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

[ "Good."

That's all the Red King says. He leans back in his seat, and closes his eyes.

Mikoto is honest, like Khun. A pain in the ass isn't an insult, it's just a fact, a reflection of the world through a king's eyes. Tatara trusts that view. And that Khun sees it, accepts it for what it is, and does not argue (or vehemently agree), has Tatara feel something else in his heart lock into place. He hears Khun speak his full name and he's so—overwhelmed. He doesn't know what to think, his heart handing himself from one king to another.

When Khun looks at him, he'll see the emotion swirling in his eyes. But he quickly brightens in a little smile, a quiet huff of contentment escaping his lips.

"Tatara," Anna speaks again and turns to look at him. Tatara keeps the smile on his face and reaches to gently pat her on the head. ]

I know. I'll miss you too, Anna.

[ In the years watching her grow up, he knows the slight shift in her expression means she's sad. Ah, it's a hard look to bear—he holds Khun's hand tighter, because he's trying to keep himself together. He hopes Anna never made this face in real life, without him there...

Tatara turns to Mikoto. ]

King—

[ Except the dream begins to fade. The afternoon sun filtering through the windows of Bar Homra grow in brightness, and the scene around them takes on a warm, but faded sepia hue. The sounds mute, movements slow to a halt, and soon, all that's left around them is the Forest of Dreams.

... ]

[ khun slowly settles back into the real world, looking out at the sea of trees around them. they haven't really gone anywhere at all, but in a land of magic do they really need to in order for it to be real?

he looks over at tatara, glances down at their still joined hands and lets out a sigh of relief. they're still together. ]

Are you cold? [ tatara's still likely huddled up against him anyway, but this his way of asking if he wants a hug. ]

[ In the few seconds that follow the fading of the scene, Tatara stares ahead, like Mikoto still sits in front of him. His mouth is still open, the half-formed words on his tongue dying in the cold of the North.

Khun's words draw him back, and he looks to him. The expression on his face is...complicated.

Wordlessly, he steps into Khun's space and wraps his arms around his middle. He presses his face into the side of his neck, squeezing his eyes shut.

So, yes. The answer is yes. ]

I... [ He sighs, breath shaky. ] I've never felt warmer in my life...

[ He's just. Overwhelmed. ]

[ he wraps his arms around tatara snugly, holding him tight against him. ]

Yeah? That means that jacket is worth all of the feathers they stuffed into it then, good. [ a little bit of a joke, he's not honestly great at comfort because it was never given to him. ]

I'm happy I got to meet them. [ in whatever way it was, he's still immensely grateful. ]

[ The joke does earn a light little laugh, though. Khun's jokes, for all they're worth, will never fail to make Tatara smile. He huffs into the side of his neck, and he feels his melancholy edges soften a bit. ]

Me, too.

[ Even if he knows it'd never be possible in real life, this is good enough for him. He feels the red parts of himself and the blue parts of himself reconcile, and melt into a soothing purple. ]

Thank you, Aguero.

Anytime. [ it's hard with all their layers, but khun tries to rub at his boyfriend's back as he holds him against himself. ]

I'd do anything for you, you know.

[ ...obvious, but he's somehow never said it explicitly before. finally though, he feels like he can. ]

[ Tatara's fingers dig into Aguero's clothes in turn, and he feels his heart clench painfully in his chest. ]

I do. [ He knows. He sees it in everything Aguero does, and not a day goes by that he isn't infinitely touched by that. ]

Me, too. I'd do anything for you. [ He means this. He wishes he could honestly say "I devote everything I am to you," but there will always be a small part of him dedicated to his king, even if he only exists in sepia-toned memories now. ]

Tatara— [ he understands because he's the same, though he's not sure if Maria and Baam are parts of him or just people who have touched him and shaped him into something more. ]

I love you. [ it's a shock to himself that he can say it so clearly, but all his thoughts to the contrary have been brushed aside, at least when they're holding each other like this. another thought takes root in his mind instead, but he wants to enjoy this first. ]

I love you, too.

[ This, too, comes without hesitation. Seeing his king again didn't even lead him to question how he feels. Aguero is Aguero and Aguero is his. He knew he was capable of thinking this way, but it's different when it's returned with such certainty, and he feels it with such force.

