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

[rootandbranch]

Cheer up! There's a way out of here, you know. I almost flew out of it earlier, but... at least, we can get away if we really have to.

[Geir eyes the panel, but he remembers how the strange bookcase worked when he went to see the shadow-Sorey, and he tries pressing it.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[the panel slides out of the way to reveal a small inset alcove. there's a glyph there, blue lines outlining a glowing, staring eye]

[rootandbranch]

[...he glances at his companion...]

What in the world is this supposed to be?

[it's creeping him out a little bit.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[shadow sorey appears to have MOSTLY LOST HIS VOICE, but he points at his own eye, then points at the glyph]

...puzzle...

[rootandbranch]

Why is there a puzzle here...?

[with no background of RPG dungeons or burial mounds needing puzzle skills to enter, Geir is extremely baffled about why anyone would put a puzzle in a library, or how indeed a puzzle is supposed to be solved here. he leans up to the eye glyph, staring it down. IS THAT WHAT SOREY MEANS...?]

A puzzle of what?

[oneandmikleonly]

[the glyph seems to blink, before Sorey can muster up the strength to answer; the 'eye' symbol goes out, and a network of blue lines light up instead, delineating a large square section of the wall.

it slides aside, revealing a dark, damp tunnel (somehow, Geir can fit.) you can hear the bellowing much more clearly, and a thin, reedy noise in the pauses between, something that may bring back memories of Geir's little sister. crying...?]

[rootandbranch]

[...Geir glances back at the shadow Sorey, making sure he can keep up. if he can't, Geir can always carry him.]

C'mon, let's go see...

[he can't help but be somewhat intrigued by the crying, and ducking his head carefully, he progresses into the tunnel.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[you may actually need to carry him; the air here is laced with something dark and unpleasant that saps your energy as well as his. malevolence...

the silver fire doesn't reach back here.]

[rootandbranch]

[Geir supposes that might be good? at least everything doesn't seem to be burning down around him... he's perfectly willing to carry Sorey. the fact that the darkness feels so offputting in here (why?) is strange, but not enough to deter him from heading down the tunnel at a brisk clip.]

[oneandmikleonly]

(you're behind the walls and it's crushing you, darkness like a weight)

the sounds grow louder. you see something white, glowing, in the distance. you start having to pull yourself through the tunnel; it's not narrowing enough to get completely stuck in, but close.]

[rootandbranch]

[Geir was fine with the tunnel and the feeling of being underground up till now, but he doesn't like it that the tunnel is narrow enough to restrict his wings. he growls and shoves forward, clawing at the sides a bit to see if that makes it wider -- there's no way he's going to try to back up in this horrible space.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[he can claw a little of the tunnel wall out; under the thin surface layer of rock is hard ice.]

[rootandbranch]

[...????

well, he's committed to this now: does his best to press on through the rest of the tunnel by brute strength. he'll chip at the ice a little if it's possible, but he's more invested in getting through at this point.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[the ice is more resistant than the rock is. weird.

he wriggles through into a broader cavern, eventually.

there is another dragon here. you've seen Mikleo in the small dragon form Qri granted him, and you can see echoes of it in the dragon's blue-and-white coloration, the shape of its head and horns, the conformation of its body. but this one's Geir's size or larger, much more heavily armored, and it paints the landscape around it with a dark, visible aura of malice and malevolence, a physical thing, nauseating even to look at. there is no intelligence in its eyes.

it fills the space in front of you, hemmed in on all sides. there's a clink of chains at it shifts to regard you, a glint of some sort of restraints on its neck and forelegs, binding its wings. it snarls.

the wailing is coming from somewhere behind it.]

[rootandbranch]

[...Geir pokes his shadowy friend with his nose, half-protecting him behind his own wing...]

So what's going on with that guy?

[imsorey]

[despite Geir's attempts to shield him, Sorey tries to push out past the protection of his wing towards the dragon. wispy and weak as he is, though, his attempts are completely ineffective; keeping a form and a voice are taking up all of his energy. rather than use any more of his energy on a futile gesture, he stops and just looks utterly distraught.]

...malevolence.

[that's all he manages to offer as an explanation.]

[rootandbranch]

[...Geir flattens the ridges next to his face down flat, feeling a mix of irritation and reluctant worry for Sorey in his gut; he doesn't have anything against his dream-companion, after all, and even if there's no reason per se he should help him... seeing him looking so upset does make Geir's belly twist uncomfortably.]

--Wait a second. Stay right there.

[he focuses on Sorey hard, trying to see if he can use his Qri-given power of enlivening in the dream. if it works, it will at least give Sorey a boost of Geir's strength, direct from the source.]

[imsorey]

[the enlivening has some of its desired effect--he becomes less transparent, more solid like he was before, but no less dark and shadowy. there are similarities between the darkness surrounding him and the malevolence rolling off of the dragon in front of them, now that the comparison can be made, but his state doesn't come with any of the uneasiness that can be felt from the dragon before them.

Sorey doesn't notice the change; his eyes don't leave Mikleo.]

This shouldn't be able to happen. If we still have a pact, then...malevolence can't take over like this.

[rootandbranch]

You have a pact?

[that's news to Geir-- wait. wait. no, it's not. this human looks like Sorey, and the strange not-a-dragon water spirit he met-- very like to this dragon, now that he looks at him again-- did say that he was pacted with a human named Sorey, when he met him the first time. so this is the Sorey, and here's his summoner! (or not a summoner, exactly. well, close enough.)]

--oh, it's that guy-- Mikleo. And you're his summ-- the person he has a pact with! That's right!

If whatever that is can't take over like this, you'd better go tell it so! Why are you all covered in it too?!

[imsorey]

Me? I'm not--

[he stops as he takes a look down at himself, staring at one darkened hand like it's managed to grossly offend him.]

Well, I'm not that bad. I feel fine. Mikleo doesn't look anywhere near okay.

[rootandbranch]

So what do we do about it? I can fight him if you want. It doesn't seem really fair, though; he's just yelling, not even talking.

[Geir doesn't have any fear that he'll come out on top in a fight. against an opponent who's in his right mind and Geir's size in general, he might actually expect a healthy tussle; against something that seems as mindless as Mikleo does right now, it will be no contest, in his opinion.]

[imsorey]

Malevolence needs to be purified. I--

[he looks down at his side, where a sword is normally hanging and isn't now, and frowns.]

I don't know if I can do that right now. But fighting him won't help. Talking would be better.

[rootandbranch]

[Geir narrows his eyes at Sorey.]

I don't even know him that well. Help me talk to him, then. I'll protect you.

[this is Sorey's place as summoner, or whatever his and Mikleo's relationship is, he's pretty sure. he moves forward towards the other dragon, conscious of Sorey between his front feet, and stretches out his nose towards him... not quite getting within where he judges Mikleo's range to be when weighted by the chains.]

Hello?

[oneandmikleonly]

[the dragon simply lunges forward, snapping, when you get near enough...it's yanked to a jerky stop by the chains, shrieking frustration.]

[rootandbranch]

Wow. You reeeally aren't okay...

[even if Geir's been fairly frustrated about the evidence of how these two have been dealing with this situation that he's seen, his frustration ebbs further into sympathy at that reaction from Mikleo. it's clear that Mikleo, at least, couldn't have been doing anything different, and that makes him feel a little ashamed of his impatience.]

I'd be mad if I had chains on me too, but I don't want to fight you.