Hijinks Mingle

[potentite]

Who: Everyone!
Where: Anywhere around the hub!
When: Days 103-105
Open/Closed: Open mingle!
Notes: See this post for details on the moon prompt and this one for the telepathy/dream/spirit prompts!



[A | Flower Gleam and Glow]
[The nearby moon is still passing close to the hub island, meaning the effects are still in play. Perhaps now is the time to stop and smell the large lit up sparkling moonflowers that have bloomed? Or be annoyed by the mosquito-like insects that came with them.

Alternatively, the deer seem to draw some sort of energy from the moon's light. Given their size, at least their sudden aggression and proximity to the base camp isn't the worst thing in the world but a kick would still break a rib or other bone so be careful! Possibly help each other deal with these cute but troublesome fauna.]



[B | Eavesdropping]
[For some reason, the telepathy will suddenly get rather wonky. Characters won't know why it's happening, though of course no doubt there will be ponderings, but it means characters won't be in control of their ability to broadcast — or more specifically, not broadcast — their thoughts. Time to find out secrets of an embarrassing nature. Or maybe something sadder is going on in your character's head.

If this wasn't bad enough, the area around the signet might experience burning or tingling. Just try to keep a lid on your brain for the day and distract yourself from any annoying pain.]



[C | Talking In Your Sleep]
[Or maybe your character just doesn't have the most interesting thoughts. Maybe they're busy thinking about pie instead of their upsetting childhood. That's fair. Pie is great.

But surely sometimes it haunts their dreams. With the telepathy running amuck, it's no wonder dreams and nightmares are leaking through, too. Of course, it doesn't have to be an accident. Feel free to grab a friend and share a fanciful dreamscape together on purpose! But for those nuts that are tougher to crack, accidents can and will happen.]



[D | Who You Gonna Call]
[Last but not least, as Friday rolls around, there seems to be something odd going on with the island. If your character is inclined towards the spiritual or supernatural, they'll no doubt notice the strange heavy thickness hanging around. There are whispers in the air and all of new energy just feels solemn. Might be good to give people a heads up and keep an eye on it.]

Comments

[imsorey]

I still have to try--!

[the ceiling is heavy, heavier than it should be--it feels weighed down with the sense of DUTY and the desire for ANSWERS. but Geir is a big dragon, and pure brute strength has some effect. the ceiling pushes up just enough for Sorey to straighten up, his arms stretched above his head and his palms flat against the roof. but it doesn't go any further than that.]

What are you--?

[rootandbranch]

Go look for whatever answers you wanted, if any aren't burned yet. Or put out the fire. Or do something that isn't stupid.

Go fast. I don't know where to look!

[imsorey]

I don't know where to look either! That's the problem! I can't find anything in here.

[rootandbranch]

What are you looking for, then?!

[imsorey]

Answers! Everything!

[that is not helpful at all but he says it with a lot of sincerity and determination, and maybe a tiny hint of desperation]

[rootandbranch]

You think everything is narrow enough to fit in one burning building?! If you're trapped in here, of course you can't find it!

[imsorey]

Well it's got to be in here somewhere! There's nothing outside!

[rootandbranch]

I was just out there! There's an island and a bunch of weird stuff!

[imsorey]

None of that has the answers I'm looking for!

[rootandbranch]

[with a kind of exasperated compassion]

Listen--

You're stuck. You could keep doing the same thing and watching it not work till you're dead, and you won't even have made a real effort to get what you keep saying you want. All you're doing is getting out of trying, because as long as you're not trying, you don't have to admit it might not work.

I can hold this for you while you take one last look or I can leave you here to not look at all and think that's better for some reason.

[imsorey]

[lowering his hands a little, inching them down slowly until there's just a few token fingertips still touching the roof]

...I don't want to ask you to do my job for me. It's not liked you asked for this.

[rootandbranch]

I'm not going to do it for the rest of my life!! Get out of here and take your look before I bite you!

[HE SNAPS AT SOREY DEMONSTRATIVELY TO MAKE HIM GET HIS DAMN HANDS OFF THE CEILING]

[imsorey]

--Fine!

[HE

reflexively lets go of the ceiling to smack Geir's nose, bad dragon

and then takes the suggestion to heart and runs for the opening. can he search a burning library for information before it's all destroyed??? time to find out]

And thank you!