He pulls back, just a bit, only to lift a hand to wipe at his eyes. He didn't cry, but he was tearing. He gives a little laugh, because he thinks it's a little silly. ]

You make me so happy.

You're stealing my lines. But what's mine is yours, so— [ it's fine.

he places a kiss wherever he can reach, just to steal something of his own back. ]

[ Hehe!

That's a giggle. Despite all his other weird feelings on the matter (they're not weird, he's just not used to feeling this much, period), the little fuzziness in his heart for Aguero wins out over everything else. Hehe.

When he dips in for a kiss, Tatara turns his head so their lips meet, and his free hand cups Aguero's jaw.

Making out in the Forest of Dreams? yeah it's fine— ]

[ oh, hello.

honestly he wasn't sure if a single kiss was too much given what they've just been through, but perhaps he should have known that together this is what they are. he kisses back eagerly, with all of his own feelings, one hand sliding down to his boyfriend's hip to pull him closer against him.

...

making out in the forest of dreams.

he remembers this at some point, maybe when a stray leaf brushes by his face. instead of pulling back he redirects his kisses along his jaw, his cheeks, his nose, so he can still speak between them. they should find somewhere safer to do this, but- ]

Tatara. You wanted to know all of me right? I'm not sure what you'll see.

[ who, really. ]

If we stay here, we'll probably...

[ he doesn't ask him if he's sure even if he would have an hour ago. instead, he just wants to make sure that now is okay. ]

[ A single kiss is never too much. More often than not it's not enough. And that's how they ended up making out in the Forest of Dreams—

As Aguero peppers kisses along the rest of his face, Tatara leans his head to the side to give him room and he chuckles low. Every spot his lips land leaves a little tingling sensation behind. It's nice. ]

Of course. I want to know all of you, because I want to love all of you.

[ His hand drops from his jaw to his jacket, and he grips tight. Stay here with him. ]

I know. So no matter what...

[ He can't think of any reason why he would hate what he sees. ]

You— [ he's timed out on "I love yous" because he's still too new to this, and each time still reverberates through all his bones until it comes to rest in his heart. ]

Alright. Want to hold hands again? You don't need to worry about losing me, because my past is my past. But— [ he likes holding tatara's hand. ]

Mm... [ That wistfulness he'll feel for his life past will never truly go away, but it is eased, in great part, whenever Aguero holds him.

That is to say, once he asks that question, Tatara purses his lips in mock thought. ]

Not really... [ Despite the look on his face, the mischief in his eyes says it all. ] I'd rather keep hugging you.

[ But he pulls back anyway, hands trailing down to grasp Aguero's. ] No matter what happens, I won't let go.

[ No matter what he sees. ]

You can hug me as much as you want after. [ it's also more practical; if his visions are like Tatara's, they could wind up on a battlefield where they'll need to move quickly. the secondary consideration that appearing like this to any of the many people of his past he squashes quickly, their opinion doesn't really matter. (he proclaims this for himself and the universe).

it doesn't take long for the scenery to shift, the scenery playing out a movie of a story from far away.

► Acceptable Losses

khun, no, aguero, sighs when the forest comes back into view. his expression isn't blank like it would have been a month ago. instead, he lets himself express what he's feeling right now, or at least a part of it. tired. ]

[ Tatara sticks close as the scene unfolds. It takes a lot of willpower not to walk forward and wander the scene for himself, to take a closer look at a younger Aguero and to touch him (why would he need to, when he grasps the real one's hand so tightly?).

Aguero's modern world isn't all that different from his own, he thinks (though Kusanagi preferred older fashioned décor, and Tatara himself couldn't afford sleek designs like this.

Ultimately, though, he listens.

He remembers what Aguero told him, after he attempted to behead Mika. He remembers, generally, the path he had walked, he knows how important Baam is to him, he knows that Aguero is relentless in his quest to do anything for those he considers a guiding light. So that Aguero would plot and scheme like this doesn't take him by surprise, nor does it disappoint him either. That's just how he is.

Memory-Khun smirks, and Tatara smiles. Maybe he should be scared, but all he thinks is about how incredible he is.

