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

[oneandmikleonly]

[Mikleo sneezes on Sorey when Sorey pets him again.

it is incredibly undignified and also coats him with a fine layer of frost.]

[rootandbranch]

He's being a moron, though! This is a dream. He can definitely calm down. I bet if I pretended to bite you, he'd grab you faster than fast, to get you somewhere safe.

[he doesn't try, though. it seems like a bad idea when Mikleo is easing off the aggression a little. instead, caught by the idea of soothing him, he lets his voice drift into a lower register, trying to pin and hold Mikleo's senseless eyes with his own.]

Easssy. Just calm down a little more...

[Geir doesn't technically have his fascination abilities when they're on the Hub, but this is a dream. Sorey might catch his eyelids drooping for a second, though he's not the one it's being directed against. Mikleo, swollen with malevolence, might be completely immune. but who knows...? it's just a wash of temporary peace, if he's not.]

[imsorey]

[gross, dragon snot.]

That was uncalled for.

[the sleepy, calming feeling helps to settle his nerves, though, and he tries to keep petting Mikleo's nose. there's another, perhaps unexpected side effect: the shadows around Sorey sink towards the ground the longer that Geir keeps up his fascination abilities. he seems absentmindedly determined to keep petting Mikleo like someone falling asleep with a purring cat on their lap instead of someone trying to pet an angry dragon.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[he growls and snarls and bristles, but he doesn't seem able to hurt Sorey, and he's definitely, slowly, sinking to the ground like the shadows are, his eyes starting to lid...

he doesn't change back to his usual shape, but some of the horrible aura rolling off him starts to lessen, as well.]

[rootandbranch]

[this is incredible. they just really needed to calm down, apparently. these guys! right, Geir thinks, he can help with that.]

Okay, that's fine... both of you relax. You're together, right? It's going to be fine.

[there's something affectionate and touched in his voice, along with the fascination; seeing a pact-maker and his dragon from the outside like this is awfully nostalgic in a strange, heart-tugging way. Sorey and Mikleo are incredibly young, he thinks too, for the first time. they are tiny upset babies. of course they don't know what to do. he is not a tiny upset baby and he sure doesn't know what to do, most of the time...

he moves a bit closer if Mikleo will let him.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[rude they are mature young men with a lot of problems wow

Mikleo's hackles rise one more time when Geir approaches, but Sorey keeps petting him, unafraid, and he sinks down entirely onto the ground with a huffing sigh at last, eyes shut.]

[rootandbranch]

[Geir hums a bit to them both and moves closer, getting alongside rather than in front of them to spread a wing over Mikleo's back for a moment. he puts his chin on top of it to make a soothing pile. shhhh.

to Sorey:]

Are you guys gonna be okay for a while?

[imsorey]

[giving a small but definitive nod]

As long as he doesn't feel like moving we'll be okay.

[rootandbranch]

All right... both of you just stay calm! I'm going to see what's making noise in there. I'll be back in a little bit.

[he takes a minute to purr on the stupid pile a bit more, feeling like the sound will reassure Mikleo about staying still at least; whatever he's supposed to be, right now his shape is a dragon's, and in Geir's experience dragons like warm purring heaps.

when he's confident that the situation isn't going to explode behind him if he leaves, he quietly disentangles his wing and proceeds past the chained monster.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[there's not much back here, it turns out: the cave narrows into another tunnel beyond the somnolent Mikleo.

oh there's also a treasure chest! it looks very old. the hinges and straps holding it shut are gold-bossed. the wailing is coming from inside?????? it's big and sturdy enough Geir could probably get it open if he's careful.]

[rootandbranch]

[sure, he'll open it. he'll have to use the very tips of his talons, but... what else is there to do here?]

[oneandmikleonly]

[there's a really big egg inside

like, human baby sized?

it's crying a lot

do they do that normally?]

[rootandbranch]

[IRONICALLY, GEIR KNOWS MORE ABOUT MOSTLY-HUMAN BABIES THAN HE DOES ABOUT EGGS?? he never even came out of one.

nudges... the egg... warily??]

Shhh?

[oneandmikleonly]

[it...it squalls louder, rocking back and forth in the chest's confines a little

#thisseemsfine]

[rootandbranch]

Please be quiet! If I take you back there when you're this loud, they might wake up!

[hE TRIES PURRING AT IT INSTEAD?!]

[oneandmikleonly]

[there's a brief confused break in the crying, a hesitant hiccup

then it starts up again]

[rootandbranch]

[Geir guesses that it makes sense if getting things out of bizarre traps and calming them down is the solution to literally every problem in this weird dream??

he does his best to scoop the egg out of the chest, make it a little hollow in a coil of his tail, and put his chin over it to purr on it.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[WAHHH

wahhhh

wahhhhhh

hic

quiet...]

[rootandbranch]

[...poor thing, Geir thinks.

he keeps that up for a while and then sees if it will let him scoop it up and take it back to Mikleo and Sorey without starting to cry again.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[it's turned into a human baby swaddled tightly in a blanket, somewhere in there...its features are strangely indistinct. you're reminded a little of Unn.

it's sleeping. you can take it to them.]

[rootandbranch]

Why were you an egg in the first place?

[how very strange...

he cradles it close to his chest in one claw, awkward with such a tiny burden, and carefully walks three-legged back to the stupid pile of Shepherd and dragon.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[the dragon's still asleep, though Sorey may have commentary on it...?]

[imsorey]

[Sorey is still there petting the sleeping dragon and very much awake! Geir's three-legged hobble is enough to catch his attention and make him pause the pettings.]

Did you find something?

[rootandbranch]

Yeah, um.

[Geir extends the swaddled bundle to Sorey, offering it, claws held very still to try to keep the baby safe.]

...I guess he was here to guard this...? I don't know why someone put a baby in a box. Well, it wasn't a baby at first, but...

[imsorey]

[a Mysterious Symbolic Baby means just enough to even a dream version of Sorey that he can't help but look stricken before taking the baby and checking it for. injuries or potentially burn marks.]

What was it at first?