[rootandbranch]

[Geir SNEEZES at the bapping and braces himself against the ceiling to wait for Sorey with a little huff.

the nice thing about supporting the dumb burning library ceiling on Sorey's behalf is that if Sorey takes too long he can totally just drop the thing and not feel guilty. this is an extremely stupid task to begin with and he doesn't feel bad about contemplating putting it down. maybe if you cared about the library ceiling you wouldn't have just stood here with it on your shoulders quibbling while it burned down, Sorey.]

[imsorey]

[wow don't judge him he's trying his best!11

the weight of DUTY still falls heavy on Geir's shoulders has he holds up the roof, but the desire for ANSWERS has vanished out the hole in the wall with the shadowy Sorey. while the weight doesn't get heavier, it never becomes comfortable to carry. the heatless flames lick at the walls, the collapsed side of the room, and at Geir's feet are equally filled with a sense of DUTY but are mostly just bright and annoying. if he focuses on them for too long they start to form various humanoid shapes that flicker and vanish with a sigh.

it's hard to gauge how long Sorey has been gone, but just when Geir is getting bored enough to drop the roof he comes running back in, still empty handed and still vaguely transparent and shadowy. but he looks a little less troubled than when he left.]

Thanks for waiting. You can let it go!

[rootandbranch]

It's about time!

[Geir ducks his head and dashes for the entrance; he's quick enough that he's sure he can make it out before the collapse is complete. he shoves Sorey out in front of him if Sorey is dumb enough to be in the roof-falls-on-his-head radius at all. sorry Sorey. no trust]

[imsorey]

[he was, in fact, standing in the open hole-in-the-wall doorway and gets a not so gentle shove out; Geir's speed was unexpected and he goes tumbling as the room crashes into a burning heap behind them. the library looks much as it was before, except the fire has grown in here and has a higher chance of spreading thanks to the fire seeping out from behind them.

after a pause and some groaning, shadowy Sorey rolls to his feet and tries to dust his clothes off]

Sorry it took so long. It's a big library.

[rootandbranch]

It's fine! No luck?

[he shifts to let Sorey up and lifts his head attentively to see if he can still hear that roaring.]

[imsorey]

[the roaring is still going strong! it's harder to hear over the crackle of the fire, but it's there.

Sorey shakes his head and looks a little more solid despite the forlorn look on his face]

It's not in here. I'll have to do some more looking outside after all.

[rootandbranch]

You'll find it! At least, there's a chance you will, now.

[Geir's words are encouraging. at least you're not stuck now, you weird roof-raiser! he lifts his head and sniffs the air; can he smell anything besides smoke, or hear where the roaring is coming from?]

What's that sound? There's someone else here...

[someone else, he says; well. Geir's a monster too, after all.]

[imsorey]

[in general, the building smells a lot like a burning building--the scent of wood and paper is the main thing.

the sound is coming from the northwest side of the building; that section also has the added bonus of smelling like it's full of something rotting. from this far away, the only thing that can really be made out is the roaring and not much else.

Sorey turns towards the northwest side but doesn't move, like he's rooted to the spot.]

Yeah, there's someone else here. That's not my part of the library though...

[rootandbranch]

Come on, help me! I helped you out, didn't I?!

[that's ignoring the part where Geir threatened to bite him in order to startle and/or threaten him into accepting the help, but DETAILS. he's going to try his best to tug Sorey northwest, though, if that's possible.]

[imsorey]

O-okay, okay, let me--

[it takes a SIGNIFICANT BIT OF NUDGING; his feet seem to protest moving into that portion of the library, but after an awkward moment he grabs onto Geir's leg and lifts his feet OFF of the floor and giving Geir all of his weight. this seems to do the trick. he doesn't feel like much more than smoke, though--he's completely see-through if they move over to that section, and his voice his faint.]

This works, right?

[rootandbranch]

Yeah... um. You're all smokey now? This is really weird.

[if Sorey seems okay with that, he's willing to go with it, though. he lifts his head and looks and listens for any further clues about what to do next.]

Have you been here before? Where are they...?

[imsorey]

I'm not sure. I don't usually...I've never seen this area before.

[he's distracted and agitated by things being a mess in this half of the library, smokey distress radiating off of him in little waves as they reach the northwest. This part of the library is ROTTED and waterlogged, soggy pages still swimming across the floor, the ground treacherously slick underfoot, almost spongy. somehow the silver fire isn't affected, because it's blazing here as bright as anywhere else. the roaring seems a little clearer in this area, a little closer by, accompanied by heavy thumps, like a large animal thrashing.

while Sorey isn't much help, Geir can trace the noise most clearly to a particular section of wall here; there's the faintest inset of lines denoting a concealed panel about the size of one of his claws.]