But his expression drops when he sees the scene shift. The stretchers, the medics, the blood. His eyes linger on Baam's face for a little bit—he doesn't know that's him, but he has a feeling he's important—before they move to memory-Khun's blank, empty eyes.

As it fades, things fall into place, and Tatara turns to Aguero, his own eyes wide as he looks up at him. ]

...Aguero.

Tatara. [ his own eyes are clear not blank.

he's not kind enough to explain himself, nor does he want to make excuses for himself so tatara will need to ask for clarification if he wants any. though he does offer him the most important thing. ]

That was Baam, at the end.

...I thought it might've been.

[ That makes sense. Tatara's gaze flits back to where he was in the memory, moments before, but he's obviously gone.

He'll get to his questions in a second, but there's something more important he needs to say first. ]

He had beautiful eyes, too.

[ Like his king's. This is his own roundabout way of showing his acceptance for Aguero's past. ]

[ it's not like him to act sheepish, but the expression on his face is almost there. sometimes you realize things in hindsight and call yourself out. ]

They were like the stars he was chasing.

[ Tatara falls silent for a moment, the past tense in the sentence reminding him the first time they talked about Aguero's past. He gazes up at his boyfriend, but decides this angle isn't what he wants. He turns to plant himself in front of him, and grasps his other hand with his free one. Now they are linked, on both sides, in a circle.

There's sympathy in his eyes. ]

You worked so hard for his sake. [ All the orchestration, the deception, even if it didn't end the way he thought it would...

Tatara, too, is cold and heartless, so he doesn't see the act as manipulative or calculating, but as one of devotion and passion. Is this why they get along so well? Or is he just so blind in his love that he can't fault Aguero for anything? ]

Did he...know?

[ honestly he—

after baam's death, there was grieving of course. belated due to the nature of the tower and more of a rallying cry than anything else. some cried, some got angry but khun;he had work to do. he's processed baam's death in some ways and not in others, some parts of it still rubbing him wrong and raw.

if it was anyone else besides tatara looking at him like that, he would have gotten angry. he knows, because some people have tried and other people have gone a different approach, insinuating that his way of grieving was taking baam's girlfriend. those people lost their fingers and sometimes more.

it's even funnier in hindsight, as if he could ever be attracted to someone like rachel—he forces himself back into the now at the question, looks at his boyfriend and then gently leans in to touch their foreheads together. ]

No. [ he lets his eyes slide mostly closed. ] It didn't stop him, actually. If anything it might have motivated him more, because now he needed to be her legs. [ literally, metaphorically. ]

I could have told him, but...I wanted to protect him as much as I could. Even from myself. I know how I am, after all.

[ Tatara grips their hands tighter as Aguero leans in, his own eyes falling shut. The warmth from the contact is genuine, as opposed to the magic keeping him warm (not that he doesn't like that, though), and despite the situation he's comfortable.

He breathes. ]

But I can't help but wonder... If he's anything like me, then maybe he would've been fine with it regardless. Because that's who you are.

[ Unless this was one sided?

Tatara shifts, draws his eyes open just slightly. Because in actuality, that wasn't the meaning behind his question. ]

Did he know...you loved him?

[ As a friend, as family, romantically. ]

[ despite everything he's feeling, that simple question causes him to flush. usually when his colors are overlaid in red he's happy, if perhaps a little overwhelmed. here though, he looks...indignant? it's an extremely unique expression either way. ]

Tatara. [ actually, he's mostly embarrassed in a way he didn't know was possible until now. he squeezes their joined hands, a fidget. ]

I've never said that to anyone but you. [ not even family. ] And I don't think he would have noticed.

[ Tatara squeezes back in reassurance. It's okay. They're the only ones here, and no one heard him.

His heart aches for his boyfriend. He's delighted that he's special, that he's the only one that's ever gotten his verbal love, but Tatara can see the pain that came from all of that, everything he's been through, and he doesn't know what he can do for him.

Slowly, he leans in, eventually resting his head on his shoulder. He could ask if he's cold. Or if he needs a hug. But who would he be if he didn't go for what he wanted, without checking first? ]

...I'm sorry.

thousand dreams, lotus boats upon the waters

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