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

[revengier]

[ He holds a hand up towards the older Solomon, palm facing out in a gesture for him to simply Stop. ]

Did I ask for a running commentary?

[impacter]

Did I need your permission?

[Light, effortless. What a sharp tongue this boy has.

The younger Solomon seems oblivious to the conversation, but he does glance up towards the window, where the noises have grown quiet. He bites at his lip.]

Then... you're like me?

Does that mean I can show you something?

[revengier]

[ Kurapika rolls his eyes, a retort on his tongue that he bites back only because the younger version of Solomon before him speaks up.

His expression quickly smooths out into something softer, something more neutral. That he has a weakness for kids is obvious, even though he was just biting at the older version of the one right in front of him. ]

Of course you can. I won't be afraid.

[impacter]

[He worries further at his lip, before huffing in a breath and crawling out of his hiding space. Eyes to the window, eyes to the window, always to the window...]

I like... to think about nice stuff. Like how big the sky might be. I like to watch the people talk, when I can get up high enough to see them.

[...]

One of my scrolls says that a fish that you eat comes from a place they call an "ocean". And I like to look outside and think about what kind of place it is, and how the fishes live.

I can show you. Things even Mama and Papa haven't seen. But you gotta be quiet. Okay?

[He starts to climb up onto the bed. His adult self quietly slips away to give room, even as the scrawny boy wobbles his way to a better vantage point of where Pika sits on the floor, hands on his hips in the first bought of cheeky energy that leaks through since the memory's start.

He waits for Kurapika to confirm, mouth thinning into a pout the longer he has to wait.]

[revengier]

[ Ah, now that's more like a regular kid. Kurapika smiles despite himself. ]

Alright. I'll be quiet.

[ He'd even promise as much, but that's not a good idea here. ]

Show me.

[impacter]

[He puts a finger to his lips, not unlike his ancient counterpart, before turning around to climb on top of a small worn table next to the mattress with a jump of effort, filling the air with the smell of damp straw. It must be what his bed is stuffed with.

Successfully on his new perch, the boy once again checks the window, then the line of where the shadow stretches the room, before bringing his hands together, palm up and cupped carefully.]

I'm here. Come to me.

[There's an immediate shimmer of sparkling lights, a pleasantly glowing water forming above his hands in a swirling, playful ball. He immediately breaks out into a grin, but he works his best to try and stifle it in concentration, lip back between his teeth despite the obvious joy.]

Let's go for a swim again today. Okay?

[His hand drifts up and out, fingers outstretched, and the water follows suit, multiplying over itself into rippling, glowing streams that start to dance around the shadowed space like ribbons. Here and there flutters the shape of fish that move strangely, of bubbles that don't act quite right, an aquarium made of pure imagination from a mind that has to fill in the blanks.

The child jumps back down from the table with a quiet giggle to run into the midst of the shallow, circling line, the subtle colors dancing along the white of his hair. Letting his hand follow the flow of the water as it moves, letting it change colors under his hands.

There is no spell, no seal, no pacts. There is only a pure, natural talent, and unbridled curiosity.

The bite of the snow starts to kiss at their feet - a glimpse of reality starting to settle back in.]

[revengier]

[ He knows what burgeoning power feels like, has felt it at his own fingertips as he learned how to gather and focus his Nen before eventually creating chains that sit cold and familiar against the back of his hand.

This, while completely different, feels the same. Kurapika reaches out to touch one of those fish, watching as it swims through the ribboned streams unnaturally. He smiles to himself, glad to finally see this child enjoying himself.

...Though, in the back of his mind, he can't help but think about what power like this looks like when it's fully formed. Kurapika takes a step, snow crunching under his feet. ]

...

[ He looks around, this time for the Solomon he knows. ]

[impacter]

[The cold fades in as the memory fades out, as the boy swirls the water up into fading steps to hoist himself up - up, to look out the window, just barely, to lean his head against his arms despite the danger and the disease, magic hidden in the corners that the world could not see, but still vibrant in its intensity.

Solomon's eyes are back towards the ground as reality settles, leaning down to pluck up another mana stone and run his thumb over the shape of it.]

You have a very strong view of yourself. That's admirable.

[revengier]

[ Kurapika watches as he picks up that stone, crossing his arms as the boy from that memory still has yet to leave his mind. ]

And what led you to that conclusion?

[ Like, Solomon is right, but Kurapika is not going to confirm it one way or the other. ]

[impacter]

How you spoke of yourself to that boy. You kept it very simple, with an awareness of what made you different, of what made it alarming, but without resorting to shame or self-deprecation.

[In the mana stone goes to the pouch at Solomon's waist. There's enough of a weight to it - he's got quite the collection at this point.]

It's a complicated balance, at times, when you do not fit to the standards of the world.

[revengier]

There’s no use in feeling pity over such things, much less extending that shame to a child. It serves no one, and makes it harder to get stand back up on your own after facing unfair treatment.

[ You adjust and adapt so that you can navigate the world without issue—at least, that is the conclusion Kurapika has settled on. ]

But you would know that well, wouldn’t you?

[impacter]

More or less.

That boy didn't leave that room until he was about your age, I imagine. [He can't really tell how old Kurapika is by looking at him.... at least sixteen or so? Maybe a little older. But eh, close enough ballpark.] Learning that lesson young was a necessity.

[revengier]

[ Such a long time... Kurapika can't imagine something like that. Sure, he grew up isolated, but he was loved and had friends and could explore.

Nothing like that.

Still... "that boy", huh? Kurapika latches onto that, wondering why Solomon chose that specific wording. ]

And you've distanced yourself from it all, haven't you? Do you even consider that child to be you from the past anymore?

[impacter]

Of course I do. I chose to be a sorcerer when I was still a child, after all.

[He's grateful, in a way, this memory wasn't of that time. That, at least, he remembers deeply. That is not a moment he is ready to share with anyone.]]

It was just a very, very long time ago. Feelings that were so vibrant to me as a boy... they're muddled now. Time tends to do that. Things don't always matter as much as they used to when the years pass.

So watching things again so vividly... hm. It doesn't feel fake. But I don't feel as much a part of it as I once did.

[revengier]

[ Ah. So it's been that long, has it? Enough so that it's more akin to watching a film than it is reliving his own memories. ]

You've lived long enough that you're no longer connected to the past at all, haven't you? I wasn't aware that magic in other worlds was capable of such a thing.

[ Nen is as well, in a sense. It can prolong life and slow down the aging process, but long enough that the distant past is... well, distant? Not so much. ]

[impacter]

I wouldn't say I'm completely disconnected from it. But people aren't really made to remember everything. Even your age starts to get impossible to recall after your second century.

[And he is well and beyond that by now.]

Granted, I'm the only human in my world's history to have made it this far. But it wasn't on purpose, or by birth. So I wouldn't be able to tell anyone how I did it, even if I wanted to.

Hahah... it's probably for the best that way, don't you think?

[revengier]

[ Second century... honestly, this subject is a little bit depressing. The thought of forgetting things once important to him is almost too painful to linger on. ]

Yes. Many chase after it even though being immortal is an objectively terrible thing to be. You wouldn't want others copying you, even if you could warn them away from doing what you did.

[impacter]

That's right. The Fountain of Youth, the Philosopher's Stone... there's always been magical things rumored to keep people from death. It's a natural fear. And it would be the powerful who would end up hunting the information down in the end.

I just don't think it's something humanity needs to be able to live a purposeful life of their own making, and it shouldn't be a requirement for them to stand on their own against things beyond them. Whether that be against wizards here, or the powers that be where I'm from.

[He couldn't take his own back, of course, but he now had more than enough of a purpose to fuel his existence behind the scenes. It wasn't something meant for humanity as a whole, lest they become just like the demons, just like Solomon.]

That life is so fragile is what makes it fundamentally worthwhile. I wouldn't want people forgetting that.

[revengier]

You're right. The value in life comes from its fragility, from the fact that it's fleeting. I think without it, it would be harder to feel such strong attachment to other people and other things in this world.

[ Though it comes with its downsides—people rush and make bad decisions because of that fragility. ]

But what about you? If you were going to die, would you fear death? Does life still hold meaning for you, knowing that you have endless time to do as you please?

[impacter]

Mm. One does have to wonder.

[It would not be the first time he has been considered reckless, thoughtless, inconsiderate, arrogant, all because he is an immortal figure of an inherently mortal race.

He pulls the hood of his cloak back over his head.]

I've found purpose, if that's what you mean. And I know my conditions are not as indefinite as they might appear. Someday I will find my end.

For now, I am concerned only about what I can do today.

[Even if that means he continues to remain distant from the manor, an irritation to some and an agony to others.]

[revengier]

Your answer barely addresses my questions.

[ Kurapika can tell it's on purpose too, but he still feels the need to point it out anyway.

He shoves his hands into his pockets. ]

And what is it that you can do today? Providing your support so that we can all go home?

[impacter]

Perhaps your questions didn't have a suitable answer from me right now, Kurapika.

[He answered what he needed to - no need to give a giant shrug for the rest.]

Mm? In a way, considering the number of you I've already had to drag out of these woods before you've been poisoned. None of us are going anywhere if we end up with more mana stones than wizards.

[revengier]

[ Boo! He wants answers!!! He crosses his arms. ]

So you're on babysitting duty, then?

[ The thought is funny, even if Kurapika quirks an eyebrow at him. ]

( ALSO, would you like kurapika memory,,, )

[impacter]

(yes i would like a pika memory gimmee)

Well, that too. [He pats a hand to the pouch at his belt, which rattles gently with the sound of dozens and dozens of mana stones.] I have need for these, and I'd rather not go hunting around the wilderness of the North any more than I have to.

[revengier]

You're really stocking up, aren't you?

[ Kurapika doesn't have nearly that many...

But he can't dwell on that thought for too terribly long as the scenery around them begins to shift and change. No longer are they standing in the forest—no, there's dirt under their feet and the night sky is clear, the moon hanging high and full.

Recognition flashes in Kurapika's eyes, though he says nothing. ]