purpose.

[ The real Kurapika says, softly. ]

[ Truly, Day doesn't really understand what any of these terms mean, though he can make some guesses. But maybe it doesn't matter, because it doesn't change how he understands what unfolds after. He finds himself wondering if these red eyes are what they're supposed to look like, and not what Kurapika described to him about the curse he got from the moon rock. ]

Revenge? [ He doesn't truly mean it as a question, but he'll always give the benefit of the doubt. ]

That's right.

[ It isn't a question, but Kurapika confirms anyway. Revenge is what drives him, what keeps him going, what makes him get out of bed. Or, well, it used to.

He can't help but feel, now, as he watches the fight down below, a disconnect between the version of himself in the past and the one standing next to Day. Has he really changed that much in just under two months...?

But the fight continues, the Kurapika down below rushing towards his opponent with a punch powerful enough that his fist digs into the man's abdomen, causing blood to spill forth from his mouth and onto the dirt.

"It looks as though my enhanced fist is slightly stronger than your physical brawn," Kurapika remarks, almost mechanically. This is an important observation, one that will serve him well. "This is valuable information. I can beat every member of the Troupe barehanded, provided I've chained them." He moves the chains around his opponent, momentarily constricting them around his body before easing their grip just a bit. "Tell me everything you know."

Silence. After a moment, Kurapika aims another punch towards just underneath his ribs, forcing up more blood.

"Where are the others?"

"Kill me."

Kurapika's expression darkens, his mouth turning down into an angry frown, as he surges forward and aims for the man's arm instead. The bones crush under his fist and his opponent grits his teeth.

"What abilities do they have?"

"Kill me."

Calm, quiet, resolute. He'd rather Kurapika kill him than give away any real answers, and that prompts Kurapika to hit him again. Again. Again. Again. Each strike breaks and fractures new bones, damages organs, forces him to expel more blood until Kurapika is covered in it—it's on his hair, his clothes, his face.

Finally, Kurapika steps back, breaths heavy and uneven. His voice trembles and he doesn't mean to yell, yet it happens anyway.

"It makes me sick... The sensation left on my hand. The grating sound of each strike. The smell of blood. It all throws my senses into a disarray. How can you do these things, yet feel and think nothing at all?! Answer me!"

"Kill me."

That seems to be the last straw, as Kurapika extends a chain that pierces him in the heart, wrapping around the organ. It's a conditional bond, the sort that will allow him to live just a little bit longer if he obeys Kurapika's order. If he doesn't, the bond activates, crushing his heart and killing him. He must answer a question and answer it honestly. Kurapika's question is the same as it has been: Where are the others?

And just like that, his opponent laughs.

"Die, fool."

The rule is broken, and his opponent is dead.

He falls in a large heap in the dirt, and Kurapika walks over to a spot on the ground where he left his phone and makes a phone call. It's a one-sided conversation, but it sounds like he's checking in on his employer. It's quick enough, and he hangs up, an empty look in his eyes as he regards the result of his revenge.

Then, he grabs the shovel he brought and begins to dig a hole, every movement mechanical, as if he can't allow his mind or his emotions to be in the moment. But he has to do this. Everyone deserves a proper burial, to be honored in some fashion after their death. And as he digs underneath the moonlight, the scenery around them begins to melt away and shift back into the forest. ]

[ If Day knew what Kurapika was thinking, he'd say that, yeah, apparently two months can change a person a lot. Who knew?

But he watches. He doesn't flinch as more blood is spilled, and more bones are broken, though he ends up biting on his lower lip as things grow more intense. It's hard to watch, not just because of the violence, but because of how the Kurapika in the memory is being affected. Because Day can tell when someone is cutting a part of themselves in service of something higher, be it ideals, goals, or whatever else.

Which might be why he asks, ]

Was that the first time?

[ He doesn't look at Day, instead letting his gaze settle unfocused on a tree a few feet ahead of them. ]

Yes, it was. [ And the pain of it, the anguish that settled in his chest that night, still sits there. ] I've only killed one other person since.

[ How surreal it feels, hearing this from someone younger than him. Day's done everything he can to avoid having to take a life so far, but he knows it's going to happen one day. ]

...I'm sorry things turned out like that. [ That it ended up being the only way it could have ended. ]

I appreciate it.

[ Genuinely. ]

My resolve means that I do what I must, however, even if I don't like the act of killing itself.

[ Though that resolve is weakening, bit by bit and day by day. ]

And you're still you, after?

[ Which Day realises must be a bit of a strange question to ask, but he got the sense that if it weren't for that resolve, Kurapika would have been against killing. ]

[ It catches him off guard, his expression shifting to something full of doubt as he looks down at his right hand, the one that had chains on it in the memory. ]

...I don't know. To me, killing is one of the worst things anyone can do. There's no honor in it.

[ He looks over at Day. ]

What would you say? Am I still me, having gone against my very own principles?

[ Day looks thoughtful for a long moment, seriously considering how to answer this... ]

Well, I'm gonna have to ask: are you takin' revenge 'cause of your principles, too?

[ Is he? That's... difficult to answer, and he isn't sure how to, even after giving it a bit of thought. ]

...If your people were wiped out and you were the only one left, wouldn't you kill the perpetrators?

[ Ah. Ah. That's what this is about. ]

Not gonna lie, it's a little hard for me to imagine. [ Whether it's the people of the isle or his hometown, or the Sidereal host. Either seems applicable here, but...

Day knows that for better or worse, he's the sort of person to get through things without much anger, if at all. ]

But if you're sayin' that's the case for you... Then, I think it's just a matter of pickin' which principles you prioritize more. You're still you, but maybe not in the way you woulda hoped for.

[ He's quiet for a moment, mulling over Day's answer. It may be hard for him to imagine, but his answer is still just as thoughtful as Kurapika expected it to be. ]

I... suppose you're right.

[ Kurapika sighs, though it's closer to a soft exhale. What kind of person would he even hope to be? ]

You know, people here have told me I'm not cut out for what I've set out to do.

[ And he isn't sure what to do with that. ]

I dunno, would bein' cut out for it be a good thing?

[ Considering exactly what Kurapika is setting out to do. ]

No. People cut out for that sort of thing aren't good people.

[ He can say that without any trouble, even if it might apply to him. ]

...But I've tried to be. I've already done plenty of terrible things outside of what you just saw.

...I can buy it.

[ What was that saying? “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” ]

But I can't judge either. It'll be for different reasons, but I'm gonna have to do that sorta thing one day too. [ Might have already even, if he thinks about it. Sometimes, one person's happiness comes at the cost of another's. ] I just... I guess I just wanna know if you'll still be okay, despite all that.

I'm prepared to die.

[ His words come quick, as if he's said as much plenty of times before. ]

Rather... I was. I don't know that that's the case anymore.

[ "I'm prepared to die." makes Day stiffen, out of reflex. It reminds him too much of Sunrise, despite her having never actually said it in so many words. Kurapika is younger than him, but even putting that aside, it's not the kind of thing people should just say, no matter their convictions.

(Which is a bit hypocritical, given he's in service to something bigger than himself, but Day wouldn't say he's prepared to die for it either.)

...But some of that tension releases at what Kurapika says after. ]

...What changed?

[ He sighs softly, shoving his hands into his pockets as he picks a spot somewhere to the left of Day's shoulder to stare at. ]

My relationships here have reminded me that there's more to life.

[ Which is precisely why he avoided his friends back home... but he couldn't do that so easily here. His friends have always reminded him of the good things life has to offer, the things he can look forward to outside of revenge. They have always made his revenge seem smaller.

That it happened here when he couldn't run away was inevitable, he thinks. ]

...I'm glad they did.

[ He feels like it's not really his place to try to persuade Kurapika away from the path of revenge, because he can tell it's not a straightforward path, but he can still be grateful that Kurapika is thinking about it. ]

It's a shame I can't so easily say the same for myself. Of course I'm happy to have friends, but...

[ It's not easy to change the trajectory of his life, not when he's been set on this path for so long.

With a sigh, he shakes his head. ]

I've sat with my anger for long enough that it's become part of me. To have it begin to fade is something I never expected.

Do you think you can be... [ Day pauses like he's trying to search for the right word to use here. ] Satisfied, I guess? Satisfied, even if that anger ends up fadin'.

[ At the end, Day thinks whether or not Kurapika might still be able to find fulfillment is the most important part. ]

I'm not sure.

[ Which is ultimately better than any certainty that he can't be. ]

I'd like to rid the world of the poison that is the Spiders as well as have my people returned to me... but I don't want it to come at the cost of hurting those I care about either. I don't know what would disrupt my satisfaction more—hurting those people or never achieving my goals.

...I hope you'll figure it out. [ And what Day means, perhaps, is that he hopes Kurapika will live to have a fulfilling life. ] I just figure that bonds that end up severed are a lot harder to make up for than goals that end up not bein' achieved.

You ready to go somewhere else, Kurapika?

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cw violence/blood, etc

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cw genocide